You might say that the big players in the GPS Industry are in panic mode trying to respond to the ever-increasing ability of mobile phones to mimic what they do. With the advent of Google Maps’ unique new Street View feature for Android-powered phones, it may even be appropriate to say that the dedicated GPS navigation system as we know it is an endangered species.

With their livelihood at stake, Tom Tom is releasing a line of exclusive “celebrity” voices (branded “VoiceSkins”) for its navi’s, which at the time of this writing include the legendary Homer Simpson and Snoop Dogg. In spite of the obvious targeting of my demographic, I must admit that these voices are very well done and entertaining, if a bit difficult to find and install. So I have prepared an easy, step-by-step guide to get your new GPS voice up and running fast.

Step One – Get Tom Tom’s Free “Home” Application

Not only is Tom Tom Home a one-stop-shop to keep your Tom Tom’s firmware, maps, and applications updated, but it’s also the best way to install the new voices to your system. Visit Tom Tom’s Website and download the right version of Home for your operating system: http://www.tomtom.com/services. The link to the home program is typically situated on the middle-right of the page after you choose your geographic location.

Before proceeding to the next step, be sure that Home properly recognizes your product when it is plugged in via a mini USB cable. If it does, you should see your device listed in the bottom right corner. You also might want to take advantage of any free map or software updates your device may be eligible for.

Step Two – Buy and Download the VoiceSkin You Want

Head over to http://www.voiceskins.com/ and scroll down to the available products, which currently include the previously mentioned Homer and Doggfather. You’ll have to create an account and pay via a third-party site. After you’ve confirmed your purchase, go back to the VoiceSkins site, click on “My Account” (at the top) to log in, then click on the “My Voices” Link on the left hand side of the account dashboard. You’ll see your product(s) listed along with an icon to add them to your Tom Tom.

I use Firefox, and upon clicking that icon I was prompted to open the attachment with Tom Tom Home, which took it from there.

Step Three – Configure the GPS

Again, I can only offer instructions specific to my model (the entry-level “One” I referred to previously) as far as configuring the VoiceSkins. I would imagine, however, that these instructions are pretty similar for all Tom Tom models:

1. Tap the screen to bring up the main menu
2. Click on the “Preferences” Icon
3. On my GPS, I have to scroll to the right one screen, where there’s a “change voices” icon
4. Scroll either direction until you find your purchased VoiceSkin and hit “select” to make it the default voice or “test” if you’d like to hear a sample.

That’s pretty much it. If you’re still having difficulties, I would recommend checking out this video, which, although specific to the Snoop voice, will work for any Tom Tom VoiceSkin. Finally, a quick thanks to the guys over at  http://www.SnoopDoggGPS.com/, whose installation guide was the basis for this one.

-JR

Jason Richard is a contributing editor to several informative websites.