Mio C520 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator | 
| Brand: Mio
List Price: $399.95
Buy New: $249.99
You Save: $149.96 (37%)
New (6) Used (2) from $215.90
Rating:  122 reviews
Sales Rank: 1575
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Native Resolution: 480 x 272
Display Size: 4.3
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 4.9 x 3.1 x 0.8
MPN: 526216470101
Model: 526216470101
UPC: 041881002431
EAN: 0041881002431
ASIN: B000MWNJPE
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Portable and accurate GPS navigator complete with full TeleAtlas maps of the US and 4.3-inch TFT LCD touch-screen display | | • | Features digital music player and photo viewer, hands-free Bluetooth calling, and safety camera warnings with updates for 1-year | | • | Clear voice instructions in 16 languages give you turn-by-turn guidance so you can keep your eyes on the road | | • | Includes 6 million POIs, 1 GB of memory, SD/MMC card slot, USB 2.0 port, built-in speaker and headphone jack | | • | Weighs 6.7 ounces, measures 4.9 x 3.2 x 0.78 inches (W x H x D), and is backed by a manufacturer's 1-year warranty |
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Amazon.com Product Descriptions
Perfect for any road trip, the Mio Digiwalker C520 Portable Car Navigation System is an easy-to-use, portable GPS navigator. Both affordable and stylish, the Mio C520 makes it easier than ever to get where you are going, even when you aren't quite sure where that might be. Boasting fast and accurate GPS reception, top-notch mapping, and a comprehensive POI (Points of Interest) database, this GPS navigator helps make sure that every journey you take is a good one. Ready to go virtually straight out of the box, the Digiwalker C520 comes complete with full TeleAtlas maps of the US so you don't need to make any additional purchases to get out on the road. All you have to do is power the navigator on, insert the SD card, clip it on to the included car mount and you are ready to go anywhere. Larger menu icons combine with a brighter user-friendly wide-screen display to make navigating the intuitive user interface a breeze. Intelligently designed, the wide-screen display has a split-screen function that lets you see the full map view on one side, and a selection of route information on the other, so you don't have to quit the navigation screen to make changes. Clear voice instructions are provided in up to 16 languages including English, French and Spanish, giving you turn-by-turn guidance so you can keep your eyes on the road while you drive. For added safety, the C520 also enables hands-free calling when used with a Bluetooth-enabled phone. Designed to be completely portable, the C520 easily travels from car to car, pocket to bag, or suitcase to briefcase. For this purpose, this unit is constructed with an internal GPS antenna that will not catch or snag, and has a semi-gloss finish that resists wear so your navigator stays looking as good as it performs. Containing over 3.5-million POIs such as restaurants, hotels, gas stations and more, you are never more than a few keystrokes away from your destination. Simply select the category of your desired location, make your choice from the provided list, and you are ready to find just about anything you are looking for, giving you a local expert as a traveling companion. As an added convenience, the Mio C520 tells you the likely locations of fixed safety cameras and mobile traps, and includes free safety-camera updates from Mio's website for a full year from the time you register. More than just a navigator, this unit lets you listen to your favorite digital music or to have a look through your latest digital photos as well. When the MP3 player and photo viewer is used with the SD/MMC memory card slot, you can play all your stored music and look at your favorite snapshots, or show them to other people, all while on the road. The Mio Digiwalker C520 utilizes a 4.3-inch transreflective LCD touch-screen display with full color and 480 x 272 pixels of resolution for easy at-a-glance information. This unit includes 64 MB of on-board SDRAM, with 1 GB of memory built in, and infinitely expandable memory via the built-in SD/MMC card slot. The GPS receiver is a high-sensitivity, 20-channel SiRFstar III with complete accuracy and quick refresh times. The C520 includes a USB 2.0 connector, a built-in speaker, a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, and an internal rechargeable 1,300 mAh lithium-ion battery. The included cradle doesn't just hold your navigator, but will also charge the battery while you drive when connected to the power cable. Combined with the windshield mount, this cradle forms a very solid device holder, providing investment security and preventing vibrations. The Mio Digiwalker C520 portable car navigator weighs 6.7 ounces, measures 4.9 x 3.2 x 0.78 inches (W x H x D), and is backed by a manufacturer's one-year warranty. What's in the Box
Mio Digiwalker C520 portable navigator, device holder, windshield mount, AC power adapter, DC in-vehicle power adapter, USB cable, CD/DVD with MioMap, CD/DVD with user's manual, SD card with complete US map, license agreement, information booklet, mount installation guide, quick start guide and warranty information.
Product Description
Enjoy a widescreen view of the world. The Mio C520 is based around its 4.3" widescreen. The screen size makes it easier to use than ever.You'll quickly learn to rely on your Mio C520 for everything from location finding and route planning to looking up essential services as well as leisure or entertainment sites when you're in unfamiliar places.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 117 more reviews...
 Unbeatable performance for the price, the more I use it the more I love it... August 5, 2007
nagappa (Houston, TX United States)
139 out of 140 found this review helpful
==== UPDATE October 2, 2007 ====
I bought a Nav-Mat Portable GPS Dash Mount for use in trips to California, where it is illegal to attach a GPS to your windshield. The Nav-Mat bean bag mount simply works great with the Mio C520 and is very stable. Check out the picture under customer images.
==== UPDATE August 21, 2007 ====
The following statement was in my original review and has been removed: "If you plan to use it in Europe, just Google "MioMap V3.3 Western Europe for Mio C220 - C320 - C520" and you should find some UK vendors who sell the SD card."
The fact is that although there are vendors in UK who sell the Europe map, the current Europe maps cannot be used in US/Canada models of C520 due to a license issue. Sorry if this caused confusion. Please read the forums at mionav dot com for updates on this issue.
==== UPDATE August 16, 2007 ====
I updated MioMap to the July 5, 2007 version, still v3.3, following the directions in MioNav dot com, which is linked to the Mio topics in the gpspassion dot com forums. (Search for the topic "Updates for miomap V3.3 are available" and you will find a link to download "MioMap V3 Updater for C320 and C520" from Mio's European website).
This update cures the stuttering problem reported in some earlier versions of MioMap. It also adds a Mute button on the map screen under the Bluetooth button. It does not update the maps or POI data, and leaves the History intact.
==== END UPDATES ====
OVERVIEW:
After doing tons of research to find a competent GPS navigation system under $350, I narrowed down my choice to two models - the Magellan Maestro 3140 and the Mio Digiwalker C520. I would have also considered the Garmin Nuvi 250, but it lacks both text-to-speech and Bluetooth capability which I wanted. If ease of use is most important, I would say the Magellan Maestro 3140, which is a huge improvement over its predecessor, the Maestro 3100, would have been an excellent choice. But since I was not gadget shy, the Mio Digiwalker C520, with its widescreen form factor and advanced capabilities was the unit for me.
The Mio C520 packs in US and Canadian maps with text-to-speech routing instructions, Bluetooth, an MP3 player, a video player, a picture viewer and a contact manager that synchronizes with MS Outlook. The installation is pretty painless. The suction cup holder, which is precision made in Germany, works very well and easily installs onto the windscreen of any car (contrary to what the previous reviewer claims). The Mio works right out of the box with instructions in the tiny manual. If you are willing read the full manual located in the supplied CDROM, and go through a very minor learning curve, you will find the user interface most satisfying and will profit from its awesome capabilities.
It has some cool features, like the ability to display map coordinates and altitude, and has the ability to automatically synchronize time and date with the satellite. It's signal pickup is lightening fast due to the state-of-the-art 20-channel SirfStarIII receiver. It actually picks up the satellite signal from inside my house. If you are further geek-inclined, visit the forums in gpspassion dot com - which show you how to unlock the GPS operating system (Windows CE 5.0) and install custom applications and utilities.
Now consider that the street price of the equivalent widescreen Garmin (the Nuvi 660) is $300 more than the Mio C520, and you can understand why the Mio tops MobilePlanet dot com's current popularity list. The Mio is perhaps among the best GPS' out there at any price!
EXPERIENCE:
On a recent trip to San Francisco with my wife, the Mio turned out to be a real trip saver. It listed our hotel in its point of interest (POI) database and got us to all our destinations without ever getting us lost. Needless to say, it saved us about a couple of hours each day on the trip, even though we were pretty familiar with the Bay Area. Not once did we have to stop for (or argue over) directions! The POI database listed all the major and minor points of interest, including museums, concert halls, gas stations, car rental agencies, seven-elevens, hospitals, etc. It also included hard to find, hole-in-the-wall restaurants. It has restaurants categorized by cuisine, which includes "Japanese", "Greek", "Indian" and so on.
While the routing capability is excellent, it is not 100% perfect. (None of the portable GPS models are perfect). While driving on 101 southbound to SFO airport, it asked us to "bear left on Bayshore freeway southbound" seconds before asking us to take the San Bruno exit to the airport on the right. While this was not a navigational glitch per se, it did have the potential for causing confusion. (Of course, I later understood that "bear left" meant the freeway bears left, not "get on the left lane", duh!). A couple of times it asked us to take left turns in downtown San Francisco that were not allowed. When we ignored it, it recalculated the routes in a matter of seconds, without forcing us to take U turns (which some other GPS models make you do).
Now lets put that in perspective and take, for example, a day trip to Monterey, Pebble Beach, Carmel and back to San Francisco (consisting of, say, 100 routing manoeuvers). On such a trip, the Mio would give confusing instructions perhaps two or three times in total, which meant it was perfect approximately 97% of the time. This is excellent performance in my book. I am perhaps looking at this with a more critical eye than warranted. The important thing is that Mio C520 recalculated the route the moment it realized we were off route, and always got us to our destination quickly.
By considerably reducing the planning chores, the Mio immensely improved the satisfaction of our holiday. We will never go on another trip without it!
TEXT TO SPEECH
The text-to-speech (TTS) feature, which causes the Mio to speak the street names, turns out to be valuable, especially when there are a lot of quick turns to make. The TTS ("Samantha") voice on the Mio C520 is perhaps a bit brusque but pleasant enough. There is a chime before each voice instruction, which alerts you to an upcoming manoeuver. (The TTS voice is in no way "HORRIBLE" or "VERY" chatty as described in the previous review. With all due respect to the previous reviewer, his review is pretty opinionated and unfair). The TTS voice did not stutter even once. The version of Mio Map on my unit is dated May 18, 2007. Note that some earlier versions are reported to have a TTS voice stuttering problem.
SCREEN:
The the 4.3-inch touch screen with 480x272-pixel resolution is vivid and sharp. (The screen is not washed out, as the previous reviewer claims). And it goes without saying you can easily adjust the brightness to your desired level. The touch-screen keyboard is in QUERTY format and has a predictive function, making it easy to enter an address quickly. The automatic night mode feature is pretty neat and wow inducing. It switches to night mode based on time of sunset for the current date, time zone, latitude and logitude!
NAVIGATION PERFORMANCE:
On the subject of navigation mapping data, the conventional wisdom is that in North America, Navteq data is more accurate than Tele Atlas - which the Mio uses. However, the recent buzz is that Tele Atlas has significantly narrowed the gap with Navteq, especially with its latest map versions released after the fall of 2006. A recent comparison of Navteq versus Tele Atlas in gpsreview dot net actually shows the Tele Atlas' mapping data to be slightly more accurate than Navteq's, while another study in gpsmagazine dot com has the results the other way around.
In my own tests, which included comparing the Mio C520's routing with online maps by Yahoo, Google and Mapquest, showed that none of the routing engines were perfect, with Google coming out perhaps slightly better than the others. To my delight, I found that the routes chosen by the Mio C520, which uses the latest Tele Atlas data, is pretty close to those chosen by Yahoo. Rest assured, the navigation performace of the Mio C520 is indeed excellent.
ROUTING FEATURES:
Typically you would enter an address or POI around the current city. Or you can change the destination city, state or country and enter an address or select a POI for that destination. The Mio also has the ability to route to a contact (an address you entered in the contact manager, under Tools->Contacts).
There is a peculiar way you need to enter North American addresses into the contact manager in order for the "Route to Contact" feature to work. For example, consider the address: 111 FIRST STREET, APT# 101, FREMONT, CA 94533. You have to enter 'CA, 94533' in the 'State:' field, 'FREMONT' in the 'City/Postcode:', 'FIRST STREET' in the 'Street:' field and 'Apt 101, 111' in the 'House number:' field. (Note that you need to enter the state and zip code separated by a comma in the 'State:' field). Once you enter the contact address as the Mio expects it, it creates the route to the contact address super fast (usually in less than 10 seconds).
The Mio has a decent job of position error filtering, which attempts to accurately estimate your car's position on the map. Even when driving at 70MPH on a freeway, the Mio is off by no more than 10 yards. It also estimates the car's speed within 2MPH of my car's odometer reading. When driving on regular streets at around 30MPH, the display of the car position is spot on. There are several split-screen views which you can cycle through, giving you the distance to the next manoeuver, the current time, the estimated time of arrival, etc. If you find the display too busy, you can turn off the panel, giving you a full widescreen routing map.
FINAL NOTES:
While I have not tried the MP3 or the video player, the Mio has no problem pairing with my Nokia E61 phone with Bluetooth for placing and receiving handsfree calls. There's a whole lot of features I am yet to try out. But I must say that this is a really powerful, well designed GPS Navigation system. There are no gimmicks. So, in conclusion, I highly recommend the Mio C520!!
PROS:
* Excellent routing engine
* Excellent, bright and vivid display
* Great, satisfying user interface. (After you get past the initial learning curve).
* Huge, well categorized POI database. (6.5 million points of interest!)
* Accurate display of current speed, map position and coordinates
* 20-channel SirfStarIII receiver which can receive a satellite fix from indoors
* QUERTY touch-screen keyboard
* Fast text entry by graying out keyboard characters as you type
* Text-to-Speech voice that does not stutter (MioMap v3.3, dated May 18, 2007)
* Automatic night mode based on current time zone, latitude and longitude
* Can be unlocked and tweaked (read the user forums in gpspassion dot com)
* Split screen display of itinerary, estimated time, arrival time, next move, current speed, etc.
* Track logs
* Ability to add via points
* Automatic and fast route recalculation
* Automatic time and date settings (through the satellite Time Sync feature).
* Graphically displays neat info like altitude, GPS signal strength, etc.
* Pedestrian mode
* 2D & 3D views with flyover and other modes
CONS:
* There is a slight learning curve to learn the advanced features
* Does not include carrying case. (I use a Sony Vaio power supply case for mine)
* Needs reboot after days of heavy use
* Does not tell you which side of the street your destination is on
* Delete History feature does not allow you to selectively delete an address
* "Route to contact" feature requires peculiar way of entering the contact address.
* Only one TTS voice
Excellent value June 29, 2007
Jerry Saperstein (Evanston, IL USA)
42 out of 42 found this review helpful
The Mio C520 is my first standalone GPS. I've used others on laptops, cell phones, PDAs and the like, but this is the first dedicated unit I've tried.
I was sorely tempted by the Garmin models, but figured that I really didn't need a more expensive unit for my relatively limited needs, knowing that I could return it to Amazon if it wasn't suitable.
I don't think I'll be returning the Mio C520.
Physically, it's a very attractive unit, about 3 by 5 inches and perhaps a half-inch thick. It slips easily into a shirt pocket. (Mio, by the way, does not provide any kind of case or protecetive sleeve. I would strongly urge you acquire a screen protector immediately and an inexpensive belt case.) This portability is a major plus because the 6 million item POI (Points Of Interest) library is truly blowaway caliber. If you've ever been a stranger in a city, particularly with a sign restriction, finding a place to eat can be a major hassle - not with this little hummer. Just about any category of goods, services and conveniences are represented. Some of the listings can be strange, such as the inclusion of McDonald's under Mexican restaurants. But on the whole, the POI catalog is a major selling point for the C520.
The 4.3 inch display is excellent. Like almost all devices, it is difficult to read in direct bright sunlight, but performs quite well in all other situations. The information display, if you choose to use it, is excellent.
Even indoors, I had no trouble getting quick satellite fixes. As I write this, I am sitting indoors about ten feet from the windows and have solid fixes on six satellites. Outdoors in obstruction free areas, there is no problem.
Route calculation so far has proven to be quite good. I took it out for a test today as a passenger, while the driver took a very, very circuitous route to our destination, ignoring the unit's suggestion. Recalculation was acceptably fast. The C520, by the way, doesn't as many mapping programs do think that a U-turn is the first remedy and sometimes only remedy.
All the menus are accessible. I really have no complaints about about the hierarchy.
The video, photo, audio and Bluetooth functions seem to work okay, though I haven't spent a great deal of time with them.
Overall, I am very pleased with the C520. I am looking forward to being able to slip it into my shirt pocket on my next out-of-town trip and being to depend on it as a handy and accurate guide.
Jerry
 The most for your money! July 16, 2007
C. D. Hess (Rochester, NY)
40 out of 41 found this review helpful
I have had my Mio C520 for 3 weeks and driven over 3500 miles with it---from Rochester, NY to southern West Virginia to Topsail, North Carolina and back. I also used it on a trip from Rochester, NY to Washington, D.C. and back. This is my second GPS. My first was a Navman ICN 510.
I researched this purchase very carefully. I read practically every review that I could find of practically every GPS model currently on sale. I also spent at least a couple of hours "playing" with the various models in Circuit City.
This review is only of the GPS functions. I have no need of the bluetooth or multimedia functions and have not used them.
I am very satisfied with my purchase and highly recommend the C520. I believe it to be the best GPS for the money currently available.
I was amazed when I found that I could get a GPS signal inside of Circuit City (I was nowhere near a window). Acquisition of a signal was always relatively fast (I always shut it down to "standby" mode). Route recalculations were very fast. The unit never once locked up. (My Navman did all the time).
The Mio C520 easily beats all competing GPS models in terms of the amount of information readily available onscreen. Its split screen has Garmin, TomTom, and Magellan beat hands down. I particularly liked being able to view the map and the next 5 turns at the same time.
The navigation menus are intuitive, quick and very easy to use. I highly recommend reading the 9 page paper manual. It will get you up to speed very quickly. The predictive keyboard (a feature Magellan also has) is wonderful! The menus for various settings are not as intuitive or easy to use. Mio could clean these "settings" menus up some more. Speaking of settings, you can set this unit up almost anyway you want it. I particularly liked being able to change the "distance to go" settings to be in miles and feet rather than the default miles and yards.
The Points of Interest database is very extensive and seems to be up to date and accurate. (I did run into a problem on a stretch of NC 17 near Topsail, North Carolina where the locations of several POI were miles off). It is very easy to save your favorite destinations in customized folders in the My POI folder.
The maps seem to be relatively up to date and routing was almost always efficient and accurate, but it was not perfect. For example, some routing around Charleston, WV (in "fast" mode) was absurd. I found the same routing in "economical" mode to be spot on. The unit also will sometimes give you different directions on the return trip from a destination. Also, some information given was occasionally inaccurate. For instance, the unit would indicate a left turn toward Poca. The "turn left" part was accurate for where I wanted to go, but going to Poca would have required a right turn.
The text to speech feature was very nice and not available in any other wide screen model at this price. "Samantha" occasionally stuttered somewhat, but these occasions were infrequent and the stutter was slight. I never had any problem understanding what "she" was trying to tell me.
The screen is bright and clear and legible in the car in any light conditions. The screen is hard to view in bright sunlight when using it as a pedestrian. It would be nice if the fonts were a little larger. (I have since found out that it is easy to find "hacks" online that make it very easy to enlarge the fonts).
Also, it would have been nice if Mio had included the ability for it to tell you which side of the street your destination is on. My Navman, which also used TeleAtlas maps, had this feature, but it was sometimes inaccurate. One thing that my Navman did (which thankfully the Mio does not) was to instruct me to "return to the highway" every time it thought (inaccurately) that I had left it.
To sum up, I believe this to be the best GPS for the money. I am very pleased with it.
Best value for the money July 20, 2007
Zhong Pan (Davis, CA United States)
27 out of 27 found this review helpful
I have been using a GPS receiver with a laptop for a couple of years. Therefore I am a little picky on my first handheld GPS. I did a lot of research and almost decided to buy Garmin Nuvi 350 which has great reviews from hundreds of users, when I went to a local Fry's and saw Mio C520. I was overjoyed by my finding because Mio C520 delivered all functions and more I considered missing on Nuvi 350 at about the same price (online). A 4" LCD is also a big plus. Now I have been using it for about two weeks and my experience is mostly positive. Below is my review, plus some tips on how to use this great gadget. I will not repeat common features such as voice instruction, 3D map view, night display mode, etc.
The good:
1. Tons of convenient functions - almost everything you can ask for from a car GPS. This is the biggest advantage over the easy-but-over-simple Nuvi. To name a few,
- Mio C520 allows virtually unlimited user points of interests (POI) which can be organized in user defined folders.
- It supports virtually unlimited vias (comparing to only 1 for Nuvi).
- It tells you your coordinates (longitude, latitude, altitude) together with a nice satellite chart showing each satellite's signal strength; you can also enter your destination or POI location using coordinates without a street number. This truly blows Garmin Nuvi away! Many GPS beginners may think such coordinates have no use. I'll just give two examples: One application is for emergency - either roadside on a lonely highway not close to any exit or on a mountain trail, as long as your cell phone still has signal, you can call for help with your exact location. The other is for difficult POIs such as the McWay Fall near Big Sur - try finding its street address! My approach: find the tag on google earth (thanks to google community), read its coordinates, input them into your Mio, and you are set! In fact google earth + Mio can be a very powerful travel planning tool as you can see the surrounding of your destination, read reviews, or even watch guide videos, and input any interesting spots you find as a POI into Mio without worrying about the street address at all! In this way, I "discovered" Hollywood Bowl for my southern CA trip (hey, what's that funny round architecture?).
- The history function is great - if you lose track of your POI in the process of zooming/panning, just find it back in history. If you find on Mio some place you want to visit tomorrow but do not want to bother saving it as a custom POI, no problem. Just find it back tomorrow in the history.
- The POI database is great! I can even find my company name (a small start-up). The ability to change the "reference point" while searching a name is fabulous - you can search near your GPS location, near the cursor, near an address, near a history point, near a coordinate, etc. One tip for searching: computer prefers exact spelling. I once tried finding the closest Walmart and got shocked that none had been listed. It turned out that the correct spelling is Wal-mart. Mio does not allow you to input "-", but you can simply use a space as substitute.
- It can record your trips in track logs and replay - i.e. the popular "bread crumb". This would have been perfect for a casual hiker if the battery life was longer. In reality, you cannot afford having your Mio on all the time, but I imagine with the custom POI function you can still plan your trail ahead of time by storing waypoints or track your location by occasionally turning on Mio and saving the current GPS location as a POI. However, serious hikers should buy GPS designed for hiking and outdoor.
- Worried about losing your whole custom POI data in an accident? With one button you can backup your precious data onto an SD card, or restore it after such an accident.
2. A slim nice build with amazing visual presentation. The map looks very nice, even better than Nuvi. Details are just right. Want to see the big picture before following the GPS? There's an easy overview mode. The large 4" LCD provides enough space to display extra info if you like - either your current status (speed, time to arrive, etc.), or the list of turns ahead, or nearby gas and food, etc. I found these very helpful, but with one click you can also hide them and use the whole screen to show map.
3. Extra value by integrating bluetooth, media player, and expansion card slot. I didn't use bluetooth, but I can imagine if you have a compatible cell phone it'll be very convenient to find a restaurant and tap one button to call them directly from your Mio. Picture viewer is great with 4" LCD - I already used it to describe hard to find items to the assistant in an office store. A picture is more than a thousand words! If you have a digital camera with SD card, Mio would be a great photo preview tool so you don't have to take your laptop out. Your SD card shows as an external drive when you plug Mio into your computer, so you can even save a card reader. Not advertised, but you can play music while voice guidance is on, and when Mio wants to tell you an instruction it will mute the music temporarily just like Nuvi.
4. GPS receiver sensitivity is good - if initially locked ouside, I can still get signal indoor, sometimes even far away from any window. Re-locking satellites when resuming from stand-by mode is super fast, as long as you have not travelled far from the location where Mio has entered stand-by, and it is the same day when you turn Mio back on. Mio support says some programs are still running in stand-by, but my experience shows almost no power consumption in stand-by. So, you do not have to shut it completely down unless you are done for the day. The only disadvantage about stand-by is that the power button can easily be accidentally touched turning the unit on and wasting power.
5. GPS antenna is beautifully built in. In contrast, Nuvi users must flip the antenna out to enable the GPS, which is neither convenient nor robust.
6. The price is very good. Much much better value comparing to Nuvi 350/360/650/660.
The bad:
1. Battery life is tooooo short. With GPS initial locking + GPS guidance on + LCD backlight always on + full volume, a 30-min trip consumed about 40% of a fully charged battery. The advertised time is longer, but that may require you allow it to dim the LCD when no turn is coming up soon, etc. This is the main reason I don't give it a 5 star. Luckily Mio can be charged by cigarette lighter in the car, by 110V wall plug, or by a computer (cannot use it when plugged into a computer). So for a prepared trip it won't be a big problem. Just it's a pity it cannot be conveniently used for casual hiking.
2. Mio's instruction simply says "arrive at your destination" without saying if it's on the left or right. Other uses have pointed this out before. It's very inconvenient if you have to look left and right and either change lanes in the last minute or miss it. Luckily, most of the time you can see which side your destination is on by zooming into the map. Sometimes Mio will also guide you to make a U-turn to access a POI on your left. So it's not too bad.
3. Picture viewer and video player do not have very good resizing algorithm. So if your photo or video do not fit the LCD pixel size exactly, they will appear somewhat grainy. Don't misread - the LCD resolution is good; just there's not enough computing to make the resized photo or video still look nice. It's merely a little annoying, but OK for the price. If I have to pay $500 or more I would have expected iPhone experience. J
4. Audio output phone jack is smaller than 3.5mm, so normal stero headset does not plug in! This is bad design.
5. The unit does not come with a carrying case (Mio C520 sold in Europe includes one, but not in the US). I bought a very nice leather case on eBay for $25. It's a little annoying but OK.
6. No way to mute the master volume in one click.
7. The operation is a little complicated, and you need some learning time to master all the wonderful functions. Not for grandma/grandpa or technically-challenged users.
The wishlist:
1. Wish the European maps can be available to the US users soon. Hope by a reasonable price I can purchase future updates to US map, as well.
2. Wish the live traffic service can be available in the US soon.
3. Nuvi has a nice feature which can trigger corresponding audio playing when you move very close to a preset location. This has been used in creating audio tours. Nuvi also has other travel kits that're nice, such as dictionaries, travel guide, etc. Mio should add these as well - they are purely softwares and by adding these this wonderful gadget will be more attractive.
All-in-all, Mio C520 is the best value I found in handheld car GPS. Enjoy!!
 There are better units out there August 25, 2007
Mike K (Chicagoland)
21 out of 26 found this review helpful
BELOW IS AN UPDATE OF MY FIRST REVIEW, BASED ON A NEW UNIT (THE FIRST ONE CRASHED DURING ITS INITIAL USE)
Mio C 520 revisited
I usually get positive comments on reviews that I have written on various posting sites. Therefore, I was a bit surprised to get two negative reviews, plus a pretty "parental" comment.
My first Mio unit literally died during it first routing, but that one has been exchanged so I thought I would take the "negatives" to heart and try the product again.
Who am I
I'm basically a professional who does not work in a technical field but I'm comfortable with technology. I think I represent a good portion of individuals who buy gadgets. I basically want them to help me, but I don't want to invest tons of time learning how to use a device. I want the gadget to be easy to use and helpful. I'm less impressed with bells and whistles and more impressed to solid functionality.
Getting ready
When the new Mio arrived I made sure that the "U turn" function was turned off (see nagappa's comment). This was no problem as this is apparently the default on the unit. I then decided to "read the manual." Generally, I like manuals. In fact my wife will often comment on the fact that I will read a technical bulletin in bed where she is more likely to have the latest novel. With that said, I hate on-disk/PDF manuals. I know that they have become the de-facto standard for many devices, but I find them very awkward and unpleasant to use.
I popped in the Mio disk and my stomach sank to discover that there are actually two manuals (software and hardware), each about 100 pages. Gasp! Being a trouper I dug in. No, I didn't read every word but I looked at every page and read content when it seemed important. I'm being honest here; I just couldn't sit in front of the computer page after page.
Feeling a bit guilty about the above, I decided to do an "unscientific" survey. I randomly asked 10 people I knew if they read PDF style manuals. The group could roughly be divided into two. Four folks had either a high school or bachelors' degree. The other 6 had advanced degrees (masters, PhD or professional degree). Not one of them read PDF manuals. Surprisingly, 7 out the 10 have and use a GPS device (either on-board or portable). Using this info, I think it is safe to assume that a unit that doesn't require a manual "read" is more desired by at least a good portion of purchasers.
The route
I decided to try the same route with the new Mio (see original review below). The 14 mile route went from an office complex to my home. It crosses several Chicago suburbs. The Mio was set on default (fastest route). It once again plotted a course via the expressway. As I was simulating "rush hour" I took one of the many other possibilities instead. Now, I know how to get home from this office complex and it may seem silly to "challenge" a GPS unit but I think it shows how flexible and responsive a unit is...can it adapt to a changing driving pattern. This is especially important if you are in unfamiliar territory and have to re-route due to bad traffic, an accident or other reason. I'm looking for flexibility in the unit and also comparing it to the many other GPS units that I have tried. You can get a partial list of them by looking at some of my other reviews.
If you discount some side streets there were basically three main legs (roads) to the trip. Here is what happened. (I'll try to use the actual verbiage that the unit said, last time I used my interpretation of what it said)
Leg one
Instead of taking the expressway, I turned onto a main street. The unit asked me to "turn around" a couple of times then it plotted several other routes. All of the routes were to get me back to the expressway.
Leg two
The computer told me to "turn around" three times. It then plotted a course to have me backtrack to the expressway again. I ignored this and continued. It then issued 5 turn around commands ("In XXX yards, turn around. Turn around!"). When I passed the expressway it rerouted me to the next main street (which is an angled street that had another intersecting street less than block away). The unit started to issue the command, "keep left in XXX feet" and then "keep left." Once again I got the directional signal that looked like a letter from the Klingon alphabet. Despite reading the manual and really trying, I couldn't figure out what it wanted me to do. This is a bad sign. If I had to interpret the symbol I would say it was telling my that my street was merging with another street and both were going off in a leftward direction. Not much help as my next turn needed to be a right hand turn. The next command was even more confusing as it said, "keep left then make a right turn." Please, I don't want to use a book of transitions to understand what the heck the unit is trying to tell me!
Leg Three
I made the right turn onto Ogden Avenue which is an angled street. It was clear that the computer wanted me to get onto another expressway. For what reason, I can't tell you, as I was already 2/3 rd's the way home. It now gave me a merging symbol that was totally confusing. I had no idea what it was trying to "clarify" for me (and no, I'm not dyslexic). I continued on my regular path and it completed the route without incident.
Routing options (like de-selecting expressways) can be found, but you have to hunt for them. Other units (like the Magellans) give you the choice when you are planning your route, making selection simple. Yes, you can plan detours, but this is an active process (you have to do it). I have plotted the exact same course with a bunch of other units. They may ask you to return to the expressway once or twice, but then without any further intervention they accept the new route and plot accordingly. As frustrating as I found the Mio's routing it would have been impossible for someone less technical (like my wife or daughter). They would have had a much better experience with virtually all of the other units that I have used (Magellan, TomTom, Garmin, Nextar, etc). The only exception to this would have been the GPSmile that I used and hated.
Other functions
The other core function in a GPS unit is the POI database. Here, the Mio seems to have a good one. Our favorite "real use" for a GPS unit is traveling. We are often off visiting distant relatives or going on long car trips. The Mio had a separate section for KOA campgrounds and it had an up-to-date data base for stores like Walmart and Target. Other units have told me that the nearest Walmart is 300 miles away from my home (I have at least 5 within a short drive). Although I really liked the fact that I could directly search for a specific chain store (like Walmart) I wished that the POI data base included general categories too. It would be great to search for "grocery stores" on a trip rather than knowing which chain stores are in a particular region. The Mio will give you directionality when search POIs directly from the screen, but this only gives you gas stations. You can add other POIs, but it is an active process. If you use the complete data base you only get distance. On a trip it may be more convenient to drive to a restaurant that is 20 miles ahead rather than 10 miles behind.
Fluff and stuff
The Mio comes with a ton of add-ons. Video player, MP3 player, calculator and the like. I always like extras but I don't think that any of these add-ons determine buying one GPS unit over another for many purchasers.
In conclusion:
A lot of people seem to really like this unit, to the point that they feel (in my opinion) that they need to defend it. My conclusion remains: Most people will find that a unit from the big three will give them a better routing experience. This is especially the case if you want to use your GPS unit out of the box and if you are less likely to dig through manuals and menus. Other units tend to "know" when you change your route and re-route accordingly. Some of them will ask upfront how you want to route (fastest, no expressways, etc) and so you don't have to dig into a menu to do it. They also offer conveniences, like telling you what side of the street you destinations is on (the Mio does not). Even though the Mio seems to have a better POI data base, other units give you the direction (for the store, restaurant, etc.) the Mio only does this if you pull up POIs from the main screen and then you get only gas stations (unless you manuallyl change this). That is not to say that the Mio is a terrible unit. For a very reasonable price you get a ton of extras: big screen, a very good POI data base and lots of "fluff and stuff." Obviously, many people find the later compelling, I do not.
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ORIGINAL REVIEW
I have to admit that the Mio C520 is very sexy. It is thin and light and looks like a mini plasma screen on my windshield. The C520 is also loaded with tons of extras and it is value priced at around $300 street. Sounds sweet, but...
My unit froze after a day of use, so I can't comment on the MP3 player, etc. I can comment on the GPS functionality.
The GUI is initially very cool looking. Tons of information on a bright screen. In short order I realized that I had too much information. Panels on the right, panels that would appear when I would touch the screen, buttons on the screen, etc. None of this is terrible, but other units reduce the clutter which makes for a more useable interface. Now you can turn off some of the screens, but then you lose other important info, like the distance to your next turn.
I had the machine route from an office to my home, about 14 miles. The unit directed me to the expressway. This would normally be the fastest route, but not in rush hour traffic. There are many alternatives and I chose one of them. Where most other units (Garmin, TomTom, etc) would simply re-route, the Mio kept on insisting "turn around" over and over again until I passed the freeway (about 2/3s of the trip). It then told me to "keep to the left" over and over. This was because two intersecting streets were very close to each other (less than 1/4 block) the second one being my right turn. Immediately after I passed the first street it commanded me "turn right!" If I didn't know better, or if I was less familiar with the area I would have had to slide over from the left lane to the turning lane (3 lanes) in rush hour traffic. The turning icon was no help here, it looked more like a letter from the Klingon alphabet than a clear directional arrow.
I have used many other GPS units and never had this sort of problem with units from Garmin, Magellan or TomTom. In fact the only other time I had a similar problem was using a unit from Holux (the GPSmile 52 +). That unit gave similarly confusing direction, which makes me think that both units use the same routing software (although they have totally different GUIs).
I think most users would be happier with a unit from the big three. Another alternative is the Nextar brand which offers a very nice product at a very nice price. Sure you won't get all the bells and whistles, but you will get a unit that does its primary job well.
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