-
-
- Census means money to cities (The Arizona Republic)
- Magellan GPS, Navigation Made Easy (PIZZAHEROS)
- Cities poised to go extra mile for census (The Arizona Republic)
- TomTom and FUJITSU TEN Announce Second Generation of Semi-Embedded Portable Navigation Devices (Centre Daily Times)
- TomTom and FUJITSU TEN Announce Second Generation of Semi-Embedded Portable Navigation Devices (Finanzen.net)
-
Oct
31
Mio DigiWalker C230 Portable GPS Navigator
The Mio DigiWalker C230 is a slim and compact car navigation system featuring a highly sensitive GPS receiver and intuitive 3.5″ touchscreen interface. Equipped with maps, POIs and turn-by-turn voice guidance, the C230 is easy-to-use and is ready out of the box.The lightweight and pocket-sized design makes it extremely portable. It’s easy to move from car to car or carry in a bag. Just like portable technology should be. The bright 3.5″ touchscreen interface is highly responsive and intuitive to use. Easily select destinations, preview route plans and go! Simple and straightforward. With clear voice and visual guidance, the C230 tells you your distance from the next turn and which direction to go. Hear the directions so you can keep your eyes focused on the road.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Mio DigiWalker C230
I bought the Mio DigiWalker C230 after not getting any new updates from Dell. Dell’s maps are old (2006) and I wanted to have an updated GPS system in my car because I do a lot of driving around as a local locksmith, Mark’s Locksmith, here in Beaverton, Oregon. The only thing that I didn’t like about this Mio C230 is that it does not tell you whitch side of the street the house is on, and that you are unable to change the time in the system after it was entered once. I wanted to change the time after having this for about a few months now but could not find a way to do it so I have to leave it as it is. This is a GREAT GPS unit for the price. I’m glad a long-hauler truck driver got locked out of his SUV because he showed me his GPS system, Mio C220, and I liked it, so I bought one the very next day.
4 Stars Great value for a basic GPS.
I recently purchased a C230 as my first GPS device. I couldn’t justify spending a lot of money for a GPS device with a lot of bells and whistles that I probably wouldn’t use. What I wanted for my first GPS was a simple, versatile, full-featured device that I could use to gain experience and then move up to a more sophisticated device if I deide that a GPS is really useful for my purposes. The C230 met all of my requirements. It comes complete with an AC car adaptor, windshield mount, instructions that are simple to understand and CD with GPS instructions and MioMap instructions. Some of the reviews that I read about the C230 complained that the instructions were difficult to understand and that it took a couple of hours of playing with the device before it could be used. I did not find this the case. Setting up the device initially and using it is pretty intuitive and goes quickly. I was ready to road test it in about half an hour. The software is easy to navigate. What I do feel takes a little more time is exploring the software and discovering all the subtle features that aren’t explained in detail in the instructions. There’s a trade off here. You can either get simple set up instructions and be up and running quickly, or get bogged down with a thick user manual. I prefer simplicity and I’m willing to learn as I go. The C230 provides flexibility in the type of views you can select and the manner in which the route information is presented. I prefer the cockpit view and find it very easy to read and useful. What really impressed me was how quickly the device syncs with the satellite signals and finds its location and how quickly it recalculates a route if I deviate from the recommended route. That was a concern of mine because reviews that I read in the past cited slow sync time as a fault with other more expensive GPS devices. Not the case with the C230. The voice prompts require a little attention. In some cases it mispronounces street names or cities. For example, it pronounces the city of La Verne as “Louisiana Verne”; obviously recognizing “LA” as the state abbreviation and not a prefix. Also, in some cases the route that it recommends to a destination that I am familiar with varies with the route that I would normally take. However if I take my preferred route it will usually recalculate the new route to the destination quickly. One limitation that I would like to see corrected in future versions of the operating software is the ability to select more than two “favorite” destinations. You can store a large number of destinations and they appear in the History section. All in all, I think that the C230 offers a lot of features, ease of use and functionality in an attractive small package at an affordable cost.
4 Stars MIO DIGIWALKER C230 BEST TEXT TO SPEECH GPS UNDER $200
Features I was looking for in a GPS unit that the MIO C230 has.
1. Text to speech.
2. Under $200.
3. Touch screen.
4. Updates and firmware availability (video, mp3 media player, calculator features)
5. Pre-installed maps on the unit NOT on SD card.
6. Maps and POIs for Hawaii, Alaska,Puerto Rico and Canada. (Try finding this on ANY of the other competitors GPS units for under $200)
7. Flexibility to be used on foot, driving and bike.(Again try finding this on the other competitors GPS units).
8. Traffic video camera alerts (traffic lights with video cameras)
This unit may not be as easy as the Garmins and I have owned the pilot i5 and Nuvi 600 series model, but they were not as easy to update or have the flexibility as this model. The Garmin Pilot i5 was my favourite. It worked with 2 rechargeable AA batteries, but it lacked text to speech and worked with the micro SD card that brought me to getting a replacement… the MIO C230. After reviewing and trying the Tomtom One, Navigon 2100 I decided to go with the MIO, it required sitting down and spending 30mins but it was worth having these 8 features.
I just hope MIO comes out with a model that works with batteries the consumer can replace. All GPS units seem to have the same problem and that is you end up replacing them just like blue tooth headsets, every 3-5yrs depending on how much you use it… when the battery dies you are better of buying a brand new GPS unit, map updates can run you between $65-100.
1 Star I wouldn’t recommend it.
This is the worst GPS system I have ever interacted with. It took a long time to figure out how to set the system up, and eventually I just gave up reading the manual and experimented till it worked.
Other issues:
-Computerized voice is sometimes unintelligible
-Doesn’t provide street names in audio directions, instead gives instructions like “turn left in 400 feet.” Unless you’ve got a tape-measure on-hand, good luck. “Turn down Main Street” would be more helpful!
-Frequently gives inaccurate directions. Has told me repeatedly to turn (the wrong way) onto one-way streets, dead-end streets, and no-turn intersections.
-Takes forever to orient. Expect to wait 5 minutes while it figures out where the heck you are. In addition, it doesn’t give immediate directions after you input your destination. You have to choose a direction, start driving in it, and wait for it to figure out you’re moving and tell you what to do next (which may be to turn around at the earliest possible opportunity).
-Often gives contradictory directions, seconds apart. This almost lead me to throw the C230 out of my car window. Twice. Turn left in 50 feet. Turn right in 50 feet. Turn left in 50 feet. Literally 3 seconds apart. Have frequently followed the directions given, only to get either contradictory directions when I’m already en-route, or the “turn back” command seconds later. Not only is this a frustrating and confusing flaw, but it’s also dangerous, as being commanded to change direction unexpectedly can be a bit jarring when you’re driving.
-Turns off at random when driving. This has happened both while I’ve had it connected to the charger and not. I will be en-route, and after what feels like an unusual long silence, look over to discover it has turned itself off. Powering on and re-orienting takes a few additional minutes, during which necessary directions are missed.
-As another reviewer mentioned, if you frequent a certain business repeatedly, you can’t simply save that location in the system if the business is already in the system’s directory. You have to search, for example, for a McDonalds, input the city and state, every time, rather than easily access it in a favorites list.
-i live in Boston, and the system is really lacking in its business directory. i have had to look up addresses for popular businesses (restaurants, supermarkets, etc.) ahead of time, then bring them to my car and input them in, since the GPS was unable to find them using its search function.
-no way to edit information! the GPS consistently tells me to turn down one particular dead end street, and i would really like to edit the system to reflect that the street is, in fact, a dead end. but there’s no way to.
-plenty other issues to speak of, but the point is, there are better systems out there. Opt for one of those. Or buy this one and leave it on the freeway after a month.
3 Stars Nice Features, Poor Routes
I received this device as a Christmas present, and have enjoyed it overall. The ability to dynamically find points of interest and route to them is quite useful. It also has some more advanced features, such as the ability to customize the routing method and exclude certain roads, set via points, etc. I also enjoy the text-to-speech capability of the unit. Its pronunciation of street names is a non-stop source of comedy.
However, I have many issues with it. Most importantly, in my area (around Bridgeport, CT), regardless of the routing options set, it gives pretty awful routes. There must be an error in the underlying map file, as it will generally direct me to exit from the main highway on a ten-minute detour through stoplight-ridden downtown roads only to put back on the same highway a couple of exits down. Several times it has routed me across non-existent roads or the wrong way up a one-way street. Also, while the on-screen direction icons always seem to be correct, the voice will semi-regularly confuse left and right, which is mysterious and unhelpful.
Even with the many problems with the routes in my area, it is still pretty useful, though, so I’m glad I got it.
Oct
31
GARMIN STREETPILOT C550
Filed Under DVD | Leave a Comment
Garmin StreetPilot c550 Portable Auto GPSReady-to-go right out of the box with preloaded maps and plenty of options, this easy-to-use GPS will get you where you’re going. The portable StreetPilot c550 is packed full of features that make it the perfect navigator, including hands-free calling, traffic alerts and an MP3 player.
Oct
31
Bracketron Nav Mat GPS Friction Dash Pad Model UFM 100BL Accessories GPS
Filed Under Electronics | Leave a Comment
Bracketron Nav Mat GPS Friction Dash Pad Model UFM 100BL Accessories GPS
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars GPS friction dash mat pad
This is a wonderful product. I don’t have a very flat surface on my dashboard, but the unit stays put! Wonderful!
5 Stars Great Item
Product met my needs perfectly. I used to hold my GPS device without leavin telltale marks on my windshield.
Oct
31
Oct
31
Magellan Maestro 4350 GPS revealed
Filed Under Gps | Leave a Comment
Oct
31
Nokia Flagship and Best Buy Mobile Stores Launch N96, Amazon Lists for Pre-Order
Filed Under Gps | Leave a Comment
Oct
31
Garmin n vi 755T 4 3 Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Free Traffic and Maps of the US Canada and Puerto Rico
Filed Under Electronics | Leave a Comment
The nuvi 755T offers full coverage mapping for the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The preloaded map data features nearly six million points of interest, including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs and attractions. The map data is provided by NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping. It features 3D buildings, lane assist and lifetime traffic alerts from NAVTEQ. Take advantage of Garmin’s first premium traffic service without subscription fees. 3D navigation with lane assist provides drivers a clear picture of what lies ahead on their route, including road sign detail and arrows indicating the proper lane for navigation. Some areas even offer a 3D view of buildings. Steer clear of traffic with nuvi’s integrated FM traffic receiver. Receive alerts about traffic delays and road construction that lie ahead on your route. Auto time zone will automatically adjust your time zone while navigating Garmin Connect Photos - associate your favorite images with saved locations DEM maps show you shaded terrain contours at various zoom levels High-sensitivity GPS receiver for improved performance and reception Turn-by-turn directions with voice guidance Easy-to-use, Touchscreen interface Trip computer records mileage, max speed, total time and more Simplified PC connectivity, using USB mass storage Configurable vehicle icons allows users to select a fun, and customized icons Dimensions - Width 4.8 x Height 3.0 x Depth 0.08 (12.2×7.6×2.0cm) Weight - 6.48 ounces (183.8 grams)
User Ratings and Reviews
1 Star Garmin’s Marketing Strategy: Buy A New GPS Every Year
Garmin Announces Nuvi 2×5 and 7×5, Free Lifetime Traffic, Lane Assist, 3D Transparent View
What this is means is this:
Free lifetime traffic: Previously, Garmin models featured traffic capabilities and some included an MSN direct or TMC Traffic receiver. After 30 days using the TMC, you’d have to pay a yearly subscription fee (MSN direct was free for one year). Garmin is now introducing free lifetime traffic with these new models.
What is not being widely disclosed, is that these new models will support “barely noticeable” popup ads. Yes, popup ads. Something that should be free for something that is half a grand, was either $60 or now ad supported. Anyone who bought a previous model, even weeks before this unit’s release, will be SOL according to Garmin because “the technology behind the free traffic uses hardware that they have not used in previous units and is free because the traffic is an ad-based system”*
Lane assist: The new lane assist feature lets you know ahead of time what lane to be in for the upcoming exit or turn. This is common sense. Simply LOOKING at road signs can yield this super secret information that Garmin wants to charge a premium for. Also, in some previous nuvi models (not sure about SP), this information is already available. When approaching an exit or turn for example, the unit would let you know to “stay right” or “stay left” on Franklin St. However, there’d be no 3d.
3D Transparent View (Junction View): The new models are obviously priced higher than the current models. Two out of the three features can either be similar to features in previous models (Lane Assist), or are not better than previous models’ features (ad supported “free” lifetime traffic).
The third new feature is 3d Transparent View. Something Navigon has released in their GPS systems for a few years now. Is everyone getting the idea here? Junction View simulates what junction you would need to take for your destination. At 60+mph on the highway, trying to make out a junction on a 4-inch screen seems a little dangerous when traveling alone (business meeting, truckers, etc). You could also, you know, LOOK UP AT THE ROAD and figure this information out.
*http://www.gpsmagazine.com/comments/000466.php#comments - third comment from the bottom.
