Ok, answering Steven's post on December 1st, I think he needed a bit more time with the unit.

First of all, the quickstart manual IS a joke. I fully agree with that. If he had spent a bit more time with the unit, he'd have found that there is a full manual on the included DVD which is great and goes into detail on settings, etc. The interface is fine, although you do have to drill down and back out for several options. However, to me, they are all very logical straightforward programming. I have absolutely no problem reading the street names, and if you're on a plotted route, the bottom of the screen tells you the street you are on and the top of the screen tells you the one you are next turning onto. Very intuitive, and very easy to see at a glance.

His complaint on the cockpit mode is valid, but while navigating, you don't have to use cockpit mode. You can turn on a full map view as well. However, you lose some of the nicities (such as that street name top / bottom view) available in the cockpit. If I don't have a plotted route but want to see a map, I prefer a north up map view. If I have a plotted route, I'm listening to the directions more anyway with a glance over to see the street name I'm turning on, and thus use the cockpit mode.

I don't even know what he's talking about regarding seting up destination and the unit doesn't tell you automatically how to get there. It certainly does! You can scroll around the screen or look for POIs (Point of Interest) even when a route is plotted. The popup lock button just then takes you back to your current position and then tracks on you as you move. This is a good feature, as maybe I want to scroll / look ahead (ok, more like my passenger...I'm driving).

MP3 function works fine. And you most certainly CAN have MP3's playing at the same time as GPS. In fact, the GPS voice prompts pause the music and then auto-resume so they're not competing with it. Again, he might know this if he had either used the built-in help screen (yes, there is built-in help to explain every button / setting choice) or the full manual on the DVD. My one criticism of the MP3 player is that you have to build a playlist on the unit rather than on your computer to transfer as it does not use a standard format (aka Winamp).

All in all, the interface is VERY nice, the maps scroll fluid (unlike Garmin units I've seen), and can seamlessly rotate in full 3D, in fact zooming out and in / rotating based upon your speed, how close your next turn is, etc., and this can also be controlled by the user in settings. It's simply the best looking GPS I've seen. If this unit were widescreen (for a bigger view in cockpit mode) it would be ideal.

One additional criticism / bug. The fast flyover feature that quickly shows your route does not function. My only flyover is in real-time, which of course is not practical. You can zoom out to preview the route, but if you want to generate a "watch-the-path" on the map or cockpit mode with a simulation of the car moving, you really need the fast-flyover. I've got a call into Mio regarding this issue.

Tomtom has only switched to NavTech on one unit, and in fact, just released updated TeleAtlas maps for their products. Mio is set to do the same in 6-9 months, and this map update has been stated will be FREE for those that purchased this device. That will not be true (like all other GPS companies) after the first free update. The 2006 TeleAtlas maps are much improved due to a previous company acquisition here in the USA that are incorporated into this set of maps to be released.

One final note: users in Washington DC are reporting some major map problems with many routes / bridges unavailable (in red). This error is making DC about useless with the Mio. If you live there, I suggest you get another unit or wait the 6 months till new maps are available, although I'd be surprised if Mio doesn't issue a fix before then.

The only reason this product is getting 3 stars is due to the fact that I picked it up during Black Friday for only $150. If I had paid anywhere near full price for this unit I would give it two stars.

Sure this unit has many neat features that others have described, but the Mio C310x is an extremely subpar GPS unit. Frankly I could care less if my GPS unit plays MP3s.

First of all the Mio almost always chooses the most stupid, roundabout way to get to a given destination. This occured no matter how much I tried to adjust the map route settings. The Mio's mapping software seems to be unaware of which streets are "main streets" and thus will often send you down a bunch of side streets. Most other GPS units have enough common sense not to do this.

Secondly, the Mio often gives incorrect spoken directions. For example it would sometimes tell me to "take a right" when in fact the road just slightly veered to the right. Thus I am forced to always keep my eye on the on screen map to make sure what the mio is telling me to do is correct. Even more disturbing is the fact that sometimes the Mio will say things that are completely wrong like tell me to take a left turn when its clear that I'm not supposed to take one at all. I have not figured out the reason for this.

Thirdly, it seems that the mio often lags a few seconds behind on the oncreen map. Often times I will take a turn and it will take the mio 3 or 4 seconds to rotate and show that I have made the turn on the map. This is very frustrating when I am exiting a highway and have to quickly choose one of the forks in the road. You won't know if you chose the right fork until a few seconds later.

Finally the worst thing about the Mio is the fact that it sometimes will send you the WRONG DIRECTION down a street!!! This happened to me once when the Mio incorrectly mapped out that I could take a left turn in a place that had no place for one. Its hard to describe my situation exactly but if I had actually attempted to do what the Mio had told me to do I would have met oncoming traffic.

ok, so i got my unit on black friday. but even if i had paid twice as much as i did, i would still give it 5 stars.

i have a 2005 infiniti g35 coupe, with a factory-installed GPS system, which was around a $1000 option. i have stopped using it in favor of this little gem of a unit. i have also played around with a tom tom go 700, and a garmin c320, which are also great systems, but cost much more and aren't nearly as portable as the Mio.

PROS:
-- the screen is beautiful with extremely sharp resolution.
-- although the interface is a little complicated at first, once i played with the unit for an hour, it now seems quite intuitive. there are a lot of customizable options. one thing that is difficult to figure out was how to save my address book. you actually have to do it under 'My POI'.
-- it locks on quickly and gets a strong signal even inside my apartment.
-- the small size, and the fact my system came with a AC adapter. also the rechargeable lithium battery lasts a pretty long time between charges. this is one of the few GPS systems that i would not be embarassed to carry around while touring a new city on foot, because it is so thin that it looks like a PDA. It seems like that Mio designed this unit with this in mind because there is a "on foot" setting which takes into account the slower speed, and avoids freeways, etc. This is unlike most of the other units i have seen (Garmins, Magellan, Tom Tom), which are way too bulky to carry around. i have been carrying my Mio around on my waist in a PDA case. i plan to use it when i visit a new city to get around--it will also be extremely helpful to find stores, restaurants, hotels, gas stations (see next comment)
-- the Points of Interest function is awesome. i can search for nearby businesses by 'category' (for example, nearby japanese restaurants, or nearby gas stations, or nearby shopping malls), OR i can search for nearby businesses by 'name', for example, the nearest Best Buys, or Targets, or Disneyland. this is awesome, and is my favorite feature because in my Infiniti, i can only search nearby businesses by 'category'. (in my infiniti, if i want to find the nearest Best Buy, i have to choose 'shopping', and then scroll through tons of stores before i find it.)
-- the rerouting is almost immediate once it senses you have passed the suggested turn.
-- as the last reviewer mentioned, the zooming function also works wonderfully smoothly and quickly.
-- i have been using it in Los Angeles, and i have had no problems at all with the TeleAtlas maps. it has consistently chosen the best routes all over Los Angeles.


CONS:
I have to think long and hard to think of some cons...but there are a few
--when i turn on the unit, it sometimes freezes and becomes unresponsive while it is searching for the satellite signal for 15-20 seconds. at first i thought the system crashed. but just be aware of this.
--although there are 15 or so voice languages, there are two voices for English and they are both male! (one is an american accent, one has a english accent) it would be cool to have a british lady accent.
--the mount is a bit on the larger size, but it does work extremely well, so i guess i shouldn't complain.
--no bluetooth, but i don't think any GPS systems less than $300 have bluetooth.

all in all, an awesome little piece of equipment. i couldn't be happier with this baby.

I've had this for almost a year now so I've got some experience using this in comparison to some of the other reviews after only a month or so of owning it. Plus my job consists of driving so I use this thing on a daily basis.
br /
br /Pros:
br /Very nice looking piece of equipment and screen graphics.
br /Added mp3 player for extra uses. Decent job as a mp3 player (but if you want an mp3 player I suggest an ipod)
br /
br /Cons:
br /The fact is this is a pretty poor "GPS" system. For what you buy a GPS system for this item is terrible.
br /
br /I (and most people) will use a GPS unit for a few reasons. Primary among them I believe would be...
br /
br /1. To find a specific place that we have PLANNED to travel to. Like a hotel or a mall when we're on vacation. etc.
br /
br /2. To find ON THE FLY a place we might need to go to. Like the nearest gas station when we're low on gas on a trip.
br /
br /3. To find the QUICKEST and most expedient route to a destination.
br /
br /Now here is the problem with Mio's GPS system...
br /
br / Mio's POI (points of interest) listing is very very limited in comparison to other systems out there, for example a Garmin i2 or i3, which are in it's price class. The reason for this is Garmin has POI for REGIONS of the USA. That is if you are planning a trip to an area on the West Coast you download the POI for that region. If you are going to the East Coast you download that map file. This makes POI coverage extremely robust. Mio only has the option to download POI for the entire USA. The memory on the Mio 310x is not capable of storing the entire USA's points of interest so the actual listing is very limited. Many of the restaurants and other POI's in my home town are missing.
br /
br / So with this in mind imagine how situations 1 and 2 are when you use the Mio. In the 1st situation it's quite possible that the system does not even have your planned destination. You'll need to find out the actual coordinates of the destination and have to manually enter them if that is the case. In the 2nd situation it is very possible that the system would bypass the closest gas station or rest area because it's just not in the map POI list. This actually happened to me a few times.
br /
br / Now when it comes to the 3rd most important use of a GPS. That is, a quick and expedient route... the Mio once again fails. The pathing system of the Mio is unbelievably faulty. I've tested this unit and entered in locations I am quite familiar with. Nearly half the time the route it suggests is just plain incorrect or is actually much longer.
br /
br /Bottomline: When making a purchase we consumers want the best item for our money. The Mio isn't it. There are much better units out there for nearly the same price.

I like this GPS because it has all the features I need. Its maps are upgradable at a reasonable price. It's really compact, very portable, can play music through the SD card slot. All the maps are in its own memory (1 gig internal). It allows you to set wave points. Though I don't care much for the mount because it's bulky and it has limited freedom to move it. All in all, it's a great product that I would recommend. Cold Eyes

I researched all GPs units for over a year. Two GPS's I have experience using plus I spent countless hours researching on the Internet and I played for hours in the store demonstrations.

Some generalities one needs to realize concerning "ALL" GPS units. You will not find any GPS unit that is 100% accurate 100% of the time. You will find that "ALL" GPS units at one time or another will not always take the shortest route or fastest route no matter what you try. This is due to many reasons which include the number of satellites tracking you, weather, map accuracy, etc..,. I have heard often that to buy a unit using NavTeq mapping and avoid the TeleAtlas mapping. Personally, I have ran 2 different GPS units that used "current" NavTeq mapping and I was not impressed. Locally I would sometimes find myself being shown off road with no roads existing while the roads I were on were major secondary roads and had been there for 10+ years and then while driving several long trips on major highways, I would be shown as being off the interstate driving ¼ to ½ mile off in the pasture somewhere. I have found just the opposite with the TeleNav mapping. I have run the TeleNav mapping in the same spots that I had trouble with the NavTeq mapping and I have not had one problem with its mapping navigation. Locally, the NavTeq mapping would sometimes only take me within 1/4 to 1/2 mile of my destination saying I was there when I wasn't. Not with the TeleAtlas, most of the time right on the money but has never been off more than 200 feet. Even running address look ups and points of interest in the demos at the stores, the NavTeq mapping did just not show updated information. Just the opposite with the demo of the TeleNav. "Personally", I like and support the TeleNav mapping over the NavTeq mapping, but please remember this is based on using the TeleNav mapping only with the Mio C310X with the note that this GPS unit comes with the most up to date mapping available (Aug 2006) to this date.

You will find that the majority of GPS units in the GPS market are Garmin and Magellan units. "Personally", I do not like the interface of the Garmin GPS units. In general, the public has Magellan units rated less "overall" compared to Garmin units plus Magellan is known not to have good customer service. "Personally" I do not know but that is the general consensus you will find when one researches. There are many brands out there now which are trying to compete with Garmin and Magellan GPS units. Some are rated pretty good and some are rated quite average or below. BUT there is now a unit that competes head to head with the best of Garmin and Magellan GPS units and depending on your taste, leaves them in the dust. Such a unit is the Mio C310X.

I was very impressed when I bought the Mio C310X and now after driving several long trips, it has not only lived up to its new reputation on the market but has even exceeded my initial review. Here are my thoughts and please realize when you read anyone's pros and cons that some pros and cons can be things that are not "NEEDED" but just nice to have.

Pros:

Uses 20 channel SIRF GPs satellite tracking
Uses TeleAtlas mapping. Has been accurate 99% of the time I have used it
Auto screen dimmer switch from daytime to nighttime use
Speaker is loud and clear
Over speed limit alert on some roads
Can play MP3 while navigating
Small and lightweight unit
2D or 3D viewing with automatic angle viewing
Displays mountains of information for you to see on the screen to include your speed, distance to destination, and time remaining on trip. Also displays cameras at stoplights.
Power is provided by DC car plug, computer USB , or built in battery (approx 2 hours)
Superb windshield mounting bracket
Some units will have 1GB extra memory (check box)
Impressed with customer service (used twice to ask a general question)

Cons:

Comes only in white color
For some people......No built in wireless Mp3 transmitter (easily fixed by using headphones, cassette adapter, or wireless fm transmitter unit and do remember that the built in speaker is a pretty good speaker)
For some people.....does not announce the name of the road you are turning onto ( I don't find this a problem as it displays the name on the unit's screen)

You should be quite happy with this GPS unit. Its fast, accurate, and has lots of bells and whistles that only come with much higher GPS units. Good hunting deciding on which GPS unit that will fit your needs and budget.

Maps are out of date and Mio does not have map updates. Mio has said they would have the updates for months now.

I have a purchase a Mio last year 2006,love it at first but some reason it nevers gives me the fastest route EVER. We always go to the longest and scenic views in new jersey. I was doubtful when we went to new york it work great there but not in jersey. It is very easy to use though. They have to update their maps to. I like the looks and thats it.

This is really NOT GOOD compare to Magellan 3000T. But I went for this since it was much more cheaper and smaller.

Cons:
1) This MIO GPS is about 50-100 feet from the exact location which ends up to give you to the wrong turn.
2) Not easy to use at all even for me a GUI SW Engineer. It gives way too many features which confuses you even more.
3) Battery runs out pretty fast: less than an hour of use after fully charge.
4) Car charger kills this GPS several times. I had to reset several times.
5) Car charger can never charge this GPS fully.
6) Not easy to save your address book.
7) So many times it tells you to turn back (u-turns).

Pros:
1) Small and compact.
2) Nice 3D big screen and colorful.
3) Power up & down very fast.
4) Many features if you spend days to learn and figure them out (not very intuitive)

Pros:
Many to list: bright and detailed LCD screen, ability to browse maps to anywhere in the USA, different 2D/3D/cockpit map views, FAST zooming and scrolling of maps, very accurate and strong GPS signal

Cons:
some features/icons difficult to figure out, unless you read the Manual. Lot of settings you can adjust (con b/c need to look for them, but can be good b/c many features adjustable)

This is an excellent GPS navigation device, with detailed street-level maps of all 50 states (plus Guam and Puerto Rico, if you care). The maps are very good and the routing is excellent, very accurate so far! Everything is fast: scrolling of maps, CPU route calculations, automatic re-routing, zooming in/out of maps.
** I also checked out the Garmin C320/C330/C340: they are SLOW to zoom in/out of maps. Also, i was unable to scroll the maps around on GPS mode. I think you have to exit GPS mode to do so. In the Mio, you can browse while in GPS mode. To get back to where you are, you just hit the "Lock" button and it locks back to where you are!

I've been able to lock on to my location in about 20-30 seconds only! I've heard other devices take 1 to 5 minutes to do so.

The device is very thin, about 3/4 inch thick, so i can easily slip it into my shirt pocket. Garmin's C320, C330, and C340 are all 2.8inches think, it's NOT pocketable!

There's really no problem with the TeleAtlas maps, in my opinion. It's pretty detailed from what i can tell, i'm not sure why people are raving the Navteq maps.

Mio is not mentioned much (vs Garmin, Magellan, etc), but this is an excellent little GPS and Map Browsing device! I docked 1 star b/c the manual is a bit long and wordy!

I've owned my Mio for about 2 weeks. So far I love it! Route recalculation is VERY fast. Some of the addresses are a little off, but close enough. I was surprised to find that my work address is not in the database! The address is a good 60 years old. It's a great GPS for the price!

This GPS is a very good product for people that are electronic illiterate. Very easy to use, the speaker volume is good, very bright screen. I would definitely recommend this GPS.

While I have nothing to compare it to, this being my first GPS, I love it for several reasons. For it's price, it's more than I could ask for but then again, why not take it to next level?
br /
br /First, with what I consider pros:
br /
br /1. I love the touch screen.
br /2. Integrated mp3 player is a bonus.
br /3. Audio out lets me connect it to my car stereo for improved audibility. [I agree with the other users that by itself, it's low on the volume, esp with road noise comming into play on interstates and if you roll your windows down, forget the c310x exists!]
br /4. Voice guidance
br /5. Night/Day Display changes
br /6. POIs
br /7. GPS mount
br /
br /What I consider cons:
br /
br /1. The c310x will get you from point A to point B. Reliable? Yes. Efficient - I doubt. It instructed me to make unlawful u-turns somewhere in IA.
br /
br /2. The C310X offers simple left and right voice directions as opposed to TTS[text-to-speech] based GPS systems like streetpilot c340 that give out street names. So, while a streetpilot might say "Turn right on La fontane", the c310x's verison is "Take next right in 300 yards" .... "Take next right in 100 yards" ..."Take next right". I consider this both an advantage and a disadvantage. It's true that street names can be confusing. When you're in an unfamiliar territory, that's confusion enough without you having to decipher pronunciations. Simple "take next right/left" directions help here. However, when you're heading towards a concrete pile of endless and very closely spaced exits, "exit in next 300 yards" can confuse the heck out of you. It happened me to more than once. "100 yards!! What?? what do I exit on, gulf freeway? 610E? 610W? - They all seem like 100 yards to me!" I would prefer road names for highways probably but I realize I might be asking for too much at this price.
br /
br /4. I've noticed that it pauses between instructions and this can be very annoying. For ex: The I394--169 exit in West Minneapolis immediately parts out into 169N and 169S. The c310x observes a code of silence until you chose your favorite direction and then lets you know you've made the wrong turn a little later.
br /
br /3. I hate the random play mode for the mp3 player. There is nothing random about it. The only thing that's random is my frustration about it not being to play all those songs that I painstakingly copied into the SD card. I downloaded a 100. Why does it keep playing only 5 plus there's no easy way to skip to the next one if the maps are on.
br /
br /That being said, I believe it's benefits outweigh it's cons. No more printed directions, McNally maps, scribbles or "Hey Mike, I just drove past a Wal-Mart. Rings a bell?" phone calls. It does it's job faithfully to the best of it's abilities and that's what I like about the c310x.
br /
br /Bottom line: If you're on a budget and don't mind the c310x's occasional errors, go get it - you will be glad you did. If you insist on state-of-the-art intelligent mapping skills, skip this one.

The Mio Digiwalker product is ok but their support is non-existent. I have called them over 9 times, from Sep 2007 to Feb 2008, to get an RMA completed. Each call took an average of 1/2 hour. They have no idea how to treat customers and God forbid you ever want to return something.
br /
br /Trust me! You will NEVER get your money refunded, even if they issue you an RMA. This is by far the WORST service I have ever experienced. This is not a crank review, it is the truth, HONEST!!! I guess I will have to take them to Small Claims Court to get my money refunded. Then I will try to get the Newspapers to recount my ordeal to warn others.

This may have been the first GPS that is priced cheaply enough that pretty much everyone can afford to have a GPS in their car. Note I didn't say a "good" GPS because the unit I had bought kept losing satellite signal in the middle of Seattle. I would ignore the directions and would take what I knew surely to be a shortcut and the GPS would be completely oblivious for a FEW minutes! It got to be so useless that I didn't keep it for more than 3 days. Back it went to the store.
br /Mio has brought back the old dictum that I thought no longer applied to commoditized technology, namely, you get what you pay for!

I bought this a year ago. I never did like the way it would route me to some places. Then they offered a software and map update and I jumped at the opportunity...only to find out that it made things worse. Now a four lane road in my area is off limits. There is no way to get it to take the route I want (even when I tell it to take dirt roads) and the stupid thing routes me 4 miles out of the way because sees the road as inaccessible. More than once when trying to get out of an unfamiliar neighborhood it told me that roads went through to a main road and they were really dead ends. Good luck trying to tell it not to use a dead end road. Good luck trying to get a map updated. Also, after a year the battery won't hold a charge for more that 30 seconds. The MP3 player has a loud hum that makes it impossible to use a FM transmitter and play through the car radio. The only use the SD memory chip has is to play MP3s.

I have owned this unit for a little over a year and have done some extensive traveling with it.
br /
br /Pros - auto switch between day night modes is awesome - tough to go back after having it.
br /Battery life is good cordless option is great.
br /
br /Cons - The mapping software is terrible! If you have any idea where you are going it will drive you nuts! If staying on the highway one more exit will save you time it does not recognize it. The directions it takes from my home to office are almost 20 minutes longer! Having said that, if you don't know where you are going it will get you there just the same!
br /
br /Overall it is not a bad option way better than a car load of maps. I just upgraded to a TomTom One love it. The mapping is far more accurate but it takes navigating through several menus to switch the screen to night mode.

I will just mention problems I experienced during my trip from Philadelphia to LA.
br /
br /Some of the roads are not real and recent road information is missing.
br /
br /- I lost my way in Birmingham, Alabama to find 78 from I-20. Mio C310x directed a road that is not exist.
br /- The new road from Birmingham, Alabama to Memphis (future I-22?)is not updated yet. It mis-directed several times.
br /- Often the map shows a left turn sign but the voice directs right turn. This was found when I was changing from I-15 to I-10 (LA).
br /
br /And, the most serious problem was when I missed the direction indicated by the map. Automatic re-directions always guided the original route even after passing quite a lot (go back or turn back). Finding alternative new routes were serious problems.
br /
br /Overall, Mio C310x looks fine for finding final destinations, but one should be careful when driving unfamiliar area. Recommend to have Google Maps directions too.
br /

Simple to use, good device, very good for its money, the map is not very uptodate.

This GPS is absolutely amazing in terms of features. It has all the points of interest around any given location, it will readjust heading and re-route if you go off track. You can zoom in/out, you can have the map rotate, you can even see which satellites are connected and what the signal strength is. There's more features than that, but there's not enough space here to log them!
br /
br /Now, the reason why this GPS doesn't get 5 stars for me is that it gives non-optimal routing. It will get you from point A to point B, but not very quickly, or efficiently. It seems to really like to take you through neighborhoods when large streets (though taking slightly longer distances) would be way faster. This happens even when you set it to the 'fastest route' setting.
br /
br /It also does not seem to comprehend that taking corners and going on streets with stoplights will drastically slow you down. So for example, if you're in downtown, it will do left-right-left-right, etc... instead of just left for a while, then right for a while. This can quadruple your time going through a city, and it's unbelievably annoying.

I have been using the mio 310x since Dec 2006. It isn't perfect but gets me where I am going. Last week I put it side by side vs the Garmin (not sure which model) in a rental car. The Mio found the sky quicker and took me a better route. It also was easier to follow the directions and anticipate my turns. The battery life isn't great but I can use it while waiting for the bus from the car rental to get ready for my trip. All in all I have been very happy with it and have recommended it to several friends. The combination of price, size and functions make it great for someone who travels.

Just took a road trip this GPS was great for the trip. I will tell all my friends all about it.

2/26/08
br /The price was the defining factor for me, I wasn't expecting anything amazing because it was so cheap but it came in handy many times. The accuracy is off by maybe a house or 2 in some cases but no biggie. The options of color scheme and views are good. It took me a little bit to figure out how to work the map but I didn't read the manual so what can I expect.
br /The mp3 player is nice and works fine with or without headphones. I use it at work (I don't have an IPod or anything else)and can charge it on the computer using the USB cord when I step away. The random mode doesn't seem to be too random, it picks the same songs everytime unless you add or delete some songs...wierd but not terrible.
br /Overall, great for the money,most navigation systems don't even offer the added mp3 player so that counts for something.

The Mio 310x GPS device comes with instructions on how to navigate menus, what buttons do, etc, but does not teach a beginner how to start and until this day I don't know how to only erase my last entry. I wrote to Customer Service and did not get an annser.

By the look I thought it was Electronic Gadget at my friends place and realised it was GPS. Borrowed this unit and used between NH and MA, NY and NJ. It is pretty accurate and fast. You can use different modes like Car / Cycle / Walking. Night, 2D / 3D.. Powerfull and easy suction to hold GPS. It also displays the speed limit of Highways. When you select Satellite, it shows the speed, height travel and locations of satellites.
br /
br /I love the unit and bought for my self and used for my travel from NH - PY - Columbus, OH - Chicago, IL - Detriot, MI - Niagara - NH. This unit takes you to the nearest possible address. It does not have address of new sub-divisions (understandable). I wish it would have canada address too. For starter, no need to look around. This is the best unit. Great job Mio...

nice GPS, perfect for that price.
If you are looking for a good navigation system, you must get this one.
highly recommended

I purchased this a few months ago and have been satisfied with its performance. I rarely use the MP3 player but its loud enough to play music. Directions are very clear and the GPS is very accurate to with a few feet. The touchscreen is great and inputting street names and numbers is easy. Its also great that the unit comes preloaded with all the maps you need. It has three different settings for your trips "economical, shortest and fastest". It may take you sometimes odd back streets to save you a half a mile but you'll always get to your destination. Also, if you do not follow the directions accidently, it will recalculate your directions quickly! It also comes with multiple views, the LCD adjusts for daytime mode and nighttime mode and multiple languages.

Overall its a great unit and in my opinion.... BUY IT.

This is very nice GPS. If you want very simple and essential GPS, this is what you need.
br /
br /Except this has small LCD screen but this is fine for me. I do not use MP3 much, but if you do is will be even better.
br /
br /

I have just moved from Washington DC to Southern California and bought a Mio C310X for only $150. Here is my review:
br /
br /Pros: In a nutshell, it's impressively resourceful for a $150 device. It can do as much as a Garmin can do for less than half the price. Instructions are detailed, loud and clear. It will take you wherever you want to go. I was in Los Angeles when I first tested this product. I had no problems driving in LA and other parts of Southern California so far. I live in an area that has been newly developed and even here maps seem to be fairly up-to-date. It's even got an Mp3 player, which I never bothered to use (I have an iPod to play my music). Volume buttons on the side are easy to use.
br /
br /Cons: This is not a "cons" to me, but some people have complained about the C310x not having the Text-to-Speech feature (i.e. it says "turn right in 1000 yards" but doesn't say the name of the street). As much as I would love my Mio to say street names, I just don't think this feature is worth the extra $300 I would have paid for another GPS.
br /
br /When you first turn the device on, it may take as long as 5 minutes to get a signal and calculate your position. However, the manual explains that the device has to learn satellites' patterns, which change daily. After that, it's much quicker and you won't have to wait that long for a signal.
br /
br /There are three different setting menus and that might be a little bit confusing at the beginning. I'm kind of computer savvy and did not have any problems learning my way thru, but I think other people may have a problem with this.
br /
br /The number of points of interest have dropped from 3 million + to 1.5 million after the 2007 map update. I can care less about "yellow pages" services, but some people do.
br /
br /By the way, I read some reviews from customers saying they couldn't get their C310X to work after a map update. Mine is working fine and the only inconvenience I had, per se, was that I wasn't able to get an activation # necessary for the completion of the update over the internet. But I called customer service and they were quick to email me the number and I had no further problems finishing the process.

Don't buy this! It takes forever to figure out where you are (and by that time you've driven by the turn you were supposed to take), and then it gives you the wrong directions -- I tested it out at home and it told me to travel in circles. Very difficult to enter addresses, and it doesn't have many points of interest near me. Plus it doesn't come with an AC adaptor or a stylus -- the only way to charge it is in the car. Very cheap of them not to include that. I'm sending it back and getting a Garmin.

This relatively inexpensive portable GPS navigator performs pretty well for the most part. I use it in the Los Angeles area, although I recently took it down to San Diego, where it performed very well in getting me to my destination. It sometimes takes a minute or two to find the GPS signal when first "firing it up," but works well once it does. I noticed that diamond lanes sometimes confuse it. Rarely, it makes an outright error as far as turning left or right. As other reviewers note, it does not voice the name of the streets, only the directions, but one has to spend a lot more to get this feature. Like computers, there is no doubt that better ones will appear on the market at comparatively lower prices; but for the time being, I can honestly say that I am satisfied with this device (which I nick-named "Max."

I do not own a GPS unit, but will buy one soon. I've had good experiences with this MIO, but the last time when I was in LA it had me totally lost when I was trying to get back to my friend's house in South Gate (Downey). I was still on the damn highway and it kept telling me I have reached my destination. I was totally lost and didn't know how to get back to my friend's house. I had to call him and luckily he answered the phone. So, I am not sure I will be buying this particular unit. I will be moving to LA and will have important appointments to keep I can't afford to keep going in circles and being lost and being misdirected/misinformed by a GPS unit.

The Mio 310x is OK, especially for the price paid.
br /The problem is not with the unit itself but rather
br /with the tech support. If you purchase an update
br /disc from Circuit City , you will have quite a
br /hassle in getting it to work. Took me numerous
br /emails and telephone calls before getting a person
br /who could help me.

I am buying this GPS again after having lost mine on the road,
in looking for a replacement for around the same price I quickly discovered that none of the other popular GPSs for around the same price point can do what I want them to do (or can't easily figure it out).

I am a motorcycle rider, and after mounting it with a RAM-Mount to my handle bars, it is very easy to read, hooking it up to my helmet speakers makes finding my way without looking at the device easy! "turn left in 1000 feet", I don't even have to try and figure out what street is coming up! Making riding much safer in my opinion. Having some tunes to listen to without having to fumble with a 2nd device is nice. Tunes simply fade out to hear the route announcements and continue playing afterwards.

I'll admit I have had some very minor issues and a very rare issue with it, such as having me get off of the FWY just to get right back on (due to FWY name change or FWY turning into a HWY). And one very rare occasion having me ride half a mile past an address due to the area being new or very rural. But they have since updated the software and I hope those minor/rare issues have been solved.

But the main reason why I love this device, it's very easy to plan my route by simply touching the screen and adding destinations or viapoints, as well as tracking my route and being so very easy to understand and review later without the need to download to a computer first.

The issues I've seen mentioned by others here is that they are expecting to be able to hike with this device. This is not what it's meant for. It's meant to sit on it's power supply in a car or on a motorcycle and maybe do some very light hiking.

very easy in use
br /comes without ac charger and no Canada maps inside. The Miomap v 3.2 is a an old version from 2006. You can't add any maps others than of USA

Bought 2 on Black Friday just for the toy affect. Gave one to my girlfriend and kept one. Then along came my gear-jamming daughter with her Atlas. Yep, mine went with her. I bought another one for me. The GPS is well worth the money. Simple to use and has the MP3 to use while running in the wind. Must say, Mio has a hard time working on the Big Island of Hawaii. IF it had Text to Speech, it would be the ideal GPS. I say buy it!

I've got the product. It works great, but unfortunately I didn't get the DVD and the original box, as described in product ad.
br /

I have only had the unit for a day, but so far I am very impressed. Attained a signal quickly, the address input was painless, and the unit makes sure you know when a turn is coming up.
br /The display is clear and crisp, and the tracking was accurate. For the price, it is very much a good investment.

Excellent product... Have not tried the MP3 player yet, but the side mounted buttons make the device especially easy to use... The only drawback to the device is the case color... The dark case makes the device harder to see from outside the vehicle... Otherwise, highly recommend the product, price was outstanding, delivery was very fast...

It delivers what have been promised. I have considered this GPS because it has 64Mb internal memory and more 1Gb flash memory for under 150USD. It has a bright screen, fast navigation and good sound. Unfortunately its USB is still not 2.0 and it takes forever if you want to update its internal flash memory.
br /
br /It is my second MIO GPS and I definetely consider buying more products from them.
br /
br /

I bought three of these, one for each of my parents and one for myself. It is a disposable unit because they do not offer map updates like other companies. As time passes, it becomes less and less useful. I could write about the pretty good UI and hardware, but the fact it is a throw-away unit makes all of that pale in usefulness.
br /
br /I would have bought one for the other car, but the lack of map updates made me get a Garmin.

In just 10 minutes out the box and my brand new Mio 310x was not working !!! I could check some functions and it was working well but suddenly, the screen froze and the device didn't answer my commands. I turned it off manually. When I turned it on again the navigation function was not working.
br /
br /Apparently, the software that manages the US Map is corrupted (that what the FAQ into the Mio's website says. I tried to reinstall it, but it is not a simple operation.)
br /
br /Besides that, my Mio cannot read my SD Card (in spite of the fact that this latter is working properly in my computer and my dig. camera).....so, 2 big problems in just 10 minutes!
br /
br /Well, I spent another 10 minutes writing an email to Mio and I hope that tomorrow they have a solution to my case and another 10 minutes writing this review .
br /
br /So...all that happened just 30 minutes ago.....
br /
br /Note: The seller was great ! Delivered in just 2 days !
br /

Whatever you do, do not purchase the Mio Map Update on their website. It will cost you $69.99. You can purchase the exact same map update at Circuit City for $17.99 two days ago. I did just that. I then called Mio Customer Service and spoke with a representative that said he did not know why the price differential but that it was the exact same map update and they recommend customers to purchase from Circuit City.

Purchased my c310 this past December when shopping for Christmas presents. Works well and gets me where I need to go, but there is one very annoying and potentially dangerous problem. If the unit is not being used and is not plugged into an AC or DC charger, the battery life is about two days. When I'm not using the GPS, I keep in my glove box rather than inviting someone to steal it by leaving it out in the open. After two or three days, when I go to use it again, I have to re-enter the date, time and time zone because once the batteries die, the unit loses this memory. I called tech support and all then could say was..."keep it on a charger". All I can say is, don't take it on a five day hiking/camping trip and expect to find your way out of the woods using this thing.

The mio c310x is cheap and reliable. Althought he POI is not updated with new developments and all POI out there, for a price of less than $200 you get a good deal and an MP3 player included.

I am please with the Mio for the price. My first GPS and it gets me to my destination. It does take rather long for it to acquire the satellite, not sure why. You have to get used to distances as it calls out your distance to next turn. I have found myself turning early and late sometimes. Overall a good product.

The only thing that makes this GPS stand out from the rest is its low price and hacking capability. It has its own flaws like all other GPSs. Bluetooth and Text-To-Speech is missing. But, still buy it and hack it to make it a world GPS and Video Player. Or, how about playing Sudoku on it!!

I feel these are the important things you should look for, in a GPS:
br /1) The Price: this is one of the cheapest GPS in the market with the best value for money.
br /2) The ease to operate: This is the feature I like the most about this GPS. This is my third MIO (I have already lost two). The reason I always buy this one is that even a novice can operate it very easily.
br /3) Maps: Now the most important part. I agree that the maps are nor updated. But if you go at 40 places, once or twice you will find that the MIO was not accurate. But still, with the quality of the maps, I will pass on that.
br /4) Show: I have seen many GPS' of atleast 5-6 big companies and I feel that this is one of the best in its show. And in this regard specially the 310x is the best.
br /

I have had a Mio 310x for about a year now. I've never had any problem navigating with it. This past summer I went to Corpus Christi TX to see my Dad and used it from VA to there. On the way home we stayed in the French Quarter in New Orleans. Used it from TX to New Orleans and then home with many stops and via's in between with no problems. My kids jokingly inserted SEVERAL Starbuck's stops along the way and we didn't miss a single one. Only downside I see is that the mp3 player is very basic. You can't navigate folders, (or at least I haven't figured out how)and can only play them in the order that they come up. Besides that! I love this thing.

I cant see mylself living without it for now on , everywhere i go i take my GPS with me , i live in Sao Paulo (Brazil), wich is the 2nd biggest city in the world , and it works perfect , I love everything about it . And it takes me wathever i want to go .

This is an excellent GPS for the price. The route recalculation is great and really quick on it. We have used it a lot! It has already paid for itself. I would highly recommend this if you are looking for a cheap affordable GPS.

Excellent Product and Price. Fast Shipping. A happy customer who will be shopping at Amazon !!! Thanks.

This is better then a Ipod (Ones you hack into it) Very Simple to hack into it by going to www.hugginsnet.com/ilovemymio.3.5" bright touch screen, 3D view, easy to use (after practices!), Plays MP3 while Mapping!
br / You could have a video Player (Watch Movies by using 1CLICK DVDTOIPOD(tm) Software) and even change the MP3 player. So far I had no problems with it. Battery life is short. Gives me 3 hours full charge. GPS takes around 3-5 minutes to find satelite signal. If you own a Razor phone you could charge it at home. Great Software easy to install music. Higly Recommended.

You get what you pay for they say: With the Mio C310x that is what you get... clumsy menus and the issue many are talking about: The voice is off by 100 yards which is not only confusing but DANGEROUS when driving because you constantly have to compare the voice to the display. The maps are from a European based company and are not as up to date as Navteq.
br /
br /Last but not least, I put a 4 GB memory stick with MP3s on it and it does not allow sorting by folder... so you are stuck scrolling through 1000 songs! UNBELIEVABLE! SO BAD!
br /
br /I give it 1 star - it works somewhat ok

I was thinking about a GPS for a while now.. I wanted one for both road trips by car and motorcycle. The ones that are bike specific were a little too pricy. I started looking at reviews of all GPS's Garmin/ Tom Tom were top on my list but when I read about Mio I looked more and the Mio C310X sounded like it fit the bill.. I figured I can run a wired earpiece from a Tank bag up under my jacket would save me over $300 (not getting Blue Tooth or a Waterproof unit) For $179 shipped.. I figured that's worth it..And I wont cry much if it falls.
br /I have it now maybe 3 weeks, haven't gotten much use out of it but what use I did it worked fine. You have to read the instruction manual (PDF) to understand all the extras..
br /This GPS DOES NOT come with an AC adapter .. just a USB and car plug... I have my concerns about battery life. Now that I bought a cheap ac/dc cigarette plug adapter ($6.99 compared to $14-$24) I put on for a long charge ..I get around 4-5 hrs of use.
br /I have more reading to understand more features or lack of... I'm not sure if there is a way to get an alternative route to a destination, it does recalculate the route if you deviate but I'm looking for a complete revision of the route..
br /I wasn't looking for a MP3 player so I haven't picked up a card yet..
br /Now if it can only tell me where the potholes are I'd be that much more pleased.
br /I have and will recommend the product to others. I'm very much satisfied at this point.
br /Hope this helps...
br /

I was absolutely overjoyed when MY Mio GPS finally arrived in the mail. The unit is fairly easy to figure out and operate. There is a new map update available in many stores for only $15. The update is a must, and well worth the cost. This is a fantastic unit for the price!

When you buy a GPS solely for the price, you do not expect much. The Mio C310x is a pleasant surprise. It is full of features and is extremely accurate, something you really want in a GPS. That said, there are some drawbacks that preclude a five star rating.
br /
br /On the plus side:
br /Accuracy. It is not just location, the unit accurately tracts your speed, even giving you if you want, warnings that you are speeding. I create track logs to monitor my bike exercise program, and get very accurate map, average speed, and distance data.
br /
br /Portability. It fits easily in your pocket and comes with a windshield mount.
br /
br /POIs: It has a huge database of points of interest, which is fully searchable.
br /
br /
br /The minuses:
br /
br /Your favorites. Only two favorites Home and Work can be preprogramed.
br /
br /Search functions. Searches are clunky, and it takes a while to learn how do searches efficiently.

I've used this little unit for over a year now and I have to say that it works well as a gps unit. It has nothing fancy like bluetooth but in terms of getting you to the place you want to go it is highly effective. Rerouting is fast and it uses the Sirf III chip just like the top of the line Nuvis. The company itself is getting bigger by the day and their website is getting better, but support is definitely not as strong as that of bigger companies. The menu system is effective but does require a little getting used to. People new to GPS systems should check out the cheaper alternatives with garmin which is easier to use. If you're looking for an effective cheap GPS unit it's hard to find anything better than this.
br /Overall I have been pleased with this device and would buy it again.

First gps got it 2days befor taking a trip learned how to use in those two days, like the auto reroute made a wrong turn and befor I could say heck it was rerouting me

This is the second c310x I have purchased. The first was for me - the second was a gift for my brother.
br /The unit is light, quick, and feature packed. The graphics are clean and crisp - with smooth scrolling.
br /Although the styling may be a little less sexy than other GPS units - it isn't ugly by any means.
br /Battery life is around 2 hours - but the unit is only used in the car so it's not an issue for me.
br /If a few extra dollars are available opt for the next model up, which is very sleek and also has bluetooth.

I received the product and it was in factory sealed condition , the price is still none can beat. Good service and support when there was a delay in shipping.

This Gps is outstanding. Its pinpoint accuracy and its so easy to use. It is my first GPS and I love it even thow I am using it strictly for directions and not the mps option. My friends are amazed about the price and how good of a gps it is for the money. I did my research before the purchase of this unit and every site I looked on it got a 4 or 5 star review which is top notch. I cant complain about anything on this it is perfect to get you where you want to go... :) I would reccomend it to anyone

I love this thing..one of the cheapest GPS systems you can get and you would never know it. I borrowed a friends when I went apartment hunting and I could never hasve found my way from place to place in the strange city without it! I wanted it PRONTO and my moms was sold on it also. As soon as we got back from the trip we each bought ourselves one. I call him Roy and he works FANTASTICALLY.
br /
br /Cons: Takes A SMALL bit of getting used to before you get REALLY comfortable with it. It is pretty horrible in Downtown S.F.

Am very satisfied with the Mio - works well and is compact and portable - could use a better more complete instruction manual.

I like this product.However I have some problems with it.I send e-mail to mio-tech,but didnot receive answer.I have Windows Vista OS,so I cannot use my USB cable.I cannot use MP-3 neither.

This is a great little unit. I was really impressed with all the features, and yeah, it had a couple little quirks (like it doesn't read my SD card) but nothing that wasn't overridden by the rest of the unit's greatness....until I got the map upgrade a week after I had the unit and KABOOM...now the thing will not respond due to a limit in memory, at least that is what it is telling me. I have contacted support on numerous occations with no response (they say within one workday, but good luck). Now I am the proud owner of a really cool looking chunk of plastic that I can suction cup to my forehead and act like the jerk I am for buying this thing. All I need now is to return it and look for something that actually functions!!

Powerful window suction mount and good price, but outdated maps and poor routing make nav a challenge. Some appreciate the hackability (play video!) of this unit, but I just want a reliable GPS and this is not it.

Be very careful about installing the mount on the windshield. Mine fell off, the screen impacted the gear shift and cracked. Mio is denying warranty repair. They tell me I installed it incorrectly. They are willing to spend $133 to send the suction cup mount to Germany for testing, but they are unwilling to make a customer happy.
br /
br /I guess you get what you pay for.

I have been looking at many different portable car GPS units. This unit by far is the simplest unit to navigate around and looks great. You will not be disappointed... Some of the features include:

PROS:
* Simple to use GPS unit
* Zoom/pan in 3D mode (2D available as well)
* Multiple navigation modes: Pedestrian, car, bicycle, etc
* Complete map of US and Canada already loaded
* Preloaded points of Interest: Gas stations, hospitals, hotels, etc
* 3.5" color display with auto night color changes
* Vehicle speed limit warning
* Audio: GPS audio, and MP3 player via SD/MMC card (card not provided)
* Includes AC & car charger, Map DVD, USB cable, car mounting kit

CONS:
* No Blue Tooth (only if you care)

Note: Included DVD will not play in a cd only player... you do need a DVD/CD player in your PC (which all new PC's do have).

This is got to be the worse GPS that I have ever own. First it did not work out of the box, tried top download the map-it did not work. I tried more then once to contact for customer support and did not receive any replies.

For those who rate this high, good luck to you, hopefully it will work and you will not need any support.

Finally decided to buy a Garmin 340 and it is terrific.

The c310x is an amazingly full-featured GPS, and at a very reasonable price. Has a very intuitive gui, grouping and labeling of points of interest, extremly accurate, clear directions. Amazingly, includes maps for the entire US, right out of the box! Overall a great unit.

This thing has a lot of pros, like well made, good looking, nice user interface etc. I only want to point some cons comparing with my Dell PPC + Dell gps receiver.
1. I only used twice, this thing both gave me some routes on small street as another reviewer said, it doesn't know which is "main" street.
2. Just before a turn, no alarm at all.
3. Not much quicker or similar to lock satellite signal.
4. More delay in updating current position on map.

I got MIO c310x in BF deals at Staples and I was excited to have GPS within $150.

This unit is good. If you compare this unit with the Invision (SupportPlus Inc unfamiliar name in GPS), Mio look just OK. I got Invision for same price on Cyber Monday deals at Staples. This is also European product but it is really Nice. Invion has whole bunch of features at a price of $150. Auto recalculations of route, MP3 as well as Video.

Biggest Cons of MIO is not using Navteq Maps. Secondly, reception and fixing location of vehicle delays by 2-3 secs. This time is enough to miss the roads in downtown.


Get Invison GPS from Staples. It do not have Bluetooth and Photo Viewer but it has everything what you can expect in $500 + GPS. You can play your movie on GPS too.

Mio uses Tele-Atlas map set for their data, which is recognized by many as not as good as the Navteq maps. Their is a reason Tom Tom is switching to Navteq maps and that Garmin uses Navteq maps. The Mio is a European product first, and a USA product second only.

The only reason I kept the GPS is because I got for $150 on black Friday. The programmer or engineer that designed the interface should really be fired!! It is too much pain to use this GPS. Everything is so unintuitive. I consider myself a geek. I pretty much figured out how to use most of the functions after two days playing with it. The manual is next to useless.

Pros:
Very fast to lock into the satellites. Re-route is very quick. The size is pretty small and light weight. Very responsive.

Cons:
The biggest problem with this unit is the interface. If you are not very good with electronic stuff, stay away from this unit. It would be very difficult for you to learn how to use it. The map is definitely not as good as the NavTech Map. I cannot find my address on the unit. My area was built over 30 years ago. It find the street name. But not the street number. It will not allow you to enter a correct street number if it is not in its database. Be prepared to enter wrong street numbers into the POI so that the unit will save it. You cannot save your address under address book. The address book only save the city itself. You must save your address as POI. I tried using it to navigate, it is off by at least 30 to 40 feet. When it comes to distance to the next exit, the unit shows one number and the unit speaks a different number. Sometimes the difference is over 20%. The cockpit in navigation takes up too much space on the left. The screen for the map itself is actually very little. The street names on the map is in white. It is not very easy to read the street names quickly. You have to make an effort before you could read the street names. You cannot afford to concentrate on reading the screen for the street names. Otherwise you will get into an accident.

Once you setup your destination, the unit will not automatically tell you how to get there. You have to press the lock button so that it could unlock from your current position. Otherwise, it will only show the same position on the screen. This is so stupid.

The MP3 function is useless. I connected the units to the car's stereo, the sound is so bad. It just doesn't sound right. It seems to be missing a lot of music or something. I am not an audiophile. You cannot have MP3 playing and the GPS working at the same time. You have to pick one at a time only.

I owned a Garmin. The Garmin interface is much better. The only problem is that the unit is too slow. That's why I wanted a new GPS.