Mio DigiWalker C520 - Portable GPS System

I have had this for 9 months and I can say that I really enjoy using it. The user-interface is more complicated and geeky and so i wouldn't give it a high score for ease of use. However its feature rich especially the split display feature.
 
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This is a great product. It would be a fantastic product if the TMC cradle was available in the states. All of the online stores, including buy.com list it as coming soon. Very pleased with the device, but be aware that if you live in an area with traffic data available and want to use this feature you're out of luck.
 
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Good product for an excellent price. Has all the features one can think of....Screen is good....feel is good...Above all the price is excellent....Inshort its a good buying decision.
 
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I bought this GPS unit three months ago. Along with it, i also ordered three more other brand GPS units for my friends. Mio C520 works great for me. i'm very impressed by it. Accuracy is far better that Magellan, Garmin and other brands. i definitely recommend this. DT
 
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I have had this GPS device for about a month now and have used it regularly. The look and feel of the device is top-notch. Performance is overall very good. But the big story here is the price compared to similar models from the larger companies. This device is competitive with similar models from the larger companies and it has a price that blows away any competition in its price range. The screen is overall a little too dark in direct sunlight but is fine in a car. The only time I had a problem with it was when I was walking around town and I would have to hold it at an odd angle in order to see the screen clearly. Most of the time I just used my earbuds from my phone and listened to the audible directions when walking and kept the GPS in my pants pocket. It is small emough and light enough for most pants pockets but get a screen protector so you dont scratch the touchscreen display. When I was driving it only had a wrong address location once and that was because the street number in the Point Of Interest was wrong. If it was right then the GPS would have been right on the money. Another complaint was that it took so long (5-6 seconds) to recalculate a route sometimes that I missed my next turn. This usually happened when I was in an urban area with lots of side streets and I was traveling at a high rate of speed. Even when I missed a turn it still got me there right away. There are several options that you can customize in order to allow you to travel either a more direct route or a faster route and you can avoid certain types of roads. While I find it easy to use, my wife found other models more intuitive but after our trip to D.C. she has picked it up and can now operate it perfectly. If you are not good with electronics and you don't want to take the time to learn then this is not the GPS for you. Due to a lack of buttons on the device and the manufacturers attempt to have an uncluttered display, you have to navigate to sub-menus for even some of the simplest of adjustments. The only two that I did not like was that there was not a mute or cancel route option on the main screen and there was no volume control on the outside of the device. These two things would have been nice but I can live without them. Overall I give this device two thumbs up!
 
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For the most part, you can't beat this gps for this price. I have used several other brands (tom tom and garmin) and they are no better. Mio could change the way they navigate the menus to make finding things a little easier, but with as much as this thing does, it will always be difficult for someone. i would love to see getting to my music become much easier than it is on this thing, but really that is my only complaint. updated maps are always nice, but roads are changing so much i know this is hard and for the most part this has not been a problem, only occasionally in large cities where they are constantly changing exits and adding new ones. all in all, this product was more than worth the money. has saved my wife and I many an argument!!
 
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So i found out about Mio through a friend of mine who recently purchased the C520. I liked it a lot as he showed me, but i was still unconvinced. I then bought a tom tom go gps and it was HORRIBLE. I got spoiled by the Mio's 4.3" screen and easy user interface. Its absolutely the best GPS out there for the money. Unless u like to spend a grand on a garwin go ahead, this baby does it all, and i love the full widescreen 3D view of the road, it dosent get better! I purchased one last week!
 
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This is my 1st GPS device after I tried out Garmin Nuvi 350 and Mio C310x. The looks are good, so is the screen, and also the text to speech with street names announcement is way better than Garmin's. However, there are few mysteries behind this device's route calculation sometimes. For eg : Getting from Cupertino to SFO - Garmin shows the US-101N route as google and mapquest show ( due to Navteq S/w), which is infact, is the shortest route, however, Mio always insists on taking a longer but with reduced traffic load route of I-280N. I could never figure out why ?? Some addresses are really out of sync with current times, The Hayward station it shows is really an empty space !! pretty dangerous if you are searching for something as crucial as a last Caltrain to get back home. On the longer routes, esp. cross state travels, it is generally good.
 
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Traded in the Mio H610 for the C520. I loved the H610, but it did not have text to speech which really caused me problems on a recent trip to Atlanta. You really need to hear where to go when a highway has a split with an exit nearby and you have three options. "Keep left at 300 feet" and there are 2 left options coming up (one right after the other) doesn't cut it when going 65 MPH. The battery life is pretty bad on the unit. Not sure if it's because it has two options on shutting down. A soft shutdown, you press the power button, and when you turn it back on, you're in the last menu item you were using before shutdown. The hard shutdown, you need to hold down the power button for a few seconds. It then gives you the option of shutting down. When you press the power button for a few seconds, it does a cold reboot which takes about a minute to get back to the GPS menu. I rarely use the hard shutdown. I found out that if I travel an hour, soft power off the unit, and try to drive back to my origin point sometime later, I will definitely need to use the car charger. Keep that handy in the car or the unit is obviously useless. The bluetooth works well and connected to my Nextel BlackBerry 7100i. I have not used the video except for the sample videos they supply. I will try to update once I try to load my own videos on the unit. Pictures and viedeo are easy to transfer once connected to the pc. It's like moving files from one drive to another. Mio provides software, but I just use the explorer in Windows. having music play while on GPS is cool. I bought a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter at Radio Shack, and connected a tape adapter to the earphone jack on the unit. This allows me to get a clear play of the music and GPS instructions through my car's stereo. The way it works is you go in to the music player, start palying music, minimize the player, then open the GPS app, and the music continues to play while the GPS is up. The bad part is you cannot skip songs. There is no way to minimize the GPS app to get back to the music player. You need to close the GPS app to get back to the music player which means you would need to start you GPS app again and reload your route. You can create playlists, so I gues that would be the best way to do it before a long trip. The locator on the map also lags a bit behind your actual position. This is not horrible, but I've been frustrated on more than one occasion because I would think I need to turn on the next block as the indicator shows me about mid-block as I'm passing the actual turn point. That's when I start cursing as the unit states "route recalculation". Also, some route recalculations are ridiculous as it will have you drive a long distance to make a u-turn. The unit actually wanted me to make a u-turn on a major highway through an entrance that only police are allowed to use. Maps need to be updated. I put in Staples as a POI, and drove to the closest one. It was a corporate office, not an actual store... Overall, I'm happy with the unit. It's compatible with many of the high priced Garmins and Magellans which I know also have similar issues. There is an option for Traffic, but I don't have the antenna needed which must be purchased separately. Not even sure if it's available yet.
 
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I must state the obvious first: I don't see why anyone will pay over $500 for a GPS when you can GET IT ALL in this Mio C520 on this website for about $300. I have now seen the C520 sell in major electronic stores for $399 so save yourself a 100bucks by buying online. This is the first GPS Purchase for me so I have not really tested out other units to differentiate. I Do know this, Regardless how much you pay for a unit, most GPS's use Tele Atlas software service which means that if you have a $800 dollar unit or a $200 one, they'll more or less be at the same accuracy level. GPS: The C520 is accurate, fast to load, good looking sleek design & wide screen and SLIM. There are very FEW GPS's out in the market that will look as good as the Mio C520 does. An unbiased opinion, but this is true! It doesn't come with a case so your going to find yourself buying one if you want to keep it looking new. I bought a hard drive case and it fits in just right. The split screen interface feature is great. You'll find about 6-8 helpful boxes with information ab your trip on the split screen. Including POI's scroll down menu set to whatever POI you pre selected! Another words, you can view upcoming gas stations for example (with lil arrows next to them showing you in what direction there in)on your Map screen without having to go to another menu! I personally think its a Good idea to have your Mio Set High on your windsheild its more easily accessible which will have you utilizing your device even more without realizing it ;) Speaker/Music Player: The Speaker is clearer than any Garmin's music player that I've come across. I compared the C520 with the Garmin Nuvi 600 model or something like that, and the differences were night and day. the Nuvi did not sound clear at all meanwhile the music Mio was producing was CD quality Clear. Loud too! I can't stress it enough how good the music sounds and how cool it is to have a transportable music device(which you can store as much as your sd card will hold) and play it loud and clear on your GPS out of all things!! The interface for the player itself could be more attractive & user friendly. The icons on the music player sometimes make a poor illustration on what the purpose of the button is for, so you'll find yourself guessing what does what initially. Making a playlist can also be a bit tricky. And if you plan to listen to your GPS while on the road, its a hassle to get to the music player screen from the navigational screen, trust me. But the good out weighs the bad in this subject. BLUETOOTH: So far I'm disappointed in the clarity of the blue tooth. I have had many complaints with the person I'm speaking with that I sound like I have a hand over my mouth as I'm speaking. Another words, its not clear at all, especially when you find yourself doing over 40to50 MPH. Everyone hears the background noise before they'll hear you. Maybe it has to do with the Blue tooth strength through my phone? VIDEO: I inserted my own videos and hardly any of them worked. MIO did a TERRIBLE job of trying to cover this topic on there software manual. There isn't a single paragraph about it! You don't know what format to convert your videos to, and some mpeg4's do work and others don't for what reason I don't know. I tried everything. Few things to consider: 1)There is also NO easy accessible mute button! That button is taken up by the blue tooth icon. Therefore you have to go into menu>settings> master volume just to mute the freeking thing! Good luck if you want to mute it while your driving. The mute button is a big issue that they overlooked & needs to be addressed during their next software upgrade if they ever decide to make one. 2)As of yet, doesn't look like Mio has upgraded the C520's software since its release. the C520 can use a refresh on its POI's. Some POI are either not existent anymore or you can find yourself at a restaurant that's not even new anymore but yet it still won't show up on your Mio screen. 3)Video player is worthless. Unless someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong. Advice: Set your trip Route option to FAST, not Shortest and def not Economic. Mio gives you this detailed description about how Economic takes the best of both worlds in Shortest & Fastest Route to give you the best route possible. DOn't buy into that, I've chosen economic in the past, and all the mio does is confuses itself and brings you the longest way possible!! Stick to FASTEST route trust me. I highly recommend this GPS To anyone. If I had the option and unlimited resource, I would still go with the C520 anyday! Email me if you have any questions, Gino
 
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BEST PRICE COMPARED TO SIMILAR GPS PRODUCTS WITH SAME CONFIGURATION.DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE MENU SYSTEM WORKS. U HAVE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME BEFORE YOU CAN REALLY FIGURE IT OUT. BUT IF YOU WANT TO USE ALL THE FEATURES BETTER GET USE TO IT. THE POI SYSTEM IS GOOD AND ACCURATE. ONE DISADVANTAGE IS IT DOESNT SAY WHETHER THE DESTINATION IS ON RIGHT OR LEFT.BUT IT WILL CERTAINLY TAKE YOU THERE WITH EASE.CLARITY OF THE VOICE IS CLEAR.OVERALL I WOULD SAY IT IS THE BEST GPS.
 
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On a road trip up to Washington D.C. and then down to Alabama, I logged over 24 road hours with this GPS unit the week after acquiring it. Clear voice commands, finds satellites quickly, re-routes quickly as well, widescreen makes things so easy to see. mp3 and videos are nice to be able to use on long highway stretches. Two destinations were one house off once it got me to the street, but neither street was even paved so I'm impressed it got that close. my speedometer has been broken for 5 years and it is nice to actually know how fast I am going now. Only complaint is that I can't seem to get the speeding warning to work. I set it to tell me if I was going 5 over the speed limit and it never notified me the enter week. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know.
 
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UI and graphics are very nice as well as ease of use. I also like MP3/Video features too. I wish the Video supports more video formats though. The main feature of the GPS, I mean the map and routing etc., is very good in general but it does not recognize which is preferable street and it give me inconvenient routing info. Instead of following easy routes, it tends to draw a straight line from point A to point B and make zig-zag type of route which is quite annoying. But in an area I am new, it lets me get to the destinations anyway so I am OK so far and I review the overall routes generated by the Mio before I start driving and make somve via points to make the route more simpler.
 
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I purchased the C520 because of its value. I have been using it for a month and I am extremely satisfied with it. It has 6 million POIs which are pretty comprehensive. I think the C520 is one of the few portable GPS devices out there that offer a 4.3" LCD for under $300. I think the equivalent Garmin retails around $500. So far I have been able to find every destination intended. The night time feature is also a good touch. The re-routing is very fast. The only thing I am not too pleased about is the short battery life, but with the car charger included in the package that isn't a big problem Overall I am happy with my C520
 
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I got Mio DigiWalker c520 and also got Navman n60i and had a chance to compare the two - Mio is by far much better. The Mio unit uses TeleAtlas maps, has 2gb memory, comes with US and Canada preloaded with 6 mil POIs (with categorization) and 4.3 inch screen. Europe maps for extra $ on sd card Here are the cons and pros: **** Mio Pros: Nice-many-buttons-spit-screen interface, very customizable, very responsive touch-screen Text to Speech (TTS) – will pronounce street names, many languages Tons of extras – Bluetooth interface for phone, mp3 player, picture viewer, movie player, calculator with conversions, *** Mio Cons: Interface can seem cluttered for non-technical people Short battery life, no protective case Female voice with TTS sounds robotic, male voice with our TTS is fine ***** Navigation features works great and extras makes this a fantastic unit. I found Buy.com coupon on the dealogre.com so alredy great price (comparing with other units) was a little less giving it even greater value.
 
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I have been very happy with this product since purchasing it a couple of months ago. Everything works well and the unit arrived as promised. I like the bluetooth capability and the fact that this model can also play music and videos. My only cons for this unit are the earphone plus size which is not the standard and it sometimes takes a little longer than expected to lock onto the satellites. Compared to competing units with similar features, it is a great value.
 
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I did GPS research for months together and finally I narrowed on to this GPS. Its a great gps, never lost satellite connection, during heavy cloud cover/rain and while driving through mountains. Excellent mapping software, its almost equivalent to navteq. The auto zoom works good, it gives a bigger picture when we have lot of distance to cover and zooms itself, when we have to take the necessary turn. Bluetooth works great with my nokia phone. Regarding route selection, I am happy with the route it selected , so far I have never been let down (for ur information, I have used the GPS extensively in cinci, louisville and lexington area). Its a great buy and you will never regret it.
 
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This is a great value for the money, especially at only 299. Now it has some quirks about it that are annoying. For instance, when you playing mp3 and navigating, you have to exit the map program to get to the audio player to go to the next track. There is no shortcut to just jump to the audio player and skip a track. - The video player is quirky in that it would not play the avi files that threw at it. Mio does provide a converter to convert to the mp4 format. - Maps are fairly accurate, but it manage to make a couple of mistakes so far. It was asking me to turn left when there was no left turn. - There are plenty of hacks out there. I am going to try them out soon. This is great thing becuase you can customize this baby to the max. - Bluetooth function is limited. For instance, it does not remember my phone and I have to pair them everytime I turn on the device. That aside, I can only dial and receive calls on the device. It is not able to view my phonebook on my Cingular 8125 device. I am hoping that mio will add updates to this function soon. - The screen is hard to see when it is in direct sunlight. I am planning on making a small shade for it. But otherwise, the screen is very pleasing to look at. - I have had a Garmin Nuvi 660 before this, and I still prefer the nuvi to the C520, but this unit is great if you want to play around a bit into the inner workings of GPS. And of course, the unit is price nearly half of what a Nuvi 660 costs. Overall: Great Unit, would recommend to someone, provided that they can live with a few quirks. Hoping that Mio will release patches to fix some bluetooth issues. - If you just want a great looking widescreen GPS that is easy to use, then get a Nuvi 660. - Otherwise, this unit rocks.
 
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I have to say that after a week of use I am very satisfied with this unit. For the price I paid this unit gives me more features than most of the more expensive units.
 
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I got Mio DigiWalker c520 and also got Navman n60i and had a chance to compare the two. Both are essentially PDA units with GPS software and some customized hardware, but Mio is exposing more of the computer side, when Namvan is purely dedicating on the navigation. The Mio unit and Navman both use TeleAtlas maps, both run on top of Windows CE, both have 2gb memory, both come with US and Canada preloaded with 6 mil POIs and both have 4.3 inch screen. Both companies offer Europe maps for extra $ on sd card Here are the cons and pros for both units: **** Mio Pros: [ Nice-many-buttons-spit-screen interface, very customizable, very responsive touch-screen | Text to Speech (TTS) – will pronounce street names | Tons of extras – Bluetooth interface for phone, mp3 player, picture viewer, movie player (choppy), calculator with conversions, no alarm though :( etc ] *** Mio Cons: [ Interface can seem cluttered for non-technical people Cannot play mp3 while navigating with GPS Short battery life, no protective case Female voice with TTS sounds robotic, male voice with our TTS is ok ] *** Navman Pros: [ Very simple and easy interface, a complete no-brainer | Dedicated buttons for closest gas and parking | Build in digital camera with Navpix feature – take a picture and navigate to it, or download/share other pictures from their site | Female voice is very natural ] *** Navman Cons: [ No categorization of POI like retroacts (all listed on one lever) | Not very responsive touch-screen | No text-to-speech, but will say major highway names | Sometimes mixes left and right on destination location. (map data issues?) ] **** Since both navigation features work fine, you need to consider extras. If you want a very easy to use GPS go with the Navman, if you want many features and are comfortable with lots of options on interface go with Mio. Ex. Cancel Routing on Navman - 2 clicks, on Mio - 4 clicks. I found discounts for both units on the dealogre.com, and prices seem to be dropping too. Because Navman is a more money, given Mio’s features it’s offers a greater value.
 
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I got Mio DigiWalker and also got Navman n60i and had a chance to compare the two. Both are essentially PDA units with GPS software and some customized hardware, but Mio is exposing more of the computer side, when Namvan is purely dedicating on the navigation. The Mio unit and Navman both use TeleAtlas maps, both run on top of Windows CE, both have 2gb memory, both come with US and Canada preloaded with 6 mil POIs and both have 4.3 inch screen. Both companies offer Europe maps for extra $ on sd card Here are the cons and pros for both units: Mio Pros: Nice-many-buttons-spit-screen interface, very customizable, very responsive touch-screen Text to Speech (TTS) – will pronounce street names Tons of extras – Bluetooth interface for phone, mp3 player, picture viewer, movie player (choppy), calculator with conversions, no alarm though :( etc Mio Cons: Interface can seem cluttered for non-technical people Can not play mp3 while navigating with GPS Short battery life, no protective case Female voice with TTS sounds robotic, male voice with our TTS is ok Navman Pros: Very simple and easy interface, a complete no-brainer Dedicated buttons for closest gas and parking Build in digital camera with Navpix feature – take a picture and navigate to it, or download/share other pictures from their site Female voice is very natural Cons: No categorization of POI like retroacts (all listed on one lever) Not very responsive touch-screen No text-to-speech, but will say major highway names Sometimes mixes left and right on destination location. (map data issues?) Since both navigation features work fine, you need to consider extras. If you want a very easy to use GPS go with the Navman, if you want many features and are comfortable with lots of options on interface go with Mio. Ex. Cancel Routing on Navman - 2 clicks, on Mio - 4 clicks. I found buy.com discount for both units on the dealogre.com, and prices seem to be dropping too. Becouse Navman is a more money, given Mio’s features it’s offers a greater value.
 
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