Easy to use, all in one, compact, gets you to where you want to go
Disadvantages:
Virtually no accessories available yet, doesn't perform a full post code search
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I am always getting lost, even with a map, or detailed Autoroute directions. So I parted with £299 and ordered a new Mio 268 from GlobalPositioningSystems.co.uk.
The order was placed at 16:30 and was dispatched at 17:03. That's a quick turnaround, plus their SMS order tracking meant I was informed of the dispatch immediately. It arrived promptly.
The package contained the Mio 268 unit, which is like a chunky custom PDA turned on its side with a built in GPS aerial (SiRF Star II with Xtrack), a in-built stylus for operating the touch screen, a 256Mb SD memory card with UK and Ireland maps pre-loaded, an external GPS arial, a CD with a backup map, a CD with software for transferring files from your PC to the Mio, a USB cable, a mains charger, a car charger, a windscreen/dashboard mount, and instruction leaflets.
To get it up and running, the battery needs charging for 8 hours to start with. But after that, insert the SD card, switch it on, and away you go.
To start with you're greeted with a menu where you can select Navigator, MP3 player, Tools, and Setup. Selecting the navigator loads the navigation software and maps from the card, which takes about 20 seconds, but once you're in the navigation mode you can put it on stand-by, and turn it back on again without having to wait for it all to load again.
The internal GPS arial is very sensitive, and even got a positive lock on the satellites when I was indoors. They say it won't work from behind a heated windscreen, but it works fine in my Focus, finding a good strong signal. I haven't needed to use the external arial at all. The satellite lock is made very quickly, and finds between 8 and 10 satellites most days.
The navigation software is a collaboration between Mio and Navigon. There is an option to have one destination, or multiple destinations. The destinations can be found by entering the town, street, and house number, or by entering part of the post code, and selecting the street. There isn't the option to do a full post code search, but this doesn't appear to be a major issue, for me anyway. Once a destination is found, it can be saved for easy access in the future. A useful feature is the ability to save a home destination, which is then accessible from a button on the face of the unit, providing a one touch solution.
The actual navigation is fantastic. The screen can be configured for either a 2D or 3D map, defaulting to 2D, and can be switched between the normal daytime colour scheme, and a higher contrast night time scheme. The screen updates about once a second, and will rotate so that your direction of travel is always upwards on the screen.
The voice commands are clear thanks to a good loud speaker, which can be controlled via a volume control on the side. The screen highlights in green your route on the map, and displays the current road name, and name of the road you're turning on to, giving a count down to distance. There is also an ETA displayed on screen.
The voice prompts are given in good time, and will occasionally tell you which lane to be in, but not always. Sometimes it will say go left, when the screen clearly shows you're going right, which can be annoying, but doesn't happen often.
If you take a wrong turn, or decide to turn off to avoid traffic, a new route will be calculated virtually instantaneously, which is excellent.
Also, you can choose how you get there, avoiding motorways, toll roads, etc, and you can specify points to go via by clicking on the map and adding them to your route.
There is a database of POIs or Points Of Interest. These include petrol stations, hospitals, museums, shopping centres, etc.
As it's fairly new, there aren't many accessories for it yet, so I've yet to find a suitable case to carry it around in.
GlobalPositioningSystems.co.uk provided a quick response to my question about accessories.
In short, it's an excellent bit of kit, and beats having a PDA with add-ons. I've never used a Tom Tom Go, or a Garmin, so can't compare them, but all I can tell you is it get's me to where I want to go. And there's the added bonus that you can walk around with it too thanks to the Lithium Ion battery.
More details
Durability & Robustness
Strong
Display size
Excellent
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