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| Date Reviewed: 01/25/2007 |
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Strengths: 3.5" bright touch screen, 3D view, easy to use (after practices!), Plays MP3 while Mapping!
Weaknesses: Easily erase all settings if power went down or hard turn off
Summary: Just got it yesterday I can't say enough how I love this unit! I had a Garmin Quest 14 months ago - higher price and inaccurate map - compare to that, this is amazingly well-designed either in hardware or software. The text is so clear in the map and the 3D view is truly amazed. Touch screen, bigger view area, the mount unit is even better designed than Garmin's. Mp3 plays from SD in no time, fast response. Plays Mp3 while you are driving. All in one, no extra speaker like Garmin's. Hack-able CE core is also a plus, but I am not doing that at this point. I really enjoy the whole unit. My 4-yr-old can also play the zoom and tilt easily. Need to practice on how to operate, once you are familiar with the flow, it's very easy to use. When hard turning off the unit (at the bottom), it erased my settings, so beware of that.
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| Date Reviewed: 12/01/2006 |
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Strengths: Small, portable, wind shield mount, voice navigation, uses iGo navigation software, 2D and 3D modes, day and night mode
Weaknesses: Voice navigation does not have text to speech. Therefore the unit will announce Turn Right in 500 yards instead of Turn right at Wilshire Blvd.
Summary: 2007-07-18 12:02:06 This unit has become quite popular in the past few weeks and with good reason. This little GPS is about as small as a PDA. However, it packs so many features into this little box at a great price. Mio brand GPS is about the 3rd best selling brand of GPS systems in Europe. It is not as popular here, but I think that is about to change. It uses software that is developed by iGO but they gave it a Mio facelift. The software is really intuitive and when you go off route it makes quick calculations to re-route you on the right way. Also, the voice guidance warns you several times as you approach your turn to make sure you do not miss it. I have researched several other units but this one is the best GPS for the price. The C310x is the upgrade from the C310. Some people complained that new streets built in the last 1-3 years may not be mapped out. Mio has not provided upgrads to maps yet. However they said that if you register on their site, they should provide updates for free within 6-9 months. However, if you are looking for a good, cheap GPS that packs as much as other ones 3 times the price, this is a great deal! Update: According to the Mio website, there will be a new maps in Spring 2007. www.miogps.com/US/C310... So far everything is been pretty great. I use the GPS often. I do see little errors where you can get confused with exactly which road you are supposed to take. However, it is best to check the actual map rather than just listening to the directions. After using it for a while, you get to understand how it works and everything is great. It always gets me from point A to B. Update 2: June 29, 2007 - Mio released info regarding the update. It looks like we have to pay for it. _______________________________________________________ Question: How often do you update your maps and how are they made available to customers? Answer: Limited Time Offer! Mio DigiWalker™ C310x Map Update As our way of saying “thank you” to those people who helped put Mio Technology on the map, Mio Technology is offering a special map update promotion to our valued Mio DigiWalker™ C310x users. This map update will allow you to upgrade the firmware of your C310x device as well as update the map data. This upgrade will deliver improved road position accuracy, improved “one way street” notifications, newly added streets and addresses, and improved routing in rural areas and more. For a limited time, Mio DigiWalker C310x owners will be able to receive this special upgrade offer for the special price of $14.95 + $9.95 shipping and handling. This special update pricing will also be available for a limited time at participating Circuit City locations. Mio Technology will begin taking orders for the C310x map update DVD on July 16, 2007 on the Mio Technology web site, www.mio-tech.com. Offer dates and availability details at participating Circuit City locations to be announced soon. Update July 18, 2007: They posted the new update on their site: www.mio-technology-usa... They have expanded the map data, but cut the point of interests from 3.5 million to 1.5 million in this update. See the update FAQ for more info: Q5. What is actually updated by this map update? A5.You will have a new map database (new roads & more information about roads, for better navigation), new mapping software (improvements to handle the new map information) and the new device firmware. You get more map data, but less points of interest. This new version of the map data is a lot larger but we still must fit everything in the 1GB of memory inside your device. We did not want to remove street data (for navigation), so we removed some of the POIs, you will still have approximately 1.5 million POIs in this map update.
89% of People (39/44) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 12/14/2006 |
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Strengths: Compact, attractive, just enough functions, can't beat the price
Weaknesses: Menu very confusing, can't delete individual history (delete all or keep all), difficult to save and retrieve favorit address
Summary: 1. It is functional and worth the money
2. I love the size, shape, color and looking
3. Useful functions includes zoom in/out, adjustable flat view/perspective view, smart zoom (automatic), mp3 player, adjustable mount and more - just enough for the purpose of a gps. Who needs the extra functions that you probally never use and pay more?
4. You need to play a loooong time to get used to it. I feel the menu is confusing. Believe me I am an engineer and not that dumb but I still can't get some functions work - like the supposedly very useful "fast fly over". You only can fly over sloooowly.
5. I drove on a 65mph speed limit highway at 60mph and it tells me "you are over the speed limit". I replied "shut up" and I manually shut the function up later.
6. The max number of my street is no more than 30 and my house position is labeled 89. If I set my home the true number it will tell me "you have arrived you destination" at someone else driveway 50 yards away. The map accuracy may not be this gps problem because Google map shows me the same.
7. Overall for the money I paid and the normal function I get, I like it.
88% of People (7/8) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 02/23/2007 |
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Strengths: Small & compact size
Quick signal catch
Weaknesses: Soso screen
Internal battery (can not change)
Summary: It's a great GPS compares to my other two GPS unit. The signal catchs very fast, and the accuracy is great as well. The Map comes with the unit is okay for my area, but the route it gives me are not always the best way to go. The battery is kind of weak and you can not change it, I am so glad they attached the car charger in the box. The unit is used the standard Windows CE so there are some methods for you to mod it to play video. Over all, I think the price is just right for a GPS.
86% of People (6/7) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 12/03/2006 |
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Strengths: 3.5" touch screen, can be hacked into doing many other things such as playing video
Weaknesses: Ocational routing glitches, could use a map update
Summary: A very nice GPS that's showing up all over the place at a price around $200. It is the best GPS in this price range. It uses teleAltas map data. It's not the best map avalible, but adquent. It also has preloaded map for the whole America.
83% of People (30/36) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 12/08/2006 |
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Strengths: MP3 player, speed camera points, speed limit warning, very compact, nice and clear screen, SD slot, pre-loaded maps,
Weaknesses: Menus are little complicated but with some practice, it would be easy.
Summary: I just got my MIO last week and I'm already in love with it. A simple cute piece and came with the AC charger along with other accessories. I've already started using it and liking it much.
There are few things which I really liked:
1. It has mp3 player.
2. You can set speed traps and it will warn you from next time.
3. It warns if you are above speed limit (good feature if you are not checking the speedometer)
4. Several functions to customize it.
Still trying to find something which is not good but till now nothing. It took me some time to get used to the menu navigation but now it is fairly simple.
Just go for it.
79% of People (11/14) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 12/22/2006 |
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Strengths: Small, easy to carry. Bright screen even under strong sunshine. MP3 player. Build in 1GB memory for maps. Extra SD slots.
Weaknesses: Maps are old. Route algorithm sometimes is weird.
Summary: Bought this Mio C310x on Black Friday. I also have a Garmin streetpilot C310. They do belong to the same category. When put them side by side, Garmin looks bulk. Mio is smaller and because of its flat back design, it is easier to carry. Mio's LCD is brighter. It is still clear under strong sunshine while Garmin is hard to read. Mio's build in 1GB memory(someone even reported that they got 2GB!) is great (Garmin uses SD card for map storage and they only gives a 128MB SD card). The extra SD slots can be used for MP3. Mio uses the latest SiRF III GPS chips, which means faster cold start and greater signal reception. Garmin even refuse to tell what chips they are using. Come to the map part, Mio uses teleAtlas' maps while Garmin uses Navteq's. Mio only have 2005.2 version which is a little bit outdated. Hope they can provide free update early next year. Mio's interface is a customized iGo 2006, very attractive and informative. The voice prompt is very clear. However, the route algorithm sometimes is weird. For example, for a recent Philly to DC trip, it selected 495 and G. W. Memorial Pkwy at the end of the route, while other softwares gave US-1. This made my trip 30 miles longer. Maybe it is because of the old map. Overall the Mio C310x is a great all-in-one GPS navigator. Consider the money I paid, I am very happy.
77% of People (10/13) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 12/10/2006 |
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Strengths: Maps are clear with auto recalculation almost immediately after making a wrong turn. The menu is fairly easy to navigate. The mounting hardware is excellent.
Weaknesses: Maps need sme updating as a few POI's were missing as well as an occasional street. I also wanted a female voice but without hacking, theres no option.
Summary: All in all, its a great piece. Nice and compact so you can dunk it in your shirt pocket and use the walk GPS coordinate features if you wish. There are several languages built in. There is no hard copy user manual, its all on a DVD which is a pain, because u need to use your computer for reference. Either that or print out the 80 page manual.
75% of People (9/12) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 12/12/2006 |
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Strengths: bright screen. fast rerouting calculation. large on board flash memory to hold entire US maps.
Weaknesses: map doesn't have the streets my home is located. It has been 3 years old and google map has it this year.
Summary: Looking for a car GPS navigation? forget the $2k option from car dealers. get this one for less than 1/10 of the cost and it works great. very bright screen you can see in the days. instantly locks on to 4 to 5 satellites. all maps are built in. you don't need to load maps or other crap. just turn it on and go. works right out of the box. the best purchase I made in years.
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| Date Reviewed: 12/05/2006 |
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Strengths: Price, very fast routing/rerouting, plenty of advance notification for turns, mp3 player, lot of variety in languages/voices, runs on battery or plugged in to lighter. Has both car and home adapters.
Weaknesses: Although it does not have text to speech, it gives plenty of advance notification. Routes are not always the best, but they get you there.
Summary: This GPS has a tremendous amount of flexibility for the price. It seems very accurate to me and the maps seem up-to-date, but my area is very stable. I especially like the very fast rerouting and it size (minimum blocking of window). You can set the voice in English to either American or British (male voice) or hack it. It has a huge variety of foreign languages as well. The routes are not always the ones I would take, but it gets you there. Today at rush hour, it told me to take a right turn that was illegal at that hour (No right turn 7-9 AM)I don't think maps normally know this detail and I skipped the street and it rerouted me correctly in just around 100-200 feet or a few seconds, very, very fast. It truly couldn't be faster. I would have liked text-to-speech, but it is not necessary as it gives plenty of advance notice to make turns, and I would like the flyover to go faster (flyover is the simulation of the route you want to take.) It seems to go at around the expected speed limit, which is too slow to simulate a long trip. You only want to use it when you are near your destination to get the feel of what you have to do. Use the itinerary for directions is what I have chosen to use. I would have liked maps for foreign countries included as I plan to do some foreign travel. I would also like to know when map updates will be available and how much they will cost. For the price, this is the best unit out there today. Highly recommended. This was far better than I expected. High quality and a lot of bang for the buck. Has modes for walking, biking,use in a truck, use in a taxi or even an emergency vehicle. I guess it could be better, but nothing comes near it at this price or even a few hundred dollars more. If you are lucky enough to get one at a good price, this is a steal. Only one problem, as soon as it goes on sale, it sells out.
69% of People (11/16) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 01/08/2007 |
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Strengths: Smallness/portability; ease of use; positive use experience; low price; user interface; hackability.
Weaknesses: Maps 1-1/2 years old (being updated this year); still harder to do certain functions (not for electronics-phobes); shorter battery life; some accuracy issues; manual leaves much to be desired.
Summary: A nice unit, especially at the Black Friday $150 price (the only reason I decided to take the plunge into GPS land). The pros and cons are as listed above:
Pros:
-- Smallness/portability: I have a convertible and need to remove apparent electronics devices whenever I leave the car. Hence, my desire for a small and portable unit. This fits the bill perfectly, and I can put the unit in my jacket pocket--it is the size of a PDA.
-- Low cost: Especially with the Black Friday specials.
-- Ease of use: It is easy to use the unit, with minimal training.
Positive use experience: I find the unit to provide positive (although not 100% accurate) assistance, and am glad I have it. It has located alternate routes for me already, in my own neighborhood. For me, also, the unit finds the GPS satellites within 1-2 blocks of driving, if not immediately--very impressive. If you miss a turn, the unit immediately recalculates a route--again, very impressive.
-- User interface: This unit is just plain fun to use. I know that's not a major issue for some, but it adds to the use factor.
-- Other options: The player has a built-in (rudimentary) MP3 player. Nicely, there is a memory card slot--I have had no problem with 2 GB SD memory cards. Nice!
Hackability: Although I have not yet done it, the unit may be unlocked/"hacked" so that one may add games to the player as well as other Windows applications, including a DVD player. A big positive for some! And people have posted alternate software modifications on the Internet (e.g. alternate voices).
Cons:
-- The maps are from 2005, although are being updated this year. It remains to be seen if Mio charges users for updates (which seems likely, although Mio initially indicated otherwise) and at what cost.
-- Some functions are harder to do and figure out how to do; e.g. mapping of routes for the future. The interface should be cleaned up/improved in that regard.
-- The manual tends to be organized by button/command. However, it also should include better "How do I do _____?" instructions, which are equally if not more useful.
-- The battery only lasts for about 3-4 hours (although I have yet to exhaust the battery). That seems short, although the unit is small. I use the car lighter adapter, as a result (and so as not to run the battery down--it has a life of around 1000 recharges, per Mio).
-- Importantly, sometimes the directions are off. For example, the unit wants to avoid the major freeway near my house and instead to use surface streets, even when the freeway is the closest and absolute fastest means by which to travel. The reason for this is unclear to me. However, when you ignore the directions initially, the unit then will recalculate and use the freeway, at a certain point. Also, the unit, for me (some others have had contrary experiences), is a bit off in distances--that is, turns are a bit sooner than the unit seems to indicate. However, I just take that into account and the unit always gives advance warning well in advance.
Accessories: As Mio is relatively new to the U.S. market, manufacturer accessories are not yet available (e.g. a case), although Mio says they will be in the future.
* * * * * *
In the end, the unit is recommended, especially if you can find a good price for it/don't want to spend $100s more for a GPS unit.
(Note: as to the negatives above, they may be common to other GPS units as well--this is my first GPS unit experience.)
63% of People (5/8) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 12/09/2006 |
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Strengths: Reasonable price. Small size. Nice screen. Quick routing and re-routing.
Weaknesses: TeleAtlas map.
Summary: I missed the deal during staples black Friday sale. But I was luck to get a web order two weeks later. I had to pay $50 more, but that's worth it. I am really happy with this unit. It's really portable. It fits in my pocket like a pda. The 3.5 inch touch screen is really nice. It doesn't get washed out under sunshine. The MP3 playback function is great. I can hook it up to my car stereo with a cassette adapter. TeleAtlas maps might be a drawback. But people are saying they will have map upgrade pretty soon. I hope that'll come true. But most of the places I went were on the map. So no bid deal. The Points of Interest are quite useful. The on board lithium ion battery can last about 4 hours, but it comes with a cigarette power adapter. Oh, the most important thing is the SiRF star III chipset, which is considered to be the best by many people. It can pick up signal inside my apartment and boot up really quickly. Overall I am absolutely happy with my Mio C310x.
50% of People (2/4) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 11/28/2006 |
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Strengths: highly accurate
Weaknesses: havent found any yet...
Summary: this is one of the best gps systems i have seen...i had an inbuilt gps system in my honda pilot which was ok but this is far better i guess, i bought this for my wife....worth the money
43% of People (3/7) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 12/03/2006 |
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Strengths: Good Price. Easy hack make it good multifunction GPS
Weaknesses: make of plastic, lack of button for easier handling, Map is not accurate.
Summary: I bought this item at $150 from Staples BF sale. Very happy with it ever since I got it. Easy heck make it very useful PDA. I can install a lot of programs, including movie player, music player, picture viewer, games, ebook reader.
It is not perfect. Eg, the map is far from accurate. It takes more than 10 mins to locate sometimes. (it could be because I am living in the city.
Over all, I pay half amount to get all the functions. For the money I saved, I can bear with the disadvantages.
40% of People (2/5) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 01/04/2007 |
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Strengths: +Very fast route recalculation
+Good satellite reception
+Loud and clear voice guide
+Easy to add address
+Very bright screen
+Auto day/night mode
+Auto 3D/2D views
+Plays MP3
Weaknesses: - Outdated maps
- No text-to-speech (see below)
- No address book sync (minor problem)
Summary: This unit would be perfect if it did not have these issues:
1. The maps are about 1.5 year old (as of January 2007). There are no updated maps available so far, though manufacturer's web site promises map updates in "Spring 2007".
2. This unit does not have text-to-speech (as Garmin does), so it will say "Turn right in 100 feet" instead of "Turn right on Worldgate drive in 100 feet". You can still see the name of the street on the screen though. You can surely live with that, but if you want text-to-speech, get a more expensive unit.
3. This unit can not copy contacts from your computer and use them. The manufacturer included this feature in C310 model, but dropped it in C310x model for some reason. Not a big deal though.
4. Since maps in this unit do not have ALL buildings listed, it might say "Arrived to destination" a 100-200 yards earlier than expected.
BOTTOME LINE:
I really like this unit, despite mentioned issues. It also handles satellite signal very good, you do not need to put it on the windshield, it works fine on the lap, the seat or even inside the building near the window.
I bought it on 31 of December because I had to make an urgent 4-hour trip to ski resort in the mountains and did not want to get lost on New Years Eve. The unit did really great guiding me through local mountain roads in dense smog and heavy rain, it NEVER hanged up or misdirected me. So this unit does more than expected for the price, and I really recommend it.
Still, if you can not live without text-to-speech and need the most recent maps now, get the more expensive Garmin.
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