BIOS: Technology Means Business

Mio Technology has announces the launch of no less than six new satellite-navigation products. The new range offers the latest GPS navigation ‘must haves’ - including integrated Traffic Message Channel (TMC) service, speed camera alerts, navigation to Outlook contacts and Bluetooth hands-free calling - in a number of sleek, new form factors.

From the C210 (£199) all-in-one portable navigation device to the A701, Mio’s eagerly awaited combined sat-nav and PDA phone, all six products feature the latest 20 channel SiRFstar III GPS receiver.

The new range also sees the launch of Mio Map version 3. This new version features the latest TeleAtlas maps (2006.1). Among key new features are a new predictive virtual keyboard, speed camera alerts and pre-installed speed camera database. You can download database updates, add your own camera locations and share them with other Mio users over the Internet.

Featuring an all new, streamlined design, the Mio C710 (£399) and C510E (£269) offer all the latest satellite navigation features and technology but with the ‘turn on and drive’ simplicity of a dedicated personal navigation assistant.

They feature maps of 24 European countries pre-installed on the internal 2GB flash memory (C710 only), maps of one region and major roads of Europe pre-installed on internal memory (package contains maps of 24 European countries on DVD, C510E only), and true cross-border route planning and navigation (C710 only)

There’s also an integrated TMC receiver for free, real-time traffic alerts on screen (C710 only, available as an accessory for the C510E), MP3 player, photo viewer and distance/weight/currency converter/calculator (C710 only). The devices are powered by a 400MHz processor and the SiRFstar III GPS receiver, built-in Bluetooth and microphone for hands free calling, have speed camera warnings out-of-the box, with free updates for one year, as well as a pedestrian navigation mode for exploring towns and cities on foot.

With the SiRFstar III GPS receiver, 400MHz processor and touch screen destination entry, the C210 offers a fully-functional, no frills portable sat-nav system. It sports a 400MHz processor and the SiRFstar III GPS receiver, speed camera warnings out-of-the box, with free updates for one year, and maps of one region and major roads of Europe preinstalled on internal flash memory of 512MB.

Building on Mio’s 168 and A201 sat-nav PDAs, the Mio P550 (£249) and P350 (£179) benefit from a new, compact design that integrates the SiRFstar III GPS receiver directly into the main body of the product. Both products offer all the work and entertainment features typically found on PDAs, including Outlook calendar and contacts synchronisation, but on a product purpose-built for navigation.

Other key features include compatibility with most on-road or off-road navigation software for Windows Mobile 5, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity for file transfer and Internet access (P550 only), Skype pre-installed for free calls via Wi-Fi (P550 only), 400MHz processor and the SiRFstar III GPS receiver, memory expansion up to 2GB with standard SD or MMC memory cards, as well as full PDA functionality and synchronisation with Microsoft’s Outlook.

Finally, the Mio A701 (from £379) offers the ultimate in navigation, communications and entertainment - all from a single product that fits into the palm of your hand. It’s not only a fully-functional tri-band/GPRS Windows PDA phone with a 2.7-inch TFT touch screen, Bluetooth and a 1.3-Megapixel camera but also a fully-featured navigation system with SiRFstar III GPS receiver. The A701 is one of the most complete devices on the market.

It sports a 520MHz Intel processor and the SiRFstar III GPS receiver, 192MB of internal memory with expansion to 2GB with standard SD or MMC memory cards, 1.3-Megapixel camera, Bluetooth and tri-band GSM/GPRS mobile phone (4 hours talktime, up to 200 hours standby), simultaneous calling and navigation with MioMap v2 for A701, and compatibility with most on-road or off-road navigation software for Windows Mobile 5.

There’s also a pedestrian mode provides distance to location and a compass arrow so that you can explore cities without losing track of their ultimate destinations, one-touch calling of points of interest (restaurants, cinemas etc.), as well as the ability to text GPS co-ordinates.

[Best GPS Pricing UK]
[Best GPS Pricing US]

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