Mio DigiWalker C520 in-car navigation - REVIEW

Adam Turner
Thursday, 30 August 2007 08:38

Your IT - Entertainment

The DigiWalker C520 is blessed with a bright LCD screen which is easy to see in the car even on a sunny day. You can view the maps full screen or dedicate the right-hand third of the display to useful information such as distance to next turn, an icon describing the next turn, your estimated time of arrival, your current speed, turn-by-turn written instructions and points of interest such as petrol stations. The brightness of the screen and the colours used in the maps can be adjusted for day or night driving.

The distance to next turn feature is reassuring, because Samantha can go rather quiet on long stretches of straight road. We found the current speed and time of arrival features to be very accurate, but it doesn't allow for traffic congestion so every time you stop at lights you can see the time of arrival slip backwards and it's then tempting to drive faster to make up the time. The display also tells you the current speed limit, it detected 40 zones near schools but it failed to pick up a few changes from 100 to 80 on CityLink so we wouldn't rely on it too much. Samantha announced she'd lost the GPS signal as we entered the Burnley tunnel, which meant we lost the current speed readout. This aside, everything went smoothly and soon after exiting the tunnel Samantha informed us she'd reacquired the signal.

The DigiWalker C520 is also compatible with the new Traffic Message Channel technology, which delivers live traffic information via FM radio. Australia's SUNA Traffic Channel, developed by Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) subsidiary Intelematics Australia, should be available in Australia by Christmas.

Previous car navigation systems we've tested have taken us on a merry ride through back streets full of round abouts and speed humps, instead of the more logical main road. The DigiWalker C520 performed well even during short trips when the myriad of options can confuse some other devices.

The unit is very light at 190gm, and it's only 20mm thick, so once you've arrived at your destination it easily slips into your jacket or pants pocket when you leave the car. It comes with car mount and soft carry case as well as a car charger, AC charger, USB charger and USB cable. It can also can as an MP3 player (with 1GB onboard storage and an SD slot), calculator, address book and even a hands-free Bluetooth car kit. Disappointingly the address book isn't linked to the mapping application.

The DigiWalker C520 comes preloaded with Sensis' 2007 Australia-wide maps. Sensis releases new maps annually, which you can buy from stores that sell Mio devices or online at www.mioeshop.com.au. The maps sell for $AU159 - which is expensive compared to a paper street directory but remember you're getting Australia-wide maps. As with your paper street directory, you'd probably only want to buy an update every few years.

While the DigiWalker C520 does a fine job, there are some tasks for which a paper street directory are still better suited. While Samantha managed to get us across town, when we got there we realised we'd remembered the street name incorrectly. She'd taken us exactly where we'd asked to go, but it wasn't where we actually wanted to be and we couldn't remember the correct address. We were running late for an appointment but we knew we were close, so we grabbed the trusty Melways directoryfrom the back seat and scanned the suburb until we recognised the street name we were looking for. Doing this on the DigiWalker C520's small screen would have been a slow and painful task.

With a big, bright screen, speech to text and excellent travel-planning logic, Mio's DigiWalker C520 is the best high tech co-pilot we've tested to date. It was a little expensive but the recent cut from $AU699 to $AU499 means if you spend a lot of time on the road then the DigiWalker C520 is a worthy travelling companion.

Mio's DigiWalker C520 retails for $AU499. For more details visit mio-tech.com.au