CNET Editor's rating: 6.7 out of 10
Reviewed by
Bonnie Cha
Review date: 09/27/07
Release date: 09/27/07
The good: The Mio DigiWalker C230 portable navigation system offers text-to-speech functionality and an affordable price tag. Its screen is much improved over its predecessor's.
The bad: The onscreen keyboard is a bit cramped, and we wish there was an easier way to adjust the volume.
The bottom line: With an improved display and the addition of text-to-speech functionality, the Mio DigiWalker C230 is a solid and affordable entry-level portable navigation system for GPS newbies.
Back in May, we reviewed the Mio C220portable navigation system, which we loved for its ease of use and affordable price, but ultimately we had to diss it because of an awful screen. Well, we're happy to say that its successor, the Mio DigiWalker C230, offers the same intuitiveness and budget-friendly price plus an improved display and text-to-speech functionality. It's rare to find the latter in an entry-level GPS device such as the C230, so that's a nice surprise and gives it an edge over its competitors, including the Garmin Nuvi 200 and the TomTom One. Our complaints are minor, having to do mostly with the design; for example, the extreme compactness of the device makes it a bit difficult to interact with the touch screen. However, if you're looking for a very basic navigation system or are new to GPS, the Mio C230 is a good choice, especially with its $250 price tag.
Design
The Mio DigiWalker C230 is one heck of a small portable navigation system. At 4.2 inches wide by 3.2 inches high by 0.9 inch deep and 6.2 ounces, the C230 is more compact than most PDAs, and while the size is great for transporting between cars or for use on a bike or on foot, the C230 seems almost too petite for in-car use.
However, Mio still manages to fit in a standard 3.5-inch touch screen that displays 65,000 colors at a 320x240-pixel resolution. Maps were bright and sharp, and thankfully, unlike the Mio C220 we didn't have any problems seeing the screen content even in bright sunlight so that was a relief. The main menu icons are large and easy to press, but the onscreen keyboard is a bit cramped to easily punch out addresses and when in map view, it can be difficult to accurately tap the different navigation options. Users with larger fingers will have problems, so the inclusion of a stylus would have been nice.
The rest of the Mio C230 is as simple as its feature set. There's a lone power button on top, while an SD expansion card slot and a mini USB port are on the bottom. On the left spine, you'll find an external antenna jack, and on the back, the system's speaker and the master on/off switch. Though we like the minimalist design, we do wish there was an easier way to adjust the volume on the C230. You can mute the audio with a simple tap of the onscreen speaker icon, but you have to dig through several menus to change the volume.
The Mio C230 comes packaged with a car charger, a vehicle mount (windshield and dash), a software DVD, and reference material.
Features
The Mio DigiWalker C230 is a basic, navigation-only device. It's equipped with a 20-channel SiRFstarIII, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and comes with TeleAtlas maps of the United States and Puerto Rico preloaded on the device. To start a trip, you can enter a specific address, select a destination from your My Favorites or recent destinations list, or tap a point on the map and hit the Route To option. The C230 can calculate directions by the shortest, fastest, or most economical route. Otherwise, if you don't have a specific destination or trip, you can use the Follow option to have the unit track you as you drive around.
There is also a database of more than 3.5 million points of interest (POI) for making pit stops along the way, and the C230 can do multistop trips so you can add these POI to your route. Categories include all the basics--gas stations, ATMs, lodging, and restaurants--as well as more specialized interests, such as concert halls and amusement parks.
Navigation guidance comes by way of text- and voice-guided turn-by-turn directions. And much to our delight, the C230 supports text-to-speech functionality. This means the system will speak actual street names, allowing you to pay more attention to the road rather than the map screen, because you get more precise audible prompts. Typically, this is a feature that's found in pricier and more advanced, systems, so it's great to find it in an entry-level device such as the C230. We hope this becomes an increasing trend.
You can view a detailed list of instructions before you head out under Itinerary or get a running demo of the route with the Fly Over function. If you want to steer clear of a certain portion of the route because you happen to know there's road construction or it's known for heavy traffic, just hit the Avoid button and choose from a list of options. The system also supports automatic route recalculations if you get off course.
Maps are presented in 2D or 3D mode, and a Night Mode changes the color scheme of the maps for better nighttime viewing. There is a Cockpit tool that shows you the direction of your next turn, distance to your destination, estimated time of arrival, and more. Finally, there are a number of safety options, including speeding alerts, a screen lock that prevents you from using the touch screen when the car is in motion, and safety camera information.
Performance
We tested the Mio DigiWalker C230 in San Francisco, and from a cold start, it took the unit about two minutes to acquire a satellite fix. Subsequent starts varied from just a few seconds to a few minutes, so the inconsistency was a bit frustrating. Once locked on, the C230 held a steady lock except when we drove through a tunnel (a normal occurrence with GPS), but it was able to immediately find our position again. We entered our standard trip from the Marina District to CNET's downtown headquarters, and the system swiftly calculated a route. A quick glance at the list of text-based directions showed that the directions were accurate, and we set off on our trip. Text-to-speech audio prompts sounded slightly robotic, but we were still able to understand them all. We also missed several turns to test the route recalculation rate, which was satisfactory as it was able to get us back on track in a timely manner.
Intro:
The MiTAC Mio Digiwalker C230 is a 20 channel, automotive global positioning device.Compared to other automotive GPS receivers on the market, it is very inexpensive at around $160.
Noteworthy Features:
Provides verbal navigation instructions.Utilizes WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) technology to achieve an error margin of 3 meters or less.USB computer interface makes it possible to add new programs and maps as well as store previous trips and data.Uses a standard SD memory card to store routes and maps.Its removable memory allows for almost unlimited storage of routes and other data.
Weaker Features:
None noted, given available product data.
Suitability:
For road trips, family outings and business travel.Designed for use in land-based vehicles.Has an internal antenna which is desirable for activities where an external antenna would get in the way.This unit is lightweight, weighing in at 5.1 oz.
Value:
Given its very inexpensive price, this GPS receiver has great features for the money.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Can't be beat for the price.
It's interesting that CNET Reviewers rave about this screen and criticize the C220 screen since they are IDENTICAL! (I ...
It's interesting that CNET Reviewers rave about this screen and criticize the C220 screen since they are IDENTICAL! (I have a C220 as well). This GPS continues the tradition of packing in useful features and leaving out useless features in order to offer a great price. If you want MP3's and videos you need to buy a media player. This is a GPS and as such it has everything you could want in an entry level GPS and many options only found in more expensive GPS units.
In a GPS the most important features are the GPS Receiver/Chip, the Maps and the interface...in that order.
C230 has a Sirf III chip. This is industry standard and has been shown in independant tests to be superior to most other chips.
Teleatlas maps have made incredible improvements over the last few years making them as good if not better than Navteq. Of course as with any map, some things will be missing. But I have found just as many complaints about Navteq missing things as I have with Teleatlas.
Interface is easy to use, very intuitive. Considering the number of features and settings available, the menus are incredibly simple.
I would recommend.
Updated Just wanted to add...yes, everything is a bit 'cramped' on the screen, but it is a 3.5 inch screen...they can't expect to fit a fill size keyboard on it. Every device I've seen with this size screen has a smallish keyboard, it comes with the size. If you want to have a huge GPS you can't take with you just to have a large keyboard, be my guest. For me, I'll take the small size and deal with the keyboard. Which, I might add, is better the what the Nuvi has.
17 out of 18 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular One Heck of a GPS
I have a bluetooth GPS that I use with my Pocket PC but I really needed something that was a ...
I have a bluetooth GPS that I use with my Pocket PC but I really needed something that was a standalone unit. The MIO C230 caught my eye with its great price. The reviews I found were very positive so I bought it. The route calculations are very fast. Initial satellite acquisition takes a minute or two and stays locked on pretty well.
You can change from 2D to 3D views by pressing the up/down arrows on the display. And also zoom in and out with the magnifying glass symbols.
I had a chance to try it out in flight recently and was very surprised. I checked the GPS screen and it showed my elevation at 7 miles, 149 yards and a speed of 476 mph. Additionally it showed the streets below whizzing by. After I landed, I noticed it has a button for views from an airplane, very similar to the inflight info available on many long haul airliners.
This is a terrific little GPS and with all the features and great price (under USD$200) it is definitely worth a look.
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by MrMylesG (see profile) -
October 17, 2007
14 out of 14 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 out of 10 - Excellent Superb introduction to GPS !
I got this for $199 @ J&R, New York and I've been extremely satisfied with the amazing value....
I got this for $199 @ J&R, New York and I've been extremely satisfied with the amazing value.
I've looked at several GPS units at widely varying prices. I knew that I would be giving up some features at the lower price point, but as a new GPS user, I wanted something appropriate to my expected usage (I was never impressed with media-playing functions).
I ended up using it to guide me around Orlando and Miami - I was new to both the unit and the city. Fantastic experience. Attractive interface, clear maps, very impresive positioning (SiRF III, WAAS), text-to-speech. The latter was so useful that I don't know if I can recommend that anyone buy a unit without it.
I was disappointed that I couldn't investigate all of its capabilities without a computer (no paper manual), but it was interesting that I was able to do all that I wanted to without it so far.
In the silence of night, the default volume can be a bit too loud. Adjusting the volume was buried a few levels deep into the menus. Not something you want to try while driving.
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by davebenj (see profile) -
October 25, 2007
10 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
3 out of 10 - Poor A disappointment
I have been looking for a good medium priced GPS for months now. I bought a Garmin Nuvi c350 and ...
I have been looking for a good medium priced GPS for months now. I bought a Garmin Nuvi c350 and a Tom Tom One and sent both back because I could not live with their odd, quirky navigational systems. The Garmin kept wanting to route me via back streets when there was no need to do it, and there was no way I could find to get it to stop. The Tom Tom would allow me to avoid a particular route, but then would not allow me to save the route that I had so painstakingly put together, so that I could use it again in the future. Reviews I read of the Mio C230 were enthusiastic. So I was hopeful that this unit would be the answer.
Unfortunately it was not. I have been using GPS's for 15 years or so. I found the interface between laptop and GPS was so bad years back that I just stopped using a GPS. Now things are much better, but there are lots and lots of problems remaining.
The main problems are whether or not the maps are up to date, and whether or not they are accurate. The next problem is how well does the GPS software use the map information, coupled with user input, to provide a satisfactory route.
With this unit, when I started out setting it up, it did not clearly tell me where I was. I want a GPS to start out by saying where I am. You are at 1200 East Kingshighway, Atlanta, Ga. Is this correct? Etc. And then I want it to ask me for the destination I want. And once I have entered it, to tell me : "You have entered 1450 Distrolio Court as your destination. Is this correct? " And after I have clicked OK, I want it to calculate the route and then show me that route. both in text and visually. And then, when I see that they have routed me over an old bridge that was torn down 2 years ago, I want to be able to edit that route in order to avoid the bridge.
This is almost impossible with this machine because the text description of the route is totally inadequate -- you can't tell which part of the route you are editing, and the things you can edit -- "maneuver" and I think "route" are meaningless to me, and are not described in the quick start booklet or the longer .PDF user's manual file. And when I clicked on these categories to change the route, nothing happened. I could not tell what this machine had done in response to my request.
I can understand that each GPS has its quirks, that each will create a route using criteria derived from user input and from its factory software settings, but being able to alter the route is, to me at least, the single most important quality of a GPS. Of course it will make mistakes. Of course some its maps will be out of date, or simply wrong. But it absolutely has to allow the user to change the route and make it easy to do so.
This unit fails miserably in these regards.
These GPS companies IMHO need teams of frequent travelers to serve as their beta testers. Any grade school beta tester would have told this company what to do in about 5 minutes.
To end on a positive note: The windshield mounting system is the best I have ever seen for a GPS. It is simple to install and remove, very rugged, and very well designed so that the GPS unclips easily when you want to store it in the glove compartment.
One further problem is that, apparently because of recent map updates, the amount of space available for POI's went drastically down. I am not up to date on this, but although this unit accepts an SD card, and some other kind of card as well, it was not clear to me how to use it.
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by bobsco60 (see profile) -
November 14, 2007
7 out of 10 - Very good Good, basic GPS with some shortcomings
I had been living with a Garmin Streetpilot III for 4 years and suffering with a bad UI (no touchscreen) ...
I had been living with a Garmin Streetpilot III for 4 years and suffering with a bad UI (no touchscreen) and extremely slow recalculation.
The Mio C230 GPS is a joy to use compared to this older model. It has a very compact form factor, nice looking screen, different views that cover every practical view you'd need. With text-to-speech (speaking street names) and a $175 price point, this is a great deal. But it's not perfect.
The biggest practical shortcoming is the limited (<1M) POI database. From what I can tell, it has many smaller, single stores/restaurants, but not many of the big chain franchise stores/shops (Starbucks, Target, Walmart, etc). I knew that going in, and you can compensate by adding POI's as you visit them. In doing this over time, you can effectively have your frequently visited shops in your own datasbase, but if you're in an unfamilar area and looking for the closet Target, you're out of luck.
Other negatives: It can tend to take you through obscure routes locally, through neighborhoods with stop signs versus expressways, etc. So far, I've used this in my familar local area, so I notice this. The bottom-line, you will eventually get there, but you may take the scenic route. As mentioned by another reviewer, the route simulation is SO SLOW, it's useless. Seems like 2x real-time! One more thing: The distance is a bit off. 100 yards seems like 150 feet to me, so you have to be prepared to turn more quickly than the stated guidance. I've found I can easily compensate. Minor quibble: I did need to read parts of the 92 page manual to understand the options - maybe spent an hour. Would've liked for the UI to be intuitive enough to not need the manual for basic operation, but this wasn't the case for me.
Bottom-line: I like it a lot and am willing to accept the compromises associated with a budget GPS in exchange for the low price. I am optimistic that they'll have POI add-on options via the available SD slot.
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by eoyore67 (see profile) -
November 15, 2007
8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Geat feature set
This unit is a great buy. I really wonder how many folks use bluetooth, MP3 player, etc; I wouldn't. ...
This unit is a great buy. I really wonder how many folks use bluetooth, MP3 player, etc; I wouldn't. The biggest selling point for me was low price, readable screen, and TTS. The routing is good so you don't have to spend a lot of time looking at the screen. I very much like the qwerty keyboard, and the search results are nicely filtered as more letters are entered; enter th, and a whole lot of non sensical letters are greyed out. This makes entering addresses very easy. It's also very easy to avoid roads through preset conditions, or on the fly. The smart zoom is nice, and minimal interaction is necessary when navigating. The POI database is somewhat limited, but they tried to keep things to the groups that you'd really need in a pinch. For example, Starbucks is not there, but how many times do you really need a gps to find a Starbucks? There's an SD slot, and GPSPassion has lots of free POI databases available for download. For 199 bucks, I cannot imagine a better buy. I played with the garmin 660, and the range of customization available on the 230 is incredible. I've read reports where others thought the user manual was too big, but it takes 92 pages to adequately describe how this thing works. The directions (not available online in the US; try a foreign site to see what you'd be getting) are very well written and seemed to anticipate my every question. After about 1 day, it's all very very intuitive. The mount is solid too; no slippage after two weeks. Finally, the unit is hackable to unearth a whole lot of additional functionality ala other MIO units.
Now, when I refuse to ask for directions; I'll finally have a good reason for not doing so.
Updated I bought a 2 gig SD card and added POIs using the loader available from the site; no problems, even though the 230 is not listed as a supported device (yet). I believe the device also supports a higher density card.
Not sure if this is unique to the MIO device... but after adding the POIs to the SD card, any search done where access to the SD card occurs becomes pretty slow. If you pick a category that's on the internal flash and search, things stay very quick. But, if you are not really sure what category something is in and search from the top level, the search will obviously need to go to the SD card, and it becomes slow. Before I bought the card, I'd often use search at the highest level. Now, I need to be more "category aware" to avoid unnecessary accesses to the SD card.
I have not looked at the file structure of the internal flash to see how/if csv based POI files could be added there. One mechanism might be use the POI loader normally, but then move the file from the SD card to the internal flash, perhaps in a category/subcategory or the Custom POI area. I'd think that pretty soon I'd run out of physical space on the internal flash, so the size of the flash is driving things. Again, all GPS may exhibit this behavior (not sure) or perhaps a higher speed SD card could help; I bought a standard Sandisk.
3 out of 10 - Poor Nice Features but maps not as current as C720T
I was in Best Buy about to buy this GPS unit but, since I live in a new subdivision, I ...
I was in Best Buy about to buy this GPS unit but, since I live in a new subdivision, I searched for my own address to see how current the map info is. My address is not in this unit's map database. I put it down and picked up the more expensive Mio C720T expecting the same result. After all, they are made by the same company. To my surpise, my subdivision IS in the C720T. When I asked about this I was told that you have to buy the more expensive model to get the most current map data. I thought this couldn't possibly be right so I came home and called Mio support, and sure enough, you DO have to buy the more expensive model to get the most recent map data. I knew there would be differences in the POIs and that the unit would lack other features such as Bluetooth, etc., but I never dreamed they would skimp on the actual map data. I was under the impression that all units made by the same manufacturer would have the same map data across the board. Unfortunately that's not the case with Mio.
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by sandslane (see profile) -
December 24, 2007
5 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Great basic GPS @ Unbeatable Price
I have the Mio C230 for two months now. I have to say it was not very easy to use ...
I have the Mio C230 for two months 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. The Manual is 92 pages, and I think it can use some improvements. 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 the ability to add multiple stops to your final destination (Via Points), and the Mio's ability to optimize the route for you, a feature not available in the Garmin products. My girlfriend 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. During navigation, the unit will tell you the next manuver well in advance, and it will repeat it three times as you get closer, so you will have time to get ready for it. If you still miss the turn, the unit will recalculate in seconds and you are back on track. 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 something about that limitation. However, you can add you own POI's to the data base if you know the address. Also, the unit will not shut-off with the ignition, no big deal. In short, if you don't need the MP3/Photo player, or the blue tooth; then the Mio C230 is the one for you. It is a great basic GPS, loaded with features that may not be available on other big name brands. Impressive signal reception, bright screen, clear TTS voice, nice design, pocket size, at an unbeatable price.
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by sezzeldin (see profile) -
November 21, 2007
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Great GPS for a great price!
This GPS is really fantastic for the price. If it had more memory for the POI (like its previous model), ...
This GPS is really fantastic for the price. If it had more memory for the POI (like its previous model), it would be a 10 of 10.
The text to speech is great. A friend has a Tomtom One XL and was surprised this had text to speech capability at about 1/2 the price he paid.
It has a selection for fastest, shortest or most economical route. You can also select walking routes (great for NYC) and to avoid certain areas. The display is easy to customize and the voice prompts are quite tolerable.
I've read that the keyboard is cramped but I don't have problems and have paws. You don't type that much as it narrows the choices quickly so you only make a few keystrokes.
It takes a little getting used to but after you go through the menus a few times, it's pretty intuitive.
I got it from Costco.com for $180 + $10 shipping. It's a great basic GPS and perfect for my use. For $200 with tax, I don't need to get lost any longer.
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by DirtsDad (see profile) -
October 20, 2007
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
4 out of 10 - Mediocre Slow and inaccurate
Very inaccurate distances. Would say I was as much as 300 yards away from an intersection when I was actually ...
Very inaccurate distances. Would say I was as much as 300 yards away from an intersection when I was actually at the intersection. It wouldn't notice that I had failed to turn until a block or 2 later. If I changed the route (as I often did since it would suggest some really bizarre routes) it would recalculate and try to send me through convoluted paths to return to its original route. Basically, I found it useless.
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by phillydan (see profile) -
November 15, 2007
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