Mio DigiWalker C230 GPS Receiver

Good basic unit-worth the money

By Manny  Dec 26, 2007 | 1 out of 1 found this Mio DigiWalker C230 review helpful

Pros: Good sattelite reception. Small pocket size. Bright display. Road names vocalized

Cons: Occasionally innacurate pronunciation of roads. Occasional map errors.

This is a great unit in many important ways. First of all, it is small enough to fit in the pocket or purse and can be used while walking. It has a bright clear display and the sound is loud enough for most vehicles. If your vehicle has a lot of road... noise (knobby tires), you will not be able to find any suitably loud units anyway. The maps, like all GPS maps, are out of date within a few months, if not sooner in some areas, depending on construction. It is especially noticeable on exit/entrance ramps that seem to be the most out of date. Occasionally, you'll find that you can't make the turn it suggests because new construction makes that turn illegal. (I.e. a left turn may now be a jug-handle. One thing I found annoying though is that it sometimes does not tell you which direction (N,S,E,W) road to take. This is more important on a ramp that divides into, for example, I-75 North or South. The unit just says, "Take the next right onto I75." When it should say "Take the second right onto I75 North." In that way, you could be sure, without looking to see if the map is accurate, that you are going in the desired direction. This is a minor annoyance, and occurs only occasionally, however. This unit will get you where you want to go. It recalculates quickly when you go off route and doesn't chide you. It just says "off-route... Recalculate." instead of "You missed the turn..." Be aware, though, that all GPS receivers do not work in tunnels due to signal loss. Some will get lost and recalculate when they really don't need to. I haven't encountered any long tunnels yet, but the overpasses I've been under don't seem to affect this unit or confuse it. It takes a little bit of time to get used to the controls. Thankfully, it is one of the more basic units and there are not a lot of variables. The speed indicator is useful, but the function that tells you that you are exceeding the speed limit does not seem to work at all. It would be a nice reminder to have it warn you if you are exceeding the speed limit beyond your personal allowances. It allows you to set those personal limits, but while driving, it does not warn you when you exceed your limits. In summary, I would buy it again if I had to do it over. It can be found for about $150 to $160 online. Read more Less