Mio DigiWalker C230 GPS Offers Text to Speech for under $200

Posted November 3rd, 2007 by Joe Eitel

Mio is a GPS manufacturer in Europe who doesn't get a ton of recognition like Garmin, Magellan, or TomTom does. They consistently produce affordable portable GPS devices such as their new DigiWalker C230. This portable navigation unit is the follow-up to the popular C220 which was released in early 2007. The C230 improves upon the C220 in a few different ways, but Mio has managed to keep the price tag under $200. Text to Speech (TTS) Functionality

The key feature included in the C230 is the text to speech (TTS) functionality, which traditionally is only offered in much more expensive GPS devices. This feature works by not only providing voice-guided directions, but also speaking the actual street names as well. This feature helps you to keep your eyes on the road and not on the GPS device. Other portable GPS devices do not offer this feature in their "budget" models.

"Cockpit View" Map Screen

Mio has designed the navigation screen to include customizable information, as well as a nice 3D view of your route. The information displayed in "cockpit view" include the direction of your next turn and distance to your next turn, as well as 3 customizable spots where you can choose from the followMio DigiWalker C230 "Cockpit View": www.gpstracklog.coming:

Distance to destination
Distance to next via point
Time to destination
Time to next via point
Time to next maneuver
Speed
Arrival at next via point
Arrival at destination

Fully Loaded Maps and POI's

The U.S. version of the C230 comes equipped with maps of the United States and Puerto Rico. The C230 uses a 20-channel SiRFstarIII chip, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver with TeleAtlas maps. This configuration allows this device to provide you with very precise directions. The maps are viewable in both 2D or 3D modes on a full-color 3.5 inch touch-screen LCD display. The display feature over 65,000 colors and a resolution of 320 by 240 pixels.

The C230 has a database of about 1 million points of interest (POI) built-in to the device. This is not a huge amount of POI's, but Mio claims they had to cut down on this database for memory-saving issues. The C230's predecessor, the C220, has about 3.5 million POI's. You can add your own POI's if desired as well.

Good Things Come in Small Packages

The Mio C230 is very compact and portable. The device is only 4.2 inches wide by 3.2 inches tall by 0.9 inches deep, and it weighs only about 6 ounces. The small size of this device make it ideal for both in-car applications as well as for walking, biking, or hiking. The C230 comes with a mounting arm for mounting on your vehicle's dashboard or windshield. It also comes with a car charger.

Mio DigiWalker C230 Mounting Arm: www.gpslodge.com

With the holidays coming up, the Mio DigiWalker C230 would make a great gift for the "gadget guru" on your shopping list. It's tough to find a portable GPS device for under $200 that boasts features that the C230 does.

Mio DigiWalker C230 Portable GPS: www.gpstracklog.com

Source: GPS Track Log and GPS Lodge

Joe Eitel's Gadget Blog
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Comments

Mio DigiWalker

Submitted on November 5th, 2007 by mojo (not verified)

This product is great. I was in a vehicle using one of these. This thing was listing restaurants nearby, it gives you best routes and really takes you down to your driveway turns. It worked great and I was impressed with it.