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CNET editors' rating:
3.5
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 39 reviews
- See all user reviews
Product summary
The
good: The Mio C520 GPS device offers a thin and sleek design with a spacious touch screen. The system also has text-to-speech functionality, integrated Bluetooth, and multimedia capabilities.
The
bad: The C520 was slightly off the mark when tracking our location, and route recalculations weren't always efficient. In addition, the Bluetooth and multimedia features are slightly limited in functionality.
The
bottom
line: The sleek Mio C520 is a good-value GPS device, packing in advanced navigation features, a large screen, and other extras for an affordable price. However, you can get a better user experience and smoother performance from competing systems.
Specifications: GPS receiver: 20 channel ; Destination: Automotive ; Weight: 6.7 oz ; See full specs
Price range: $259.99
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 06/19/2007
Design
The Mio C520 is one of the best-looking portable navigation systems we've ever seen. The charcoal-gray-and-silver color scheme is attractive, but even more alluring is the thinness of the device. At just 4.9 inches wide by 3.2 inches tall by 0.8 inch deep and weighing 6.7 ounces, it's extremely sleek, so much so that of all the multimedia-capable GPS models we've tested, the Mio C520 is one we'd almost consider using as a portable media player--almost (more on this later).
There's also beauty in the simplicity of the design. Aside from a power button on the top of the unit, there are no other external controls cluttering the device. Instead, all functions and text are entered through the C520's spacious, 4.3-inch touch screen. It displays 65,000 colors at a 480x272-pixel resolution, making the maps and images look vibrant and text sharp. Also, much to our relief, we could still read the C520's screen under sunlight, unlike the Mio C220 whose screen washed out to the point of being unreadable. We still wish there was a bit more brightness and contrast to the maps, but still, it's a much improved experience over the C220. We should note that some address and POI listings are hard to read since the font size is pretty small.
The interface and main menu system are user-friendly, with clearly marked and bubbly icons. For the most part, we were able to use it without having to crack open the manual, but things do get a little less intuitive as you dig deeper into the applications. For example, there are a number of tabs on the map screen that open and hide various navigation tools that require some time to learn and master. Also, some of the media player controls are hard to discern since their functions aren't identified. On a brighter note, thanks to the larger screen, the virtual keyboard is easier to use than the C220's, and it's also in QWERTY format, so you get the familiar layout and feel of your computer's keyboard. In addition, like Magellan's GPS devices, the C520's keyboard has a predictive function, which will gray out any letters or numbers that don't match street names or numbers as you begin to enter an address.
Other mentionables include an external antenna port and speaker on the back, and a mini USB port and 18-pin power connector on the bottom. There's also an SD expansion slot and 2.5mm headphone jack on the left spine. We are a bit puzzled and disappointed that the C520 isn't equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack for a better multimedia experience.
The Mio C520 comes packaged with a car charger, an AC adapter, a vehicle mount (windshield and dash), a USB cable, and reference material. The windshield mount did a good job of securely holding the unit in place, although we think the cradle felt a bit plasticky and cheap, so take extra care when attaching and removing the system.
Features
The Mio C520 is equipped with a 20-channel SiRFIII GPS chip and comes preloaded with TeleAtlas maps of North America and 6 million points of interest. The basic navigation features are similar to the C710. The system can create directions by fastest, shortest, or most economical route; with or without toll roads, highways, u-turns, and so forth; and in various modes, including car, bicycle, and pedestrian. Other goodies include route recalculation, 2D and 3D map views with day and night colors, route simulations, and safety camera warnings. You can get read our Mio C710 review for a more detailed description of the Mio navigation system, but for this review, we'll concentrate on some of the unique and new features to the C520.
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- Mio,
- Magellan,
- GPS,
- multimedia,
- touch screen
User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 39 reviews
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Where to buy
Mio C520 Navigation Receiver:
$259.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$259.99 | Yes |
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