EDIT: While this post originally focused on the Mio C520, the points are generally true for the Mio C220 too. Its not quite as complex, but it is still not as simple to operate as a nuvi.
Following my review of the Mio C520, I wanted to delve a little more deeply into why you might buy a Mio or a Garmin nuvi. I'm a big fan of Garmin; they rock -- intuitive menus, great customer service and quality products. But Mio really grabbed my attention with the C520.
So let's say you're in the market for an auto navigation GPS. Which do you buy -- a nuvi or a Mio?
Reasons to get a Mio C520
- Price - At a list price of $399.95, and with it discounted more and more as the weeks go by, you'll get a lot of bang for your buck.
- The geek factor - Do you like tech toys with lots of menus that you can tweak and get them to do just what you want? If so, buy this and not a nuvi.
- You've got a human navigator too - The Mio C520 has complex menus and you don't want to be distracted using them while driving. If you're usually the passenger, or you've got a co-pilot that also likes tech toys, this could be the perfect unit for you.
Reasons to get a Garmin nuvi
- Ease of use - The Garmin has simple, intuitive menus. You may never need to even crack open the manual with this unit. If you don't want a complex device, buy a simple one -- a nuvi. It will take you where you want to go like a dream. No fuss, no muss.
- Driving solo - Perhaps you have a job where you need a navigation device, with no one in the car to assist. The nuvi is a much better choice. You can navigate solo with the Mio, but it won't be as easy as with a nuvi. You'll be dealing with smaller buttons and a more cluttered interface, plus you'll have to exercise quite a bit of restraint and use a very small feature set. The nuvi wins this one hands down.
- Better MP3 integration - The nuvi's MP3 player is one of my favorite features. I like the fact that you can see the artist name and song title on the screen while navigating to voice-prompted directions. You can't see this info on the Mio C520 while navigating. Also, an FM transmitter is an option on some nuvis. Garmin's FM transmitter is a little weak, and may give you problems if your antennae is some distance from the nuvi. Nevertheless, it works well enough in my admittedly small Camry. While the Mio C520 has an MP3 player, it has no FM transmitter.
- Cell phone user - I'm not the only person to report problems with the Mio C520's Bluetooth, hands-free cell phone functions. Hopefully, a firmware upgrade will fix this, but for now, I'm recommending a Bluetooth-enabled nuvi if this is important to you.
Other GPS navigation devices
What about other models and brands? As far as Mio is concerned, while there have been a lot of complaints about poor screen visibility with the Mio C220, I didn't find it to be that bad. I think it's a very good unit in the value category. But I can't quite bring myself to recommend a TomTom, much less a Magellan. They simply aren't as good as the nuvi series or the Mio C220 or C520.
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