Robert's Gadget Zone

Warning: I disclaim all responsibility for any damage incurred by you in reading this article. Modifications to your device must only be undertaken if you are sufficiently skilled and are at your risk. Always backup your device before making any changes.

Out of the box the TomTom signs on with the 'TomTom' splash screen and shuts down with the antitheft splash screen.

splashw.bmp antitheftw.bmp

When you connect your TomTom to your PC it connects by mapping part of its internal or SD flash file system as a USB Fash Drive. You will find these splash files in the root of the mapped drive on your PC. Before making any changes you should make a complete backup of this mapped drive including all hidden and system files.

You can simply replace these files with files of your own. Files must be 480x272 Windows 24bit RGBs .BMP format (320x240 for TomTom One V3). Here's mine, feel free to download and enjoy.

splashw.bmp

For owners of TomTom One V3 the file names will be slightly different (splash.bmp & antitheft.bmp) however the mechanism remains the same. Also please note that if you use your device upside-down you will need to create upside-down images as the TomTom does not do this automatically.

Until next time, keep on tinkering! ...Robert

As an avid enthusiast of technical gadgets this new addition to my life is likely to be both a blessing and a burden! You see I can't just use it, I need to play with it and that means in ways never intended.

I first purchased the TomTom One V3 thinking that it would suit my needs. I used it for a day and found it to be informative, accurate and a joy to use. I'd recommend it to virtually all my friends and family. It did suffer however one major disadvantage... it really lacked tinkerability!!
So back it went and in it's place I upgraded to the TomTom One XL giving nearly unlimited flash memory capacity and Internet connectivity via Bluetooth Dial-Up Networking (DUN).

TomTom devices are well supported in the Open Source community with lots of projects out there getting them to do things other than replace your street directory. So here is a new blog dedicated just to tinkering with my TomTom (sounds a bit rude really!!).

Until next time, keep on tinkering! ...Robert