NaviGadget

Mio A502

Oct 16, 2007 gps navigation, mio, phones 8 Comments

Taiwanese manufacturer Mio announced a new PDA phone recently called Mio A502. Mio A502 should be replacing the older Mio A501 which we’ve featured on Navigadget numerous times, but it will keep the same form factor.

In terms innovations, you’ll be happy to hear that A502 will have finally feature Windows Mobile 6 as well as Wi-Fi and come with 1 GB of ROM instead of 256 MB, and also utilize USB 2.0 (instead of 1.1).

Its principal characteristics :

• Integrated SiRF Star III GPS receiver with QuickFix (A-GPS) technology
• TI OMAP 850 processor at 200 MHz
• 1 GB of ROM and 6B MB of RAM
• 2.7″ touch screen with 320×240 pixels (QVGA) resolution and 262K colors
• Quad-band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, GPRS and EDGE
• Integrated 2MP camera
• Bluetooth 2.0 (with A2DP)
• SD/MMC extension port
• Mini USB 2.0
• Removable 1050 mAh lithium-Ion battery which lasts 4 hours using GPS
• Windows Mobile 6 Professional
• Dimensions : 9.6×6.0×2.1 cm
• Weight : 135g

It should come with MioMap navigation software, windshield mounting kit, and a car charger. No information to date on its price and its availability… via

Mio A501 reviews

Sep 8, 2007 gps navigation, mio, reviews Leave a comment

Today we’ll look at two reviews for Mio A501, one of them from the UK, and the other from Asia. Both reviews gave a similar grade to Mio A501, 3 out 5 stars and 6.7 out of 10 – which average to 6.35 out of 10.

Bottom line for both reviews are somewhat similar except when it comes to GPS: UK review complains about awkard GPS operation while the Asia review is happy with tons of GPS features and GPS tracking. However both agree on the ‘interesting’ placement of the joystick button which is on the upper left side and the lack of high-speed wireless such as Wi-Fi and 3G.

Our final gripe is with the lack of wireless support. Bluetooth 2.0 and Edge are available, but despite being quad-band, there’s no 3G or Wifi. Other features include a two-megapixel auto-focus camera on the back, a surprisingly loud external speaker and a 2.5mm headphone jack for audio out

For all its GPS features, the Achilles heel of this PDA-phone is surely its lack of wireless connectivity options. It is a quadband phone without 3G, so the fastest cellular data transfer speeds it can achieve is through EDGE. The A501 also doesn’t come with Wi-Fi, a standard feature in many Windows Mobile handhelds.

On the plus side however you’ll like the fact that Mio A501 uses full size SD cards and has a 2MP digital camera with flash and auto focus, a powerful 1050mAh lithium-polymer battery that lasts upto 3 days with light GPS usage, and quadband phone which will work anywhere in the world.

new Mio A702 unveiled

Jun 6, 2007 gps navigation, mio, phones 18 Comments

Mio just unveiled a new handheld device called Mio A702 that integrates a GPS receiver as well as a 3.2 MP digital camera. It has a front face that feels like brushed aluminum, and from the back is resembles Mio A501.

A702 has a numeric keypad, unlike A501, and supports microSD cards for memory expansion. The 3.2 MP camera deserves a flash too of course and Mio didn’t leave that out and even threw in one of those mirror if you’re into taking pictures of yourself. The navigation feature has its own interface button on the left allowing you to turn on or off the GPS receiver chip. Speaking of the GPS receiver chip, the new Mio A702 uses the SiRFDirect feature we talked about recently which they call NavSteadi. It allows for a better navigation experience buy utilizing heading and acceleration sensors to help with GPS reception in areas where signals are poor.

via

garmin and tomtom making phones?

Apr 10, 2007 garmin, gps navigation, phones, tomtom 10 Comments

Here is some speculation: According to some sources Garmin and Tomtom are looking into getting GPS enabled phone market. Well, they better: Soon all mobile phones are going to have embedded GPS chips in them so nobody will want to spend $400+ on a standalone GPS navigation system. It is already happening! (nokia n95, mio A501)

Branded GPS-device vendors Garmin and TomTom are reportedly expected to venture into the GPS-enabled handset market, with market rumors stating that Garmin has already held talks for cooperation with Taiwan-based ODM handset maker Compal Communications, according to market sources.

Both Garmin and Compal Communications declined to comment on market speculations. However, market sources noted that Compal Communications has already built two PND (portable navigation device) models for Via Michelin, a car-service subsidiary of Michelin, indicating that the ODM handset maker is capable of manufacturing GPS handsets.

Mio A501

Feb 17, 2007 gps navigation, mio 10 Comments

A few days ago we mentioned Mio’s new A501, a GPS enabled PocketPC phone. Today we some better pictures and few more details.

Compared to A701, the only downside of A501 is that it lacks Wi-Fi. Everything else seems to be a plus for the new younger brother. The A501 will come with 1GB of storage space and 64MB of RAM and have support for quad band GSM networks. Also from the picture we can see that A501 is using the new mapping software V3 from Mio.

We still have no info on pricing or availability… via

Mitac Mio A501

Feb 14, 2007 gps navigation, mio, phones 14 Comments

Mio is releasing another GPS-enabled Pocket PC Phone called the Mio A501. The device is expected to be released in March of this year. It is a bit shorter compared to their Mio A701 model, but it seems to pack same set of features, even a same size (240×320) screen. It’ll only weigh 135 grams with battery and run Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC Phone Edition AKU 3.5 on a TI processor.

The Mio A501 is a quad-band GSM phone with bluetooth support, with both USB port and SD/MMC slots. The system of course comes with an embedded GPS chip, namely the SiRF Star III. The battery’s capacity is 1050mAh. Don’t forget the 2MP digital camera.