Entered CNET Catalog: 03/29/2005
SKU: 0841881000464
Manufacturer: MiTAC Industrial Corp.
Manufacturer description
MiTAC designs, builds and markets a diverse range of products like high-performance workstations, servers and motherboards, commercial and industrial notebook PCs, LCD PCs and LCD monitors. Starting out as an exclusive manufacturer of PCs, MiTAC now has grown to become a world-class global computer manufacturer and major OEM supplier. PRODUCT FEATURES: No monthly fee, no set up feeProduct summary
The good: Compact; touch screen; built-in MP3 player.
The bad: Maps not preloaded; poorly designed mounting device; mediocre performance.
The bottom line: We like the idea of a portable GPS system that can play MP3 tunes, but the Mio 136's performance falls short.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 06/16/2005
Six small, backlit function buttons sitting to the right of the LCD let you zoom in and out, return to the main menu, power up the unit, and access the system settings and navigation screens. There's also a four-way rocker switch for panning the map and selecting menu items without using the stylus. An SD/MMC card slot is located on the left side, while a volume control, a headphone jack, and a stylus holder are on the right. The lower bezel holds the power-supply jack and a USB port, and a flip-up antenna is on the back. There is also a jack for connecting an optional external antenna ($35) for better satellite reception.
The Mio 136 comes with a vehicle-mounting apparatus that uses double-backed adhesive tape to attach to your car's dashboard, which means it can be installed only once. In addition, the adhesive needs a smooth surface to maintain a strong bond, so if your dashboard is textured, you'll have to use two screws (included) to install the mount. We prefer a removable suction-cup mount similar to those included with the Navman iCN 650 units. Other goodies in the box include an AC adapter, a 12-volt vehicle power adapter, a carrying case and strap, and a quick-start guide.
Powered by a 300MHz Intel PXA255 XScale processor and Microsoft's WinCE.Net operating system, the Mio 136 provides voice- and text-guided directions with 2D and 3D (bird's-eye) map views. To complement its 32MB of internal memory, the Mio 136 comes with a blank 256MB MMC (MultiMediaCard) memory card. You'll have to use the included pocket-size USB card reader and a PC to upload the Mio's detailed maps of North America, included on a two-CD set. The Mio's points-of-interest (POI) database includes more than a million banks, restaurants, airports, and museums, to name a few, as well as detailed descriptions and phone numbers. We particularly like the inclusion of subway-stop locations--a handy tool for getting around big cities.To choose a destination map, click a specific region from the Mio Map program. During our testing, we selected region USA5, which includes compressed maps for the eastern corridor between Boston and Washington, D.C., and requires 218MB of memory (it took approximately six minutes to transfer). You'll need a few extra memory cards for long-range trips or if you want to listen to music when in MP3 mode. A third CD contains an online user manual and Microsoft's ActiveSync program for transferring files directly to the Mio 136, and there's a USB-driver CD if you want to connect the device to your PC via the included USB cable.
The Mio 136 can create routes on the fly using addresses, POI, previous destinations, or saved favorite waypoints, or you can tap a point on the map and the Mio will calculate a route from your current position. You can also use the trip planner to create routes while offline, to tell the unit to avoid certain roads that may be under construction or bogged down with rush-hour traffic, and to record your trip and play it back later.
When it's not being used as a navigational aid, the Mio 136 plays your favorite MP3 and WAV music files in random or sequential order. The player supports MP3 playlists and includes a built-in equalizer with 17 presets. The included earbud-style headphones sounded good at low to midrange volume levels but became distorted when we cranked the volume way up.
The Mio 136's performance was disappointing, compared with that of the competition; more importantly, it could make the difference between an enjoyable trip and a frustrating one. The first time we fired up the Mio 136, we waited 3.5 minutes to acquire a 3D fix (four satellites); subsequent tries took less than a minute. While we drove around Long Island, New York, the unit's performance was inconsistent. We experienced occasional signal loss despite having a clear view of the sky. Every so often, our position on the map was incorrect, showing our location on the wrong street. In upper Manhattan, the Mio 136 managed to hold a 3D fix during a walk through and around Central Park, but it faltered as we got closer to the midtown area, where tall buildings wreak havoc on most GPS receivers. On several occasions we had to stop walking to regain a satellite fix, and there were times when our location was off by a city block. We got similar results while driving through the city. That said, the voice-guided directions were accurate, and the autorouting function did a fine job getting us back on track whenever we veered off course. The Mio 136's lithium-ion battery gave us 4 hours of juice before it was time to recharge, a good 11 hours short of the Garmin Quest's battery life.User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2out of 2 user reviews
A 'must-have' for anyone travelling interstate often
Pros: Compact, lots of features, easy to read screens
Cons: Sometimes gets 'confused' and mis-directs, i.e turn left where there is no left, "exceeding speed limit" message, often wrong notifications and gets a bit annoying at times!
overall though it is a reliable and quite useful piece of equipment, with full display of distance to go, ETA and current speed, as well as voice prompting all the way (where you dont have to keep an eye on the unit itself) although a street by street prompting would be more useful, instead of the 'Turn left' line... You can also choose to have the unit talk to you in american or english accents, both male or female... be warned though, the american lady calls roundabouts "circles"!
recommended for anyone travelling to different places a lot or just for those who need to know where they're going without having a map in their face!
out of 2 user reviews
Slim and possibly the smallest unit currently on the market.
Pros: Slim and easily portable.
Cons: Routes tend to avoid Toll roads, showing longer routes.
The maps are listed as current but show a couple of old access points to motorways, and the navigation router avoids using toll roads (even with the option to use them enabled) when you would really like to get to your destination quickly - hang the expense of a toll!
Some areas (here in Brisbane) have now changed in speed limits, so the unit will (unless disabled) constantly tell you that "you are over the speed limit" while on certain stretches of road.
Battery life is between 3.5 - 5 hours on average, but well worth it in keeping the unit so slim and compact, I think.
A stylus is attached to the unit, but (with a screen protector on) I find that the unit is still very much usuable by tapping the screen with my finger instead.
Aside from it's occasional reluctance to use the formula (main road connecting to main road = faster travel time) - where it instead chooses to divert you through some urban back-streets - it's not really a bad little unit. If you use common sense with any GPS navigation system (not just this one) and use main roads more, you'll get to your destination quicker! Just remember, they are a guide only.
The gentle female voice, auto-zoom, 2D and 3D, Day and Night skins, and automatic route re-calculation (should you miss a turn or ignore it's suggestion deliberately) are great features of this product.
%20-%20Car%20GPS%20(Navigation)s%20-%20CNET%20Archive&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/car-gps-navigation/mio-136-gps-only/1707-3430_7-31322059.html&x_breadcrumb=10863:3424:3430){kind=small}