Mio C620: the search for the 3rd dimension

The most recent range in Mio’s DigiWalker family has been available in the shops for a couple of weeks now. The C620 is the new high-end model, and comes in two flavours: one with and one without TMC. In designing this new model, Mio used last years high-end model, the C520, as the basis.

On the exterior, only few changes have been made to the design of the C620, but inside the unit, a lot is different from the C520. A new version of MioMap, fresh new map material from Tele Atlas (with 3D features) and a new navigational voice is what Mio has cooked up in order to attract a new group of consumers. We remember our experiences with the C520 very vividly, and with those still in mind we’re eager to take this new C620 for a spin and find out if all these new features are also real improvements.

Fresh

As we’re used to from Mio, the C620 comes in a very fresh-looking package. A potential buyer only has to look at the box to know the key features of this PND. Everything is described in six languages, and explanatory illustrations makes things even clearer for the customer.

The compact box contains the C620, a car mount, a PND holder, a USB cable, a 12 Volt charging cable and a CD containing software and mapping material. The system is surprisingly light: the C620 only weighs 165 grams. The shape of the new model is also a bit different, since its back is more rounded than its predecessor.

The windscreen sucker and the cradle into which the C620 is clicked, are both substantially different from the C520’s mount. Mio have developed a new system, which eases the positioning of the mount, but while this new system might be user friendly and solid, it doesn’t really make the car mount any smaller. Once the suction cup, the cradle and the PND have all been attached to each other; a construction is created which needs a pretty large amount of space on the windscreen. This means that in a car with a very angular windscreen, the device needs to be attached very high on the glass, with a resultant restriction in vision..

Exterior

On the exterior of the PND we see a couple of buttons and connections as usual. The on/off button (1) is located on top of the device. We quickly found this button was overly sensitive; the smallest touch makes the device turn on or off. On the front of the C620 there’s a small light (2) and hole (3) to the left of the screen. The light turns on when the PND is connected to a power source. It turns orange when the battery is charging, and green when it is completely charged. Behind the small hole is the microphone, which is needed for the hands-free phone feature.

On the back there is a rubber cover (4) behind which there’s a connection for an external GPS antenna. The speaker (5) is also located at the usual spot on the back of the unit.

We find two more connections on the left hand side of the C620: the SD/MMC card slot (6) and a connection for headphones or audio line out. (7)

On the bottom of the unit there’s the USB connector (8), and the wide connector for the car mount (9). The 12 Volt charger does not use a USB connection like many other PND’s do these days. The charging cord can be attached to the car mount, relieving the user from the hassle of constantly having to plug and unplug this cable into the unit itself.

Software

The new software that comes with this navigational system, MioMap 2008, is very simple to use. Mio has implemented a lot of improvements into this version, which really help the ease-of-use. The menu screens have improved, and became clearer. The navigational screen itself is also very clear and user friendly. The 'split-screen' option in MioMap 2008 makes excellent use of the 4.3-inch screen of the PND. In this, the user can determine which information should be displayed next to the navigational screen, and there are a lot of possibilities.

In our Mio C520 review, we had a few reservations when it came to the software that was installed onto the PND. All these shortcomings have been fixed in MioMap version 3.3, and this means that MioMap 2008 is a big step forward.
The quality of the navigational voice has clearly been improved compared to the former Mio voices, but unfortunately the improvement is almost completely eradicated by the crummy speaker of the C620. So there still remains something to wish for with regards to the voice! The syntax in situations where two route indications need to follow each other is also not entirely correct. We hope Mio can fix this in an update of Mio 2008.

In calculating routes the Mio functions excellently. It's not only easier for the user to enter a destination, but the calculation of a route is done very swiftly. In fact, three routes are all calculated to the destination: the fastest, the shortest and the most economical. On the navigational screen, the length and duration of these routes are all shown, after which the user can choose for himself which route he wants to take. There is also an option setting available to determine which routes should be calculated.

It would take us far too long to describe every possible setting of this new Mio software. The number of features is simply huge. But one thing is clear: Mio has released an excellent product with MioMap 2008, and they have listened very well to the wishes of their customers.

In the car

The Mio C620 is easy to mount in the car. As already stated the mount does take up a lot of space, but on the other hand it creates a solid and vibration-free attachment to the windscreen. We did note that the system takes its time before the first GPS fix is obtained, and this happens not only with the very first use, but every time the unit gets switched on. Whilst driving, though, the GPS reception is strong and stable, since the Mio C620 uses the renowned SiRF Star III chipset.

Of course we are very curious as to how the 3D features are integrated into the Tele Atlas mapping material, and how the unit will display these objects. The mapping material contains a three-dimensional display of noteworthy buildings in large cities in Europe, and also differences in height are now displayed. For now though, the number of 3D buildings is rather small, so if you don't live in one of these big cities the chance of you passing by one in real life is quite limited.

Of course we've taken a couple of road trips to test these new 3D features. A drive through Amsterdam soon leads to a 3D display of the Amsterdam Arena, the high buildings of Delta Lloyd and Philips at the Amstel docks and the buildings of the Nederlansche bank. The 3D views resemble the real buildings very well, but after our first experiences with this new display method, we're wondering if these 3D objects really add anything to the navigational experience.

Granted, the 3D feature does help somewhat with the orientation of the motorist, but also undeniably makes the motorist look at the screen more to ‘compare’ the 3D object to the real thing. This is not a positive addition to traffic safety if you ask us. We also wonder if this will improve when more 3D objects will start to appear on the maps (because the motorist simply gets used to the view), or worsen.

Thankfully the performance of the C620 is not negatively influenced by the 3D features of the device. The navigational screen scrolls equally smoothly with 3D objects or without, and this is also the case when height differences are shown on the screen. This last option didn’t really impress us, because the look of the ‘real world’ is mostly influenced by buildings, forests, and other elements in the landscape. The height differences as the C620 shows them are only rarely visible by the user.

For this reason we’ll qualify the new 3D feature as a ‘nice gadget’, but not much more. We do realise however that we are only at the beginning of a new development, which will undoubtedly improve over the coming years.

Bluetooth

One function which has been around for some time on portable navigational units, is the hands free phone function, and the Mio C620 features a Bluetooth module to enable this. The most important advantage this feature offers for the motorist is that they (obviously) do not have to hold the phone in their hand any more, thereby complying with the current traffic laws in most European countries. Also for this feature the software has been improved a lot. Connecting a phone is now very easy with the help of some very clear screens, and the software also has options like showing log files of made and received calls, and a complete phone contacts register. Unfortunately, only one phone number per contact is copied from the phone to the PND.

The technical side of the hands free function does still hold some room for improvement though. The volume of the speaker is way too low when making a phone call, and we also didn’t like the sound quality of our contact’s voice, which originated from the speaker. The PND’s microphone on the other hand is sensitive enough to pick up the voice of the talking motorist without any problem, and background noises are decently filtered out. The contact on the other side of the line will have no problem understanding what you are saying.

Extras

MioMap 2008 contains a few extras apart from navigating, as has become usual in the PND world these days. The software can be used to store data of your contacts, including a photo if you want. This is a separate file of contact persons, separate from the phone contacts file, allthough it is also possible to call the contact from this file.

The calendar function of the C620 does not only enable you to store important meetings, but also the location of the meet and the departure location. Based on the route that has to be travelled to reach the meet location and the time this will take, the user is warned if he or she should get moving in order to arrive on time. We found this a very handy feature, even if it requires some discipline on the part of the owner.

Finally there’s also the almost inevitable MP3 player and photo viewer. By copying your own music or photo files onto the C620’s SD card, you can turn it into a multimedia system. It has to be said though that the user should not have big demands of the sound quality in playing his music files. The speaker of this unit is absolutely insufficient for having a satisfying musical experience. The screen of the C620 on the other had is of excellent quality, and really does justice to photos.

Mio have undeniably done their very best to develop a more user friendly version of their navigational software. A lot of the features of MioMap 2008 are a big improvement on MioMap 3.3’s features. The C620 is the first Mio PND which will ship with this new software, but in time this version will become available for a lot of other Mio PND’s as well. The new voices of the C620 were also a welcome improvement compared to earlier versions.

The new 3D features of the Tele Atlas mapping material look very good, but we are not impressed by the ‘added value’ they are supposed to bring to navigating. We hope further developments of the three-dimensional display of buildings and height-differences will be able to convince us in the future.

This leaves us with a few comments about the technical side of this new device, of which the bad quality of the speaker is the most notable. We also hope for a less sensitive on/off button in future models, as well as a quicker GPS fix. The internal improvements Mio has made do make the C620 and excellent PND though. And with a retail price of € 399 / £289 for the regular C620 and € 449 / £ 329 for the model including RDS/TMC we think the price is right also.