GPS Tracklog

Mio Moov and Mio Moov XL

UPDATE: Read our Mio Moov 200 review and our Mio Moov 310 review

The bovine-sounding Mio Moov and Mio Moov XL are making their way through the FCC approval process, getting one step closer to our dashboards. The Moov units should be the first to ditch the old iGo interface for a newer, more intuitive one born of the Mio / Navman merger.

CES - Mio to simplify interface with MioMove series

UPDATE: Read our Mio Moov 200 review and our Mio Moov 310 review

Mio is following up on their purchase of Navman by integrating the Navman interface with Mio hardware, ditching NavNGo's iGo interface. The result will be the MioMove series, and the plan is for an easier, more intuitive, interface.

The prototype photo above is from the Mio booth at CES. The menus are contextual, and can change depending upon user preferences, last button pressed, etc.

Mio C720t review

I've spent the last few weeks trying out the Mio C720t, a new high-end GPS navigation device from Mio. Like the Mio C520, the C720t is equipped with a 4.3" touchscreen, text-to-speech, Bluetooth for hands free cell phone use, and the SiRFstar III chipset. The C720t adds to this feature set with live traffic info, an integrated 2 MP camera, and photo geotagging. You can use this feature to navigate to locations you've taken a picture of.

Mio POI loader

Mio has posted a Mio POI loader that allows you to transfer .csv or .xls POI files to an SD card and have them show up under My POI on your Mio device.

The POI loader may work with newer devices beyond those listed. I'm currently testing a Mio C720t and it worked fine with it.

I'm adding a link to this on my custom POI resource page, where you can find lots of POI sources to use with your GPS.

Mio C230 review

I've been trying out the Mio C230 for the past week or so. Also know as the Mio DigiWalker C230, this unit updates the C220, adding one thing most low-end units don't have -- text to speech. This means that you'll get "turn left on Oak Street in 200 feet" rather than just "turn left in 200 feet." It also offers a much brighter screen than that of the C220, along with pre-loaded maps of all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Mio has big plans for Black Friday

Mio, who used last year's $149 C310 Black Friday special to make a name for themselves in the U.S., has big plans again this year. According to TWICE, Mio is gearing up for Black Friday block parties:

"The company said it is considering marketing tactics such as serenading shoppers queued up by the door before the stores open, and handing out coffee and donuts. It also plans demos of the high-end features available on personal navigation devices (PNDs) to educate consumers, said marketing director Eric Larsen who likened the promotion to a Black Friday “block party.”"

New Mio units target low and high ends of market

UPDATE: Read our Mio C230 review and Mio C720t review.

I wasn't going to post this weekend, but after a couple of days in the city testing GPS receivers with traffic data, there's at least one newsworthy item that beckons.

Mio has announced two new units -- the Mio C230 and Mio C720t, targeting the low and high ends of the GPS marketplace.

Fall 2007 GPS introductions

You may have noticed that last Friday was a busy day here at GPS Tracklog, as we reported on a dozen new units from Garmin, Magellan and TomTom. These manufacturers used Berlin's IFA consumer electronics show as a chance to announce a fall 2007 lineup, ahead of the holiday shopping season. Now that the dust has settled, let's look at some details that escaped notice Friday, and take a quick look at market niches and innovations as well.

Nuvi 700 series to include tracklogs and MSN Direct option

While I reported that the nuvi 700 series specs include multi-destination routing, I should have read the product description more closely. Under "plan ahead" it states "a trip log provides an electronic bread crumb trail of up to 10,000 points, so you can see where you've been on the map." A little further down it cites  MSN® Direct as an option. One other note -- they tackle the traveling salesman problem -- the nuvi 700 series "automatically sorts multiple destinations to provide an efficient route for errands, deliveries or sales calls."

Mio C220 review

I've been trying out the Mio C220 for the past couple of weeks, and I am convinced that it is a great value. Currently available for around $185 $165 (and the price may drop even more between now and the holidays), this unit will likely be one of the market leaders in terms of budget car navigation systems.

New Mio models with 3-D navigation

Reports are surfacing that Mio will be introducing some new units at Berlin's IFA electronics show the end of this month. The big news is the Mio C620 which reportedly will have 3-D navigation capabilities.
A new Mio C230 has been mentioned as well.

More details on the C620 at GPS Business News and Navigadget. The latter also covers the C230, while this French site has some additional screen shot of 3-D navigation.