Customer Reviews

Mio DigiWalker C230 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have the Mio C230 for about a month now. I have to say it was not very easy to use at first, but after a couple of hours, I was able to find my way around it. This is my third GPS, I have a Garmin C340 for almost two years, and a Nuvi 370 for about eight months; so I can say that I have a bit of experience with the Garmin products which considered to be one of the best GPS in the market. The only reason I got the Mio is its ability to add multiple stops to your final destination (Via Points), and the ability to optimize the route for you, a feature is not available in the Garmin products. My fiancé is a realtor, and she makes numerous stops to show houses to her clients; with the Garmin, she had to enter one stop at the time, which means that she might be going back and forth or zig zaging around; with the Mio, all she has to do is to input as many addresses as she needs to, and then the Mio will optimize the route and guide her around, cool.
You can enter address either by state / city / street; or you can use zip code / street; very nice feature. Any address you input will be automatically stored in the history and you can retrieve it at any time; you can also copy everything to the SD card and store it in your computer or use the data in another Mio, cool. If you don't have the address but know where your destination is on the map, you can touch that point on the map, and the Mio will take you there.
There is also an icon for "Home" where you can store your home address, by clicking it, the Mio will take you home, a similar one is for "work". You can rename both if needed.
The detailed information available on the screen in "cockpit mode" is impressive, on the upper left corner it shows the next maneuver (an arrow going right or left), below that it shows the distance to that maneuver and the estimated time of arrival to your final destination. Next to that you have four icons to zoom in and out on the map, and to change the view from 2 to 3 dimensions and vise versa. Another nice feature is the pedestrian mode, in that mode; the Mio will take you thru the shortest route ignoring the traffic direction of one way streets. You can customize the Mio for brighter screen or to get louder if you reach a specific speed; routing can be customized to shortest, fastest or economical. You can avoid Toll roads, U turns, unpaved roads, Highways, etc.
The Text to Speech feature is also a definite plus. The only thing that I really don't like in the Mio C230 is the very limited number of POI's (about 900K), you will hardly be able to find anything in there, Mio needs to do smoothing about that limitation. However, you can add you own POI's to the data base if you know the address.
In short, if you don't need the MP3/Photo player, or the blue tooth, the Mio C230 is a great basic GPS, loaded with features that are not available on other big name brands, great signal reception, bright screen, clear TTS voice, nice design, pocket size, at an unbeatable price. Impressive

This is my first GPS system so I cannot compare this Mio230 model with any others.

I had read reviews of several different systems and just when I thought I had found the correct model for me, a negative review would pop up!
This mostly happened with reviews of ALL devices so I decided to go with my gut feeling.

I then read that Mio had text to speech - which I didn't think was important.

I've only had the Mio for 2 days so I'm hardly an expert.
All I can say is that for $149 it is amazing!
I would advise anyone getting a GPS system without speech to forget about it and go with speech.

It is virtually impossible to drive and consult a screen at the same time, particularly if you're driving in a city like Boston.

So, whether or not you purchase a Mio, just make sure it has TTS.
Otherwise you're just wasting your money!!!

Someone in my office bought the C230. We used it on a business trip from Harrisburg PA to Mahwah NJ. It was very accurate on roads and at finding very difficult routs.

You need to READ the instructions! Download better instructions from the web site. Once it clicks in your head how it works it can't be touched for the price.

I immediately logged on to Amazon and purchased one for myself. The cost makes it a no-brainer. My one daughter used it to find a high school to take her SAT's. My other daughter used it to go to a concert in Baltimore.

This will cause all other makers to rethink there marketing strategy. It has no phone, blue tooth, mp3 or any other ridiculous component to justify raising the price. I never felt so relaxed while driving in areas I did not know. Not only did it tell me when to turn, it told me the street! And if your brain cramps and you miss the turn it quickly recalculates the rout to get you back on track. (doesn't even call you an idiot!) When on a highway for 50 miles, it will remind you as you get closer to the exit that the turn is coming up.

Just a flat out great little GPS!

Don, Harrisburg PA

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.

This GPS has lots of cool features. But it was extremely difficult (relative to other GPS units)to use and understand. The points of interest feature was a pain to figure out. While driving, they appeared as small dots. Not helpful. When the map was magnified, the POI's enlarged too, clarifying each icon. Then, inexplicably, they shrank again. The TTS feature was really nice to have, given the price of the unit. But I noticed some problems with navigation itself. For example, it kept telling me to enter a highway entrance ramp to the immediate right (less than 300 yards away, Mio said), when in fact it was 3.9 miles away. Secondly, the maps are outdated. Drove "off the road" a few times.

I realized it was time to ditch Mio when I damn near drove off the road while trying to figure out how to use some of the features. I don't fault the GPS for this. It's common sense to focus on the road while driving and it was a boneheaded move on my part. Still, this has not been a problem with the tomtom or magellan I used previously. This just goes to show what a pain the Mio can be to operate.

I returned it for a tomtom one (3rd generation). It does not have Text-to-speech but it's much easier to use.

Pros:
1) Text to speech (TTS)
2) Nice graphics (loved the cockpit view)
3) highly customizable features
4) Mio automatically switched to night view in the evening
5) Can modify points of interests (POI)

Cons:
1) Difficult to use. Please don't try to do this when driving.
2) Few Points of interests (POI) relative to tomtom or garmin
3) Everytime I touched the damn screen, the unit plotted a route to that location. And it took a while to figure out how to clear the "new" route. I am sure I am missing something, but it was a lot of effort to find out how to correct this quirk.
4) quirks in navigating (see above)
5) maps haven't been updated in a while it seems.

Worth the price? With TTS, yeah, probably. It gets two stars for the few points of interest outdated maps and difficulty in using.

Great product for the money. I have a NUVI 660 also, which compares very well, but at triple the price. One reviewer noted that there were only 2 Favorites that could be created. This is true but you can use "My POI" which in essence are "favorites", also you can see the history which for previously visited sites. They give you a quick start guide which should get you started. The full manual is online. There is a slot for SD memory card. I haven't found how to access it or to save POIs to it yet. Very satisfied with the MIO 230

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.

Getting a good vehicle GPS for under $200 can be tough, but after shopping around online and reading several reviews, Mio appears to stand out. My own experience with the C230 is that it's extremely easy to use and serves it's purpose quite well. I'm not sure how the C230 compares to the previous model, but it has several nice features. The fact that the computer voice actually speaks the street names is a nice touch, and can be hard to find unless you buy the more expensive models with other bells and whistles. The navigation is very accurate and I haven't really had any problems. So far, it didn't recognize only a couple of side streets that lead into stores, but it has all the important streets. It will get you to your destination. The display is very clear and easy to follow. The voice is very clear, and gives you plenty of heads up when a turn or exit is coming. You would basically have to ignore the system altogether to miss your destination. To me it was not important to have MP3 capability or Bluetooth, so this unit is more than adequate.

This GPS is one of the best out there for price. It has great maps and points of interest. I love the fact that you can enter either a street address or actual coordinates for a place. I use this a lot and have taken it to different states on trips and always gotten where I wanted/needed to be. I would highly recommend this GPS. Best value for the price!

I've had a Mio C230 for about a year now. I chose it over the Garmin, Tom Tom, or other "fancier" models as a price-sensitive customer. A year later, I have to say that I am pleased with my purchase decision overall.

The C230's strenghts include:
- great price
- highly usable interface (not intuitive, but usable once you learn it)
- fast zooming and panning (especially compared to Garmin)
- highly customizable interface
- full feature set (spoken street names, custom points of interest (POIs), route optimization with multiple POIs, speed cameras, track logs, etc.)
- compact size and light weight
- expandable memory with micro SD ram (use explained below)

Weaknesses include:
- limited POIs (this can be rectified with a 2 GB memory card)
- suboptimal routing: the routes will always get you to your destination, but often not in the best way
- poor documentation and web site support
- does not come pre-loaded with Canada maps

Bugs
- When in text-to-speech mode ("Samantha TTS" with spoken street names), the device does not have enough processing power and map rendering will slow down, eventually causing it to crash and reboot. This may happen roughly every 60-90 minutes, more if it has to do multiple route recalculations.
- Speeding warning feature does not work.
- Occasionally comes up with impractical or even impossible directions.

Hacks
- This device has been extensively hacked. Google "Mio C230 unlock" and you can not only find more complete maps including Canada and 14 million POIs, but also alternative skins, a media player, games, and other PDA features which can be downloaded and added to this device. For this reason alone, I prefer it over the Garmin. Who else can say they watch movies on their GPS?!