Mitac Mio C250 Sat Nav Gps Receiver

Design

The first thing we liked about the Mio C250 was how little it weighed, at just 110g, compared to the TomTom One’s 310g, we were initially impressed. The large 3.5-inch screen is a great feature too, superb for false nails or bigger digits. The device itself isn’t littered with buttons and gadgets, with a simple power button, USB connection, SD/MMC card slot, headphone jack, and external antenna port, and an inbuilt speaker to the rear, there really is no surplus of unwanted tools. The dimensions include 108 (d) x 81 (w) x 24 (h) mm. In comparison to the TomTom One, the screen size is identical, as is the 320 x 240 resolution.

Simple but effective is the description we would give the Mio C250’s features list. It has everything we would have expected and maybe a little bit more for the price. The extra offering we didn’t expect to see was the speed camera warning system with a year of free updates. We also liked the support for a traffic messaging channel system via an optional receiver, allowing you to get live traffic updates. The Mio C250 allows you to search for addresses using the MioMap v3 software with 7-digit postcode search, and sports a huge points of interest database. As for maps, the Mio C250 has full UK maps preinstalled on the internal flash memory, as well as major roads of Europe. The SiRFstar III GPS receiver (same as in the TomTom One) claims to pick up satellite signals faster and also claims to hold them better too. Speeding things up is the 400Mhz processor which is said to assist in calculating the routes more quickly. You can set the mode on the Mio C250 to suit what you want to do, whether you are on foot, in a car or lorry, or on a bike. Thanks to the SD memory slot, the Mio C250 is a ready-made MP3 player also, giving you the chance to play your favourite music in the car without the need for a in-car media player. The built-in lithium battery is rechargeable but not removable.

Every review we do we always do a first run without reading the quick start guide, or instruction manual as we believe it gives us a better opinion on how easy the device is to use. On this occasion we were utterly flummoxed, puzzled, and any other word that describes extended period of frowns and head-scratching. So, to say the device lacks the plug-and-play status, is a huge understatement. Turning the device on was a mission in itself, the problem being that you have to hold the power button down for 10 long seconds, but until you release the button there is no indication that it is on, leaving you unsure as to whether you have held the button down long enough. Once on, it may as well have been off as we couldn’t work out how to go from one address to another without seeking help of the instruction manual. In comparison to the TomTom One, a plug-and-play device that is so cool it doesn’t need instructions, we got very annoyed with the Mio C250. The screen is fairly colourful but rather grainy in our opinion. Once the Mio C250 was on it took 28 seconds to get a signal, which was very similar to the service offered by the TomTom. We experienced no loss of signal throughout the whole time of using the Mio C250 which was impressive. We managed to get 4.25 hours out of the battery before it just turned off without any warning. So beware those people planning to go from John O Groats to Lands End, you’ll have to put your foot down! On the subject of speeding, the speed camera warnings came in very handy. It is also possible to add speed cameras as you see new ones that aren’t updated on the memory. The unfriendly and strangely designed software interface was difficult to use, and would put sat nav virgins off for life.

The Mio C250 has many conflicting areas, for example, it is quick, but it isn’t easy to use. The screen provides a colourful picture, but the pixelated effect ruins this. It has European maps, but not the whole of Europe, just major roads. Apart from these issues, the design was impressively svelte, making it perfect for women to put in their handbag when leaving the car, but the confusing interface just wouldn’t wash well with busy females. The Mio C250 is incomparable with the TomTom One, even though it costs £20 less, pay a little bit more and get a whole lot more for your money.