June 26, 2008

Connected Mio Moov 380 headed to U.S.

Mio_moov_380

The Mio Moov 380 has cleared the FCC, so we now have another GPS with two-way connectivity coming to the U.S. to compete with the Dash Express and the forthcoming Magellan Maestro Elite 5340+GPRS and Garmin nuvifone.

The Mio Moov 380 will have a built-in SIM card as well as a micro-SD card slot. No word on pricing, who their carrier or search partner is, or what the monthly connection fee will be.

Mio says the device will offer full phone features, including the ability to send and receive calls and SMS messages via the SIM card (no Bluetooth connection required).

This sounds like a device that will be difficult to explain and market, since it  would require a carrier subscription, but it isn't a full replacement for a cell phone like the Garmin nuvifone. Dash (and I'm assuming Magellan too) can offer lower subscription fees, since their cellular connection is limited to data.

According to Mio, connection speeds are 2.75G and 3G. They have also announced that Qualcomm is a development partner.

More from Mio on the Moov 380.

Jun 26, 2008 11:20:42 AM | Hardware, Mio

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