Another celebrity has given his voice to TomTom for drivers to download. Now, you can have Jeremy Clarkson telling you to turn right in 300 metres, take the second left at the roundabout, but presumably not ‘go faster’!
For many, the clarity of spoken instructions is the most crucial factor in the performance of a sat nav.
I’ve never tried it, but my colleague at the lab says that with some of the best sat navs, you can navigate successfully without looking at the on-screen map and arrows (although looking at the screen makes it easier).
If you get bored of the same old voice telling you what to do, though, you can switch it for a different one. Some are pre-installed on your device and you can download others, much like you might download a new ringtone to your mobile phone.
Unsurprisingly, a market has sprung up for these voices. There are a host of “unofficial” celebrity voices to download, some of them sound like pretty bad impressions. You can also buy official celebrity voices alongside fictional ones; Billy Connolly, Homer Simpson, Darth Vader to name a few. And in a few weeks, they’ll be joined on the TomTom roster by Jeremy Clarkson.
You can listen to voice samples on the sat nav makers’ websites. I did, and one or two raised a smile. While they may liven up a dull journey, I’m not sure I’ll be shelling out for one however.
How about you? Are there any voices you have downloaded and still use? Which person would you like giving you voice instructions?
Which celebrity Lamb would you like to voice your sat nav?
A lamb (bahhh) (51%, 44 Votes)
Larry Lamb (26%, 23 Votes)
Dave Lamb (10%, 9 Votes)
Darren Lamb (7%, 6 Votes)
George Lamb (6%, 5 Votes)
Total Voters: 87
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