Mio C310

Excellent – the best gps i found at the time and it had all the features you can handle. the fast connection to satelites are pretty amazing there and i loved the fast processing software the the mio contains. it is so accuerate and it tell me where to turn with good notice. the mpas auto zoom to the road where you are supposed to turn whih helps a lot nad there are alot of features to heelp unloick your mio to help you find where to go! quality all round and never had a problem for 2 years. still have this one till today and still goes strong downfall is map gets outdated and costs over $100 to upgrade

Excellent – this unit i bought from a ebay shop for about $150 dollars cheaper than at a local store. i bought it after carefully locking at some reviews and prices and i deffinatly think i am on a winner with this. it is easy to use, even my wife has got the hang of it. it has a good internet back up and updates for your map software. living in a small city in the middle of S.A i had my doubts weather it would have all the streets of my town, but it has and all surrounding towns. the battery seems to last a lot longer than some of the other units i have seen too. my mate bought a tom tom one and this unit very much equals that and even out performs it in some areas. i am very much looking forword to a long trip to somewhere very unknown. 1- easy to use

2- clear and simple directions

3- the price was very good

4- the weight is very light for walking or riding

5- the sadle which sticks to your window seems nice and strong

6- the size of the pointers on the touchscreen are nice and big

7- all the automatic features it has

8-can't go wrong for a cheap reliable gps some more bush tracks would of been handy, but i suppose you would be able to purchace these somewhere.

Good – I first went looking for a portable satnav after I had a drive in a car using a Tom Tom when on holiday in the UK. We drove from London to St Omer in France, and I was amazed how simple and accurate the navigation was. Back in Australia Tom Toms were still very expensive, so after looking around I saw the Mio C320 at a good price in a local Harvey Norman store (AUD$399 after cash-back -- remember, this was in Jan 2007). I also looked at Navman and Garmin models, but thought the Mio better value for money. And I still do. It's proven to be reliable, responsive and, for the most part, highly accurate. Any satnav is only as good as its mapping, and of course there's always new turns being banned or roads opened. However, it's taken me (for example) from Adelaide to an address in Bendigo I'd never visited before, and led me straight to the very door. The Sensis mapping can be updated approximately annually by purchasing an SD card from the manufacturer's website, but cheaper prices can be found elsewhere online if you search. I purchased a card covering the whole of Western Europe in that way. You just push the card in and the unit recognises the maps automatically. (Note: you cannot use maps purchased overseas, as the Australian units will not recognise the licence information.) Really, there's no need to update annually -- maybe every 3 years (by which time it may be cheaper to buy a new unit!).

Using the Mio is a breeze. The directions on the 3.5" screen are clear, as are the voice instructions. The C320 will tell you in plenty of time (and several times) when and in which direction to turn, or which exit to take at a roundabout. There's numerous voices and languages to choose from; we prefer "Phillipa's" clear, calm English voice. This model does not have text-to-speech, i.e. it will tell you to "turn right", say, but not "turn right into High St" which the later models do. I haven't found this a great drawback, as the destination street as well as the street you're on are clearly displayed on the screen (as well as distance to go, time to go, current time, etc.). During night time the screen colours automatically change to provide softer lighting, and there are various colour schemes to choose from.

To sum up: a great little unit, well-designed and engineered, and well-priced. Map updates are on the expensive side compared with some other manufacturers. Don't leave home without it!

PS This model has now been superseded by the C520, which has a larger 4.3" screen and text-to-speech. It's a great unit, but if you can pick up a C320 at a good price, it's still well worth considering (especially if the mapping has been updated). :) Easy to use; clear, bright screen; uses I-GO navigation software; accurate 99.9% of the time; locks on to satellites speedily and well; fast Samsung processor(400 MHz) for quick calculation of routes and screen refreshes; handy size for carrying around; well-designed accessories including windscreen mount; has most-used controls (on/off, volume +/-, main menu) as buttons on side of case rather than buried within on-screen menus; SD card slot for additional maps (or mp3s, if you so desire); white casing reflects the sun's heat better than more trendy dark colours (i.e. keeps the electronics cooler on a hot Australian summer's day). Battery life (about 2.5 hours) could be better for off-road navigation; built-in Sensis v.13 mapping (Australia) has occasional 'quirks'; lack of printed manual (but can download a PDF copy from the 'net); map upgrades somewhat expensive.