Reviews
MIO
168RS
The
Mio 168 is a specialized Pocket PC with built-in GPS. Therefore
it would seem to require two reviews, one for the Pocket PC and
one for the GPS. Certainly readers of this publication are familiar
with the basic attributes of a Pocket PC, so I shall give a brief
overview of the Mio 168 as a Pocket PC and then discuss its GPS
functionality in greater detail.
Pocket
PC Description
The rectangular design of this unit feels good in the hand and
weighs only 5.25 ounces with a 3 x 2.25 inch screen. There can
be little doubt that the Mio 168 is primarily oriented toward
GPS because of the buttons on the front surrounding a handy joystick.
The upper-left button brings up a map view. The lower-left button
invokes the contacts list for handy map plotting. The upper-right
button pops up a points of interest list for mapping and routing.
The lower-right button reveals the GPS satellite status view.
You will notice the speaker and microphone at the bottom corners
on the front of the unit.
On
the top of the machine, there is the IR port and an SD/MMS expansion
slot along with a cradle for a nifty telescoping stylus that locks
securely in place. Protruding from the otherwise smooth back is
a foldout GPS antenna. The foldout antenna has a jack for inserting
a mouse antenna. Also on the back is a system on/off switch. There
are no components on the right side of the machine.
There
are two light indicators on the front: one glows amber while charging,
and the other glows red for appointment notification.
Looking
at the left side, there are five functions available. Toward the
top corner is an opening for attaching a lanyard. Below that is
the power on/off button. A little further down is the record button.
The reset pinhole is here too, and the headset port is near the
bottom. On the very bottom side is the synchronization/charging
port.
Powered
by Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, the Mio 168 runs on an
Intel PXA255 processor at 300 MHz with 64 MB of memory and 32
MB of flash ROM. It has one SD/MMC expansion card slot. While
the battery is rechargeable, it is not removable.
The
LCD screen is bright and clear but with a relatively low resolution
of 240 x 320 LED backlights and 65 colors.
It
comes with the normal complement of Windows software such as Word,
Excel, ActiveSync, Messenger, and the Outlook PIM components.
Additional software I noticed includes a picture viewer, an MP3
player, and a backup utility. There's also a nice program called
eMenu that launches programs and monitors system status.
In
the Box
Opening this box is a treat because of all the goodies it contains.
There are lots of cables: one for charging in the car, one for
synchronizing the PPC and a splitter that also allows for AC charging,
and another hooked to a SD card reader for loading map data. There
is no cradle. I suppose that the set of earplugs could also fit
into the cable category because they plug in at both ends.
Generously,
Mio includes a 256 MB SD card for map data storage, and that size
seems adequate for most mapping purposes, but it won't hold the
entire United States and Canada at the same time. It won't even
hold the entire United States.
The
Mio comes with a handsome, nylon, reinforced carrying case and
adjustable strap. Inside the case are pouches for two additional
SD cards. This case is perfect for toting the unit on a hike.
Strangely, while the Mio has a connection slot for a lanyard,
one does not come with it.
Four
CDs are in the box: Two contain mapping data; one supplies a PPC
and a GPS manual is PDF format, and some additional software such
as ActiveSync; the fourth contains the necessary software to hookup
the card reader to a PC.
MioMap
comes with its own mounting system that consists of a flexible
neck suction cup window mount and a cradle that holds the unit
securely. This mounting system is more stable that others I've
tried, which I appreciate.
GPS
Functionality
With MioMap you have a convenient GPS handheld device with the
capability of a Pocket PC to keep you organized and informed.
The GPS aspect of MioMap offers all the expected features of a
mapping and guidance system. The built-in receiver folds out from
the back of the unit for better reception. It connects quickly
and efficiently. But, because it is not Bluetooth, it must always
be in view of the satellites, which means you cannot pass the
device around to passengers in the car.
I
really appreciate the ease with which data may be loaded onto
the SD expansion card from the included CD. The United States
is visually divided into several sections plus Hawaii and Canada.
You merely click on the section or sections you wish to upload,
and soon the data reside on the card. These data include all the
highways and points of interest along the way. It's much more
convenient than some other systems I've tried in which you must
continually go back and forth loading data, highways, and points
of interest for every trip you plot. The only problem is that
if you wanted to plot a trip from Coast to Coast and include some
of Canada, there would not be enough room on a 256 MB SD card.
You would need one at least twice that size. So, you would simply
load portions of your trip as needed.
Plotting
a route is easy to do by picking a Point of Interest, an Outlook
contact, a position on the map or a favorite, recently visited
spot. All you have to do is select a waypoint from one of the
mentioned sources and then click on ãDestinate,ä which for the
purposes of this program has been elevated to the status of a
verb, a verb not to be found in the dictionary. Unless it's a
long, complex itinerary, a blue line appears indicating the route,
and you may begin navigating. I appreciate the fact that you can
plan a route right on the device without the necessity of using
a PC. I also appreciate not having to be connected to the satellites
to plan a trip. I find this a most welcome convenience. Getting
up out of bed in the morning and connecting to some satellites
outside to plan the day's journey sucks.
Long
trips with any number of waypoints may be plotted. The program,
however, only computes one segment at a time in order to save
memory. A nice feature of the program is that you can manually
arrange your waypoints or ask the program to arrange them in the
most convenient way. I have noticed the toll long programs take
on the relatively slow 300 MHz processor. A processor at least
twice as fast would be nice.
Navigation
is clearly executed with visual and voice commands and plenty
of advance warning for turns. The map automatically scrolls to
give more details of the next maneuver. The voice commands are
pleasant and easy to understand. Perhaps one of the best and quickest
I've experienced, MioMap almost instantaneously reroutes you should
you get off course. There is a nice reroute feature that will
avoid a trip sector should you need to detour. Suppose you hear
that there's a traffic jam or a natural disaster ahead. Simply
tap on Reroute on that sector of the trip and the program will
generate an alternate route.
While
it's not a big thing and can easily be worked around, this program
has no feature for automatically rerouting a return trip, which
would be nice to have in future versions.
The
default view is a non-glare gray background with the navigation
path in blue as is the round cursor indicating your position.
To reduce glare at night, you may switch to a black background,
which is nice, but unfortunately, it does not happen automatically
as may be expected. The graphics are clearly presented but the
screen suffers from not being higher resolution.
Conclusions
I found the built-in aspect of MioMap a great convenience and
recommend this unit to anyone who has a heavy reliance on GPS
because it is easy to use, eliminates all but one wire, and holds
a great deal of data without having to depend on a PC for constant
uploads. The navigation and plotting functions of the program
are superb, easy to use, and well designed. The MioMap GPS is
certainly a worthwhile mapping and guidance system that uses the
Windows Mobile and Pocket PC to good advantage.
However,
there are some shortcomings that could be improved in future editions.
I would not complain if the price were not so high. Remember that
MioMap can cost well over $500. For that money I would expect
a screen with higher resolution, more onboard memory, a much faster
processor, and two memory slots. This unit may be communicating
with satellites, but that's about it. It will not communicate
with anything else via Bluetooth nor Wi-Fi, and herein lies its
weakest point as far as I'm concerned.
Give
me Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and I'll add my own GPS. Of course, to
be fair, you have to remember that you can spend up to $400 for
a receiver and mapping/guidance program. So, in that light, perhaps
MioMap is not the worst deal in the world. I would, however, be
much more enthusiastic if the price were lower or the features
richer. What you get is an overpriced, underpowered Pocket PC
with a nice GPS system, but with no Bluetooth nor Wi-Fi.
The
scoop: The MIO 168RS, built by Mitac, is a Pocket PC
with a built-in GPS receiver. The mapping software is very easy
to use and the whole thing is small and handy. However, given
the price we'd like a faster, more modern PDA with built-in Bluetooth
and WiFi.
Cool:
ð Completely integrated all-in-one system
ð Very easy to use
ð Small and handy
Uncool:
ð Pretty pricey
ð A bit on the slow side
ð No Bluetooth or WiFi
Rating:
B
For
more information, please visit
www.miogps.com. To purchase this unit, do some comparative
shopping. The price can vary considerably.
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