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 enlarge | Brand: Mio
Category: CE
Buy Used: $99.00
New (2) from $194.85
Avg. Customer Rating:  133 reviews
Media: Electronics
Memorabilia: No
Native Resolution: 320 x 240
Display Size: 3.5
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.1
Dimensions (in): 3 x 4.3 x 0.8
MPN: C310X
Model: C310X
UPC: 841881051725
EAN: 0841881001744
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 You get what you pay for. November 27, 2006
21 out of 26 found this review helpful
The only reason this product is getting 3 stars is due to the fact that I picked it up during Black Friday for only $150. If I had paid anywhere near full price for this unit I would give it two stars.
Sure this unit has many neat features that others have described, but the Mio C310x is an extremely subpar GPS unit. Frankly I could care less if my GPS unit plays MP3s.
First of all the Mio almost always chooses the most stupid, roundabout way to get to a given destination. This occured no matter how much I tried to adjust the map route settings. The Mio's mapping software seems to be unaware of which streets are "main streets" and thus will often send you down a bunch of side streets. Most other GPS units have enough common sense not to do this.
Secondly, the Mio often gives incorrect spoken directions. For example it would sometimes tell me to "take a right" when in fact the road just slightly veered to the right. Thus I am forced to always keep my eye on the on screen map to make sure what the mio is telling me to do is correct. Even more disturbing is the fact that sometimes the Mio will say things that are completely wrong like tell me to take a left turn when its clear that I'm not supposed to take one at all. I have not figured out the reason for this.
Thirdly, it seems that the mio often lags a few seconds behind on the oncreen map. Often times I will take a turn and it will take the mio 3 or 4 seconds to rotate and show that I have made the turn on the map. This is very frustrating when I am exiting a highway and have to quickly choose one of the forks in the road. You won't know if you chose the right fork until a few seconds later.
Finally the worst thing about the Mio is the fact that it sometimes will send you the WRONG DIRECTION down a street!!! This happened to me once when the Mio incorrectly mapped out that I could take a left turn in a place that had no place for one. Its hard to describe my situation exactly but if I had actually attempted to do what the Mio had told me to do I would have met oncoming traffic.
 wow. awesome!!! i love it... December 1, 2006
18 out of 20 found this review helpful
ok, so i got my unit on black friday. but even if i had paid twice as much as i did, i would still give it 5 stars.
i have a 2005 infiniti g35 coupe, with a factory-installed GPS system, which was around a $1000 option. i have stopped using it in favor of this little gem of a unit. i have also played around with a tom tom go 700, and a garmin c320, which are also great systems, but cost much more and aren't nearly as portable as the Mio.
PROS:
-- the screen is beautiful with extremely sharp resolution.
-- although the interface is a little complicated at first, once i played with the unit for an hour, it now seems quite intuitive. there are a lot of customizable options. one thing that is difficult to figure out was how to save my address book. you actually have to do it under 'My POI'.
-- it locks on quickly and gets a strong signal even inside my apartment.
-- the small size, and the fact my system came with a AC adapter. also the rechargeable lithium battery lasts a pretty long time between charges. this is one of the few GPS systems that i would not be embarassed to carry around while touring a new city on foot, because it is so thin that it looks like a PDA. It seems like that Mio designed this unit with this in mind because there is a "on foot" setting which takes into account the slower speed, and avoids freeways, etc. This is unlike most of the other units i have seen (Garmins, Magellan, Tom Tom), which are way too bulky to carry around. i have been carrying my Mio around on my waist in a PDA case. i plan to use it when i visit a new city to get around--it will also be extremely helpful to find stores, restaurants, hotels, gas stations (see next comment)
-- the Points of Interest function is awesome. i can search for nearby businesses by 'category' (for example, nearby japanese restaurants, or nearby gas stations, or nearby shopping malls), OR i can search for nearby businesses by 'name', for example, the nearest Best Buys, or Targets, or Disneyland. this is awesome, and is my favorite feature because in my Infiniti, i can only search nearby businesses by 'category'. (in my infiniti, if i want to find the nearest Best Buy, i have to choose 'shopping', and then scroll through tons of stores before i find it.)
-- the rerouting is almost immediate once it senses you have passed the suggested turn.
-- as the last reviewer mentioned, the zooming function also works wonderfully smoothly and quickly.
-- i have been using it in Los Angeles, and i have had no problems at all with the TeleAtlas maps. it has consistently chosen the best routes all over Los Angeles.
CONS:
I have to think long and hard to think of some cons...but there are a few
--when i turn on the unit, it sometimes freezes and becomes unresponsive while it is searching for the satellite signal for 15-20 seconds. at first i thought the system crashed. but just be aware of this.
--although there are 15 or so voice languages, there are two voices for English and they are both male! (one is an american accent, one has a english accent) it would be cool to have a british lady accent.
--the mount is a bit on the larger size, but it does work extremely well, so i guess i shouldn't complain.
--no bluetooth, but i don't think any GPS systems less than $300 have bluetooth.
all in all, an awesome little piece of equipment. i couldn't be happier with this baby.
A Gadget Lover's GPS Paradise February 11, 2007
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
I bought this unit for my wife, since I already had a PDA with bluetooth GPS setup running iGuidance v3, and she needed something that would be a bit simpler. This unit seemed to have the most capability/performance relative to price.
However, after purchasing this for $200 (currently not the price at Amazon) w/ free shipping I discovered that you can freely customize the device in a WinCE 4.2 environment using a easily found hack. You can basically instally any winCE or PocketPC application you would like.
I love the mioMap software. It has all the features that I've wished for in other packages, with full routing options (including optimization), dynamic zoom, speedcams, etc, etc. It has a very "organic" look and feel, which is refreshing compared to some of the other GPS software out there. The POI database seems to be adequate for the area Fairbanks, AK and I imagine it will perform just as well in Anchorage.
That said, the map data (courtesy of TeleAtlas)is a bit flaky, outdated, and sometimes just plain wrong. For instance, driving last night, about 30 miles out of Fairbanks, the roads lost all their curves, and become long, incredibly inaccurate line segments. At least according to the Mio they did. So it appears that I'm out of luck for anything not within near vicinity of a major city out here. This map data is bad, and I'm not sure AK will be included in any updates.
However, since I had already had a copy of iGuidance v3 (with NavTech maps) on hand, I installed it on the Mio via ActiveSync 4.2. There are a few glitches here and there but it is 99% functional, and gives me the awesome capability of having both TeleAtlas and NavTech full North American mapsets on the same device. So if mioMap isn't working out for me, I switch to iGuidance and vice versa. Even my wife can do this!!!
Finally, as the coup de tat, the c310x bracket (part of the mount) is compatible with the "Garmin Portable Friction Mount" (available on Amazon). I bought this "sandbag" dash mount years ago to use with the eTrex Vista, but since those devices aren't very highway friendly, the dash had been relegated to the basement for years. I simply unscrewed the etrex bracket, attached the mio bracket, and we were back in business. Dash mounts are essential when you're in -30 weather, where suctions cups seem to stop working at all.
Anyway, with all these little extras this was the perfect GPS for me.
 Mio C310x Portable GPS May 15, 2007
12 out of 19 found this review helpful
Bought this during the Winter holiday sale of 2006 for $199 at Staples.
The Good news...
- The pre-loaded maps are generally clear and easy to read.
- Display is bright and clear.
- It's relatively simple to operate.
- Turn on automatic night mode and the unit will display in blue at night and bright light for daylight.
Now the BAD news...
1. The maps are OUTDATED!! The GPS operating software is dated 2006 BUT the MAP software is dated 2005!!
2. MioTech tech support STINKS!! They don't answer email directly! Owners MUST register at Mio-tech.com and log on to ask questions which are usually answered in a "generally" manner within 2-3 days.
3. MioTech REFUSES to post any news on When the "new" map software updates will be available. TeleAtlas also REFUSES to answer anything except to contact MioTech!
4. Only a Male voice is available in English!
5. No text to speech for streets but that's fine since the voice and display will tell the driver when next to turn or distance left to travel.
6. Battery life STINKS! Battery charge is about 2 hours so keep the unit be plugged in at all times! Unit MUST be sent back to MioTech to have battery replaced, which is subject to a replacement fee!!
7. Suction cup adaptor works except during cold weather (i.e. winter when the windshield glass is frozen oven). Lick a finger and apply it to suction cup to make it work!
8. Hard to use the "search" feature to find addresses/POI's.
- Since the GPS system used is from TeleAtlas, the search begins with street number first then street name then town then state. This is the EUROPEAN method as TeleAtlas is a EUROPEAN Company!
- Since the unit is sold and used in the US, the GPS software SHOULD use the AMERICAN method: ZIP code FIRST, then street number and street name! MUCH easier for North Americans!!
9. TeleAtlas EUROPREAN mapping software is used. Prefer Navteq which is an AMERICAN-based map software! Still own Garmin StreetPilot III with mapping software that's Updated at least ANNUALLY!!
- TeleAtlas has a BAD reputation for NOT updating maps OUTSIDE of Europe (It's a EUROPEAN company so NO incentive/desire is present)! Online info from various online forums and news sources state that EUROPEAN maps are Already Updated by TeleAtlas!! How biased is that?!
- Unfortunately for N. Americans, US based GPS companies DO use TeleAtlas maps so those GPS owners MUST WAIT for the GPS companies to get Updated map info from TeleAtlas and make it available for the GPS owners!
-- TeleAtlas maps are nicely detailed BUT ONLY IF it's UPDATED!!!
10. Time format is based on 24-hour setting only; 12-hour setting is NOT available (even though this is format used in North America)!!
After using this unit over the past few months, found MANY gaps in the map software of destinations that do NOT appear on the maps but actually DO exist! Obviously, this is due to the Outdated maps!
My first reaction when I bought the unit was "WOW!" but now .... I was probably Ripped-Off with a device that's ALMOST useless!!
- Many streets and places have changed in the New England area especially in the Big Dig state!!
Next time, I'll buy a "brand name" GPS unit from either such brands like TomTom or Garmin! At least those units UPDATE their map software, generally on an Annual basis!
For now, I'll have to bear using this unit until the map software is released. Heck, I still use the StreetPilot III as a backup since it was last updated in the Fall, 2006 so the maps are actually more current and accurate!!
C310X impressions December 15, 2006
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
The lock time is less than a minute and often much faster. It has never lost lock driving through cities with many tall buildings. It has a surprisingly complete POI ( points of interest ) list including my doctors office address and small restaurants.
The navigation is not perfect. In one instance, it said to make a left turn onto a street where no turns signs were posted. It does not know about streets where turns are allowed but only on certain days and times. I just ignore it and follow the posted street signs allowing it to reroute which happens pretty fast.
The display is bright and clear. The display adjusts for daytime and nightime based on the time of the clock. The color scheme of the maps is different when it switches modes. The speaker volume is good. The only time I had trouble hearing was on the freeway with the windows down.
Sometimes the voice instructions can be misunderstood. For example, it might say stay in the right lanes. At a junction between highways, it said that but without looking at the display, it was not clear whether it meant to stay in the right lanes of the current highway or the right lanes that merged onto the other highway. In this instance it meant to merge but never said so.
It has three modes. Pedestrian, bicycle, and car. In the first two modes, it will reroute to avoid highways or bridges which do not allow pedestrians or bikes. It is just over 3/4" thick so it is practical to put in my pants or jacket pocket on bike rides.
If traffic is heavy on certain streets, it is pretty easy to punch up the "Itinerary" which shows all the streets it has selected. Pick the busy street and then select "avoid" "street" and it reroutes around it.
One unexpected convenience with a GPS is that when traveling at night with few street lights and street names hard to read, the GPS provides the name of the street you are on, cross streets, and some adjacent streets.
A feature which it seems not to have is to be able to route from one specified address to another for trip planning. I have only been able to route from my current position to another location.
I bought this in a Fry's Electronics store for $198. Most other products were twice that price. It came with an AC adapter, cigarette lighter adapter, USB cable, window mount, and a stick on disk which serves as a dash mount. The manual is on a cd along with some software for downloading mp3's to your computer and a backup of the maps already installed in the unit which are dated Aug/2006.
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