Mio DigiWalker C230 Car GPS Navigation Device
GPS Navigation Device” width=”180″ height=”180″ />The Mio DigiWalker C230 is one heck of a small portable navigation system. At 4.2 inches wide by 3.2 inches high by 0.9 inch deep and 6.2 ounces, the C230 is more compact than most PDAs, and while the size is great for transporting between cars or for use on a bike or on foot, the C230 seems almost too petite for in-car use.
Mio still manages to fit in a standard 3.5-inch touch screen that displays 65,000 colors at a 320×240-pixel resolution. Maps were bright and sharp, and thankfully, unlike the Mio C220 we didn’t have any problems seeing the screen content even in bright sunlight so that was a relief.
The main menu icons are large and easy to press, but the onscreen keyboard is a bit cramped to easily punch out addresses and when in map view, it can be difficult to accurately tap the different navigation options. Users with larger fingers will have problems, so the inclusion of a stylus would have been nice.
Measuring 3.5×3.3×0.9 inches and weighing just 5.1 ounces, the C230 has a light, compact frame that makes it easy to move between vehicles or use on foot or when biking. The device’s 3.5-inch touch-screen display isn’t as spacious as the wide-screens on some portable GPS models we’ve seen, such as the Garmin Nuvi 660, but Mio didn’t skimp on screen quality. Thanks to its 320×240-pixel resolution, the 65,000-color screen looks sharp, bright, and highly readable, even with bright sunlight beating down on it through the car windshield. And at night, the display automatically adjusts screen colors and brightness to make viewing easier.
The rest of the Mio C230 is as simple as its feature set. There’s a lone power button on top, while an SD expansion card slot and a mini USB port are on the bottom. On the left spine, you’ll find an external antenna jack, and on the back, the system’s speaker and the master on/off switch. Though we like the minimalist design, we do wish there was an easier way to adjust the volume on the C230. You can mute the audio with a simple tap of the onscreen speaker icon, but you have to dig through several menus to change the volume.
The Mio C230 comes packaged with a car charger, a vehicle mount (windshield and dash), a software DVD, and reference material.
The Mio DigiWalker C230 is a basic, navigation-only device. It’s equipped with a 20-channel SiRFstarIII, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and comes with TeleAtlas maps of the United States and Puerto Rico preloaded on the device. To start a trip, you can enter a specific address, select a destination from your My Favorites or recent destinations list, or tap a point on the map and hit the Route To option. The C230 can calculate directions by the shortest, fastest, or most economical route. Otherwise, if you don’t have a specific destination or trip, you can use the Follow option to have the unit track you as you drive around.
The device’s MioMap interface is clean and intuitive, with large buttons on its main-menu screens that are easy to identify and press. Users with large hands may find it difficult to accurately tap the device’s smaller interface icons, however, and we had a hard time punching in addresses on the cramped onscreen keyboard. The inclusion of a stylus would have helped alleviate these problems.
In the box is an accessory bundle that includes a car charger, suction and adhesive vehicle mounts, a software disc, and a quick-start guide. As for features on the device itself, you won’t find extras such as multimedia capabilities or Bluetooth connectivity; the C230 is a strictly navigation-only device, and even those capabilities are basic. That said, the device gets you from point A to point B without letting you get lost in between. The C230 comes preloaded with Tele Atlas maps of both the United States and Puerto Rico, which are stored in 1GB of built-in flash memory; you can load additional map information using the device’s SD flash-memory-card slot. Also onboard are more than one million points of interest in categories such as entertainment, restaurants, and gas stations. Adding these points of interest to your trips is simple, as the C230 supports multistop route planning.
There is also a database of more than 3.5 million points of interest (POI) for making pit stops along the way, and the C230 can do multistop trips so you can add these POI to your route. Categories include all the basics–gas stations, ATMs, lodging, and restaurants–as well as more specialized interests, such as concert halls and amusement parks.
Maps are presented in 2D or 3D mode, and a Night Mode changes the color scheme of the maps for better nighttime viewing. There is a Cockpit tool that shows you the direction of your next turn, distance to your destination, estimated time of arrival, and more. Finally, there are a number of safety options, including speeding alerts, a screen lock that prevents you from using the touch screen when the car is in motion, and safety camera information.
Navigation is provided by both onscreen text and voice prompts. Unlike many budget GPS devices, the C230 supports text-to-speech, which means it will dictate both directions and street names, rather than just generic directional commands. This is a welcome addition we’re not used to seeing in GPS devices in this price range. You get several visual aids, too: You can toggle the device’s maps between 2D and 3D modes, depending on your preference, and an auto-zoom setting comes in handy in areas where many roads intersect. Another nice surprise is the inclusion of several safety features, such as speeding warnings and a speeding/traffic-light-camera database.
You can view a detailed list of instructions before you head out under Itinerary or get a running demo of the route with the Fly Over function. If you want to steer clear of a certain portion of the route because you happen to know there’s road construction or it’s known for heavy traffic, just hit the Avoid button and choose from a list of options. The system also supports automatic route recalculations if you get off course.
You can plan routes on the C230 using several parameters: fastest, shortest, and most economical. You can also choose to avoid unpaved roads, highways, ferries, U-turns, permit roads, and toll roads. The device speaks 16 languages and supports various date and time formats, as well as both metric and imperial measurement systems. You even get a convenient “pedestrian” mode for those times you feel like leaving the car or bike behind and exploring with the C230 on foot.
The C230 may only be sophisticated enough to handle basic navigation, but it does that job well. We tested the device en route from New York City to Atlantic City, N.J., by car. Upon power-up, the C230 acquired a satellite signal quickly and only lost it when we drove through tunnels (a common problem with GPS devices). On the road, navigation was accurate: The device got us to and from our destination with no hiccups. The text-to-speech audio was clear and easy to understand, and we had no problem reading the maps. When we purposely took wrong turns along the way, the C230 quickly recalculated our route to get us going in the right direction again.
Despite its limited feature set, we were impressed with the C230, especially considering its entry-level price. Accurate routing, portable design, and text-to-speech functionality make it a worthwhile choice for budget-conscious shoppers or first-time GPS buyers who don’t need advanced navigation features or multimedia extras.
Tags: bright sunlight, c230, car windshield, compact frame, external antenna, garmin nuvi 660, GPS Device, gps models, menu icons, mini usb port, mio digiwalker, onscreen keyboard, portable navigation system, resolution maps, screen colors, screen content, screen qualityRelated posts
Posted on July 19th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: GPS Device
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