There's already a handful of perfectly-capable route planners freely available via the web, but TomTom hopes its all-new Route Planner will offer a little something extra.
The service, available to select users in BETA form at routes.tomtom.com, promises to utilise TomTom's library of automotive information to provide detailed door-to-door routes that take into account both real-time and historic traffic trends.
By using its available data - including around 500 billion historic speed measurements - TomTom states that its routes will be based on facts, rather than estimates. It also hopes to keep its maps more up to date than rival route planners via its community-based Map Share service.
Unfortunately, the BETA service is available to a limited number of users. If you fancy your chances at being accepted into the programme, simply register at routes.tomtom.com and await an e-mail. No news yet on when the service will be rolled out on a larger scale.
Harold Goddijn, TomTom's chief executive officer, had this to say:
The introduction of the online Route Planner marks an important step in our strategy to make our award-winning navigation available for all users, regardless of the platform that is used.
Users who do not have a navigation device can now also benefit from our high-quality routing before starting their journey, giving them a chance to plan their day more efficiently than ever before.
Official press release: TomTom announces online Route Planner
