Mio C520t Review

Mio Technology Limited has been around for over six years with a staff of 2000 worldwide, half of whom are involved in Research and Development. It is not surprising therefore that Mio is at the cutting edge of industry with not only car satellite navigation systems, but PDA units with GPS capability and smart phones.

Several models of GPS are provided by Mio at the cheaper end of the market, but the consumer is now looking for more than just directions when they get in the car. More functions and features are being demanded of technology, and Mio is more than capable of stepping up to the plate on that score.

Starting with the 4.3 inch LCD touchscreen, the information available to you is vast. The screen can be split into two sections, the first providing the map display that you have come to expect in any sat nav, and the second giving you information about points of interest (POI) with distance to travel. Here you can also display traffic information such as congestion and accidents.

The t designation in the C520t indicates that the system is set up for traffic reporting, however, this feature has not always attracted the best feedback. Several reports have been made that the signal reception by the TMC (Traffic Message Channel) receiver built into the windscreen cradle is inadequate from the suckered aerial on your window. If you have tinted glass, the result is even worse.

As with many state of the art sat navs, the touchscreen has it all at your fingertips. The display options are very customizable with the split screen option noted above but, and there is always a but, everything needs to be entered through several levels which can be very confusing as well as setting you up to be a traffic hazard all by yourself. Too much time pushing button instead of watching the road is no good for anyone. In fact, in an effort to keep the look of the device smooth and stylish, you cannot even adjust the volume without going through several layers of settings.

Entering the address of your destination could also use an improvement. It seems rather backward to enter the city before the street, and the house number last. However, if you know the postal code, it can be entered directly into the system, and this is a nice simplicity feature.

As you would expect with a higher priced device such as this one, there are more features than just getting from A to B. Bluetooth capability means you can make calls from your phone whilst driving, and upload your contact list to add them to your own POI database. In addition, it can be used as an MP3 player and a photo viewer. The headset jack is not standard though, so your regular headphones will not fit unfortunately.

Sadly, this high tech offering from Mio with its widescreen display and multiple features, does not match up with its potential. It would perhaps be more prudent to spend your money on the C220 and buy an iPod to go with it.