BIOS: Technology Means Business

Mio Technology’s A201 (£239) is a Pocket PC PDA with a difference - it has a built-in GPS receiver and comes bundled with satellite navigation software and an in-car kit. While we’re not great fans of PDA devices for in-car satellite navigation (the screens are too small and the Pocket PC interface is infuriating), a really neat feature of a device like the Mio A201 is that it’s totally portable so you can transfer it from car to car - or even walk with it!

What's more - use it to find your way walking around city centres and it will always remember where you’ve parked. The fact that it’s a fully-fledged PDA also means you can work and play with it, such as browse the Web using a Bluetooth phone or listen to music with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile. You can also make written notes while driving (not literally of course), as well as perform currency conversions or play a game.

Designed from the outset as a navigation device rather than a regular PDA (it still looks like a PDA), a really neat feature of the Mio A201 (113x70x24mm, 147g) is that its rotating GPS antenna lets you navigate in both portrait (as found on a standard sat-nav PDA) or landscape mode (as found on a dedicated sat-nav system). The 3.5-inch screen modes are switched simply and quickly by rotating the antenna or by tapping a button. The rotating antenna also helps to ensure that there’s no loss of GPS signal quality when you switch between the two modes.

The two-tone silver Mio A201 also offers Bluetooth for wireless file exchange and Web connection (requires a compatible device or mobile phone), and a hands-free car kit for Bluetooth-equipped phones. Navigation performance is improved through the addition of a new 312MHz Intel Bulverde PXA270 processor and 64MB of SDRAM (64MB ROM), which helps to quicken route planning and calculation. Having said that, the system was slow and cumbersome when calculating routes and the multiple menu system will annoy technophobes. There is also no built-in Wi-Fi.

Fitting in the palm of the hand, the Mio A201 is a truly portable sat-nav device that is just as at home in the car, on a mountain bike or simply as a walking navigation device for country walks or exploring city centres. However, with Microsoft Windows Mobile onboard and features like Outlook Mobile Contacts and Calendar, Word Mobile, Excel Mobile and PowerPoint Mobile, games and Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, the Mio A201 isn’t just for finding your way around.

It offers a series of important improvements over the Mio 168, the world’s first Pocket PC with integrated GPS receiver and the product that helped Mio make its name in Europe. The most significant improvement is the addition of the latest 20-channel SirfStar III GPS chipset, which enhances GPS satellite signal pick up and reception compared to the previous generation, 12-channel receivers.

The new 320x240-pixel, colour LCD touch-screen is less reflective, which means slightly better visibility in bright sunlight. A new surface treatment also makes the screen virtually smudge-free, so fingers won’t leave visible prints on it. The screen is also brighter, making for clearer viewing of video or pictures, but its viewing angle is restrictive in daylight and you’ll need to view it almost head-on in order to read details comfortably. Nightime is no problem for all passengers.

The Mio A201 is fully compatible with the TMC (Traffic Message Channel) service if the chosen navigation software supports it. This service is freely available across most of Europe, except for the UK and France, and provides constant updates and routing options on nearby traffic problems. For example, if a queue builds up following an accident, TMC automatically calculates an alternative route. The TMC receiver is not included with the Mio A201, but is available separately for around £50 in stores or at Mio’s Web site.

A new Lithium-ion 1200mAh battery should deliver over 4.5 hours of sat-nav operation. Thankfully the battery can be swapped out, so you can easily double or triple operational life with the purchase of extra batteries. And due to the fact that the Mio A201 is also PDA, you have the choice of which navigational software you want to load onto the device - whether it’s street mapping or ordinance survey mapping for rambling in the countryside. The device will work with any navigation software compatible with Windows Mobile 5.

Our test unit came with Mio’s own Map 2.0 software, has been given a fresh new interface. The onboard Points of Interest (POI) database has been updated to include many more locations and facilities and it now includes telephone contact details for many locations so you can book a restaurant table or find out about opening times in advance of arriving at your location. In addition to the millions of European points of interest in the onboard database, it is also now possible to download new or customised point of interest lists from a Web-based subscription service.

We’ve already mentioned that a Pocket PC-based PDA isn’t as easy to use as a dedicated sat-nav device, such as TomTom’s excellent Go 700 (£475). And the Mio A201 makes no exceptions. Windows Mobile 5.0 is clunky and slow at the best of times, Mio’s own Map 2.0 software must have bypassed the usability labs, and the device’s buttons aren’t backlit. It’s not exactly blessed in the looks department either, looking more first-generation than consumer chic.

Navigation performance is better, thankfully. The on-screen map graphics are clear and colour, regardless of screen orientation, and you can make most of the menu options disappear at the click of a button. You can toggle the view from 2D to 3D, manually zoom, and even drag the map around onscreen. The device managed to get us to our test destinations (Mum & Dad’s and the local chippie) without incident, and the female voice narration was clear and comprehensible.

Unfortunately, you can’t change the audible instructions into foreign languages or use a male voice, but you can view the name of the road you are on (passing roads aren't labelled), distance to destination, elevation and your current speed. There’s even an option to view how many satellites you are tracking as well as your latitude and longitude. Accessories in the box include a mains power adapter, car charger, USB cable, windscreen suction mount and leather protective slip case. The Mio A201 comes with a 2-year warranty as standard. [7]

[Best PDA Pricing UK]
[Best PDA Pricing US]

Got this product? Got a camcorder/mic? Let us post YOUR video/podcast review!