Navman has some competition. TomTom, the Dutch company that's number one worldwide in GPS navigation systems for cars, will launch product into NZ next month.

There's some very cool stuff in TomTom's line-up, including a system for bikers, and its GO series, which accepts spoken commands courtesy of a tie-up with Nuance, the people who make Dragon Naturally Speaking for PCs.

However, TomTom's first two models here will be the relatively meat-and-potatoes TomTom One V3 and One XL. While the GO series' speech command option is a whole lot safer than trying to touchscreen-type an address as you drive (officially, you're supposed to pull over), the folk at Nuance are still grappling with some of our place names. We may see some product in that area in a few months.

Meantime, the more meat-and-potatoes TomTom One and One XL are being released here (we hope to have a hands-on review in our Nov or Dec-Jan issue). At first glance, there's nothing radically different from Navman's units (or those of the lower profile Uniden, Garmin and Goldfinger). That's no coincidence. The same outfit - AA-owned Geosmart - creates the maps that both TomTom and Navman incorporate into their scrolling, 3D interfaces. Geosmart also supplies both with its points-of-interest (ATMs, petrol stations, speed cameras etc), so there's a notable similarity there. And TomTom's female voice option has the same Lara Croft-posh accent as Navman's.

TomTom says its Home software is a point of difference. You can use it to manager or back-up maps on your PC, or get a free upgrade of your country's map after you buy your GPS, or to run virtual trips to work out the best route before you jump in your car. There are also some unique safety features such as speed alerts, and a "quick fix" system for quickly re-engaging the GPS signal after you come out of, say, a covered car park that you regularly use.

Other features will go begging, such as the ability to receive real-time updates about traffic jams or accidents via GSM - a function not supported here.

Interestingly, one of the Geosmart guys said the EU's coming Galileo Positioning System, which will compete against the US govt's Global Positioning System is now in the testing phase. Apparently it will have more satellites, and offer a stronger and more accurate fix than the older US network (though like the Yankee version it will restrict its most accurate data for the military) - to the extent it will even be able to track vehicles under cover. Hmm, will have to see about that one. Galileo won't be commercially operational for four or five years, however.