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| Mio C720t Portable Car Navigation System | 
 enlarge | Brand: Mio
Category: CE
List Price: $499.95
Buy New: $240.00
You Save: $259.95 (52%)
New (6) Used (1) from $205.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 3954
Color: black
Media: Electronics
Memorabilia: No
Native Resolution: 480 x 272
Display Size: 4.3
Includes MP3 Player: 0
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.7
Dimensions (in): 4.9 x 3.1 x 0.8
MPN: C720t
Model: C720t
UPC: 841881002420
EAN: 0841881002420
ASIN: B000VM359U
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-9 of 9 | | « PREV | | |
 Great GPS February 6, 2008
I would like to say that no gps is perfect. I've had Magellan, Garmins,and now Mio,I think for the money the Mio gives you a lot of features, just the 11 million PIO is worth what pay for it. It is not as user friendly as some others but its not that difficult either . I dont like to compare whats bad with one and whats good with one but I think the Mio c720t is good enough to give it 5 stars . I think anytime you pay what they are asking for GPS you should get your moneys worth and I believe Mio has delivered .
 Bad User Interface February 5, 2008
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
I bought this unit because of its long list of features and the split screen navigation. Each separate feature worked OK, but did not share a similar look and feel. The touch screen buttons were small and difficult to use so you may actually be better off bringing along a stylus. My main issue with this unit is the user interface. I want a GPS that can play my podcasts and music while guiding me. I don't want the weak speaker built into the GPS competing with the car stereo. So for starters the headphone jack is 2.5 mm rather than the standard 3.5 mm which meant a trip to radio shack for an adapter so that I can use a cassette deck adapter or an fm transmitter. The dealbreaker for me was when I discovered that although you can start a playlist and then switch over to Mio Maps from the MP3 player you cannot switch back and choose a different song or playlist without exiting Mio Maps and thus ending navigation.
Interacting with the touchscreen was difficult with adult sized fingers and really called for a stylus. I decided to return this and pay a little more for usability. I will get either a Garmin Nuvi 750 or a Harmon Kardon GPS-810.
Highly Accurate GPS Unit December 24, 2007
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I have this unit for almost 2 months now after using 3 units before. The C720t unit is a HIGHLY ACCURATE unit that never goes wrong or take you through longer routes or provide false information like one of the GPS units I had before. The screen is clear and bright and provides all necessary information such as the time left and the distance remaining, the upcoming street and provides 3 warnings before a street where there will be a left or a right turn. I never felt uncomfortable or afraid of losing my way. The text on screen is large and the sound is clear.
The unit have a decent battery life but have a car charger too and a sturdy holder and a nice padded case.
It also have a decent quality camera that the GPS can later guide you to the place of the picture which I consider a cool feature, although easy to do. There also several other bells and whistles in this unit such as a MP3 player, Bluetooth connection to your mobile so that it can dial the number of any POI, card reader, and a contacts database.
Now, best of the show is the POI database that have 12 Million POIs. This is the best feature in this unit. When you search for any POI by a keyword it provides a long list of places starting by the closest place, such as 72yds, 1 mile, and so on. You can search by a keyword such as Macy or Lobster (for Red Lobster) or by a general word such as mall or airport.
It keeps a history of all the places that you have visited before, or you can write all the places you intend to go to and then recall them on the road by just one touch and a touch on the ROUTE TO button.
This is an excellent GPS unit that you have to buy and I do not believe that it have an equal on the market.
Decent GPS Unit Let Down By Software Crashes October 28, 2007
35 out of 35 found this review helpful
For a brief summary of this review, please scroll to the end.
Mio C720t Review:
First of all, allow me to begin by explaining something important about GPS systems... they are not 100% accurate all of the time. However, they do considerably reduce the amount of decision making required when driving. In fact, I would say that they do their job about 90% of the time, which isn't too bad if you think about it. The remainder is left for you to make snap judgments based on your own knowledge and instincts of the open road. These are decent odds if you like to keep your mind focused more on driving safely to your chosen destination.
With that in mind, what can the Mio C720t offer for you? Well, its navigation system seems to be very reliable. I have had the unit now for just under a month, and it has served well in getting me from `A' to `B.' I have tested it with my knowledge of the local roads, and so far it has done pretty good. My only other experience with a GPS system prior to this one was with a Tom Tom Go 720 (the magic number, apparently) which was OK but wasn't ready for release at the time. With the Mio, the mapping system is fantastic, and offers an auto-zoom function for junctions and intersections so that you can negotiate them clearly. I found this feature to be very handy indeed! In addition, the split-screen function was clear and informative... you can switch between different displays next to the map depending on what information you are trying to access. The first option shows you the basic details of your journey, including turn directions, current time, estimated arrival time, distance covered and remaining journey time, plus your speed. The second option displays the closest POI's (Points Of Interest) along with contact details and a brief description. Let me add that this unit packs in 12 million POI's, which is apparently more than any other GPS system out there! The third option gives you details of the closest local traffic problems. The fourth option lists the next four directions of your current journey, so that you can plan ahead, if need be. My only small gripe with the maps is that the color of the route by default is orange, and the interstates, when viewed from an angle, are red. Naturally, those colors look very similar unless you squint at the screen.
Speaking of which, the screen quality is outstanding, although you will have to go into the display options and maximize the brightness to really appreciate the clarity. In fact, you will find that that although Mio claims that the unit is "ready to go out of the box," in reality, you will need to change some of the settings to optimize the performance of the C720t, including the adequate text-to-speech function (which wasn't the default voice). Navigating the device is not as user-friendly as some of the other GPS units that I have seen, so if you are yearning for something that is a breeze to use, then you might be disappointed. The Mio takes some learning to navigate, especially with the settings and menus, but if you have a little bit of patience then it certainly pays off. As for routing and directions, you can select a destination by typing in an address, which is really simple, considering that the database will only reveal the remaining letters that are available as you spell. You can also search through the POI database by using the same method, which is very handy, and with such a high volume in the system you are very likely to find what you are looking for. In fact, I have been using the POI database like a directory to find a lot of my business and retail-based destinations, with the option of calling them directly when my phone is connected via Bluetooth (more about that later).
*For the record, the C720t is basically the C520 with a few added extras. And, unfortunately, like the C520 the software will crash occasionally. If you think that this is going to be a major issue for you then I suggest that you look elsewhere*
Allow me to move onto the extras that the Mio C720t offers. As well as an MP3 player and a video player, this is one of the first GPS units to offer a digital camera. The camera is 2.0 mega-pixels, which takes decent enough pictures and videos. However, the camera feature doesn't cease there... it also records the co-ordinates of where the picture was taken so that you can upload it to sites like Google Maps for sharing with the rest of the world, as well having the option later of being redirected back to the very spot where the picture was taken. The camera can also double as a business card reader by taking a picture of a business card and routing the information to your contact list. I have not tried this feature yet, so I cannot comment on its functionality, but it sounds cool! Going back to the MP3 player, my biggest issue with this unit is that I cannot play MP3s when I am using the map software. I was hoping that I could play music from this baby at the same time as following directions, but apparently this isn't possible. Oh, and if you want more details about the movie player function, I will simply say that it is good enough, but nowhere near the standard of an iPhone or iTouch. I would certainly only use the Mio for this feature if I had no other options available or wanted to travel lightly.
The C720t also comes equipped with a Bluetooth feature, which allows you to make hands-free calls to your compatible cell phone. I was very impressed with this function, and unlike the Tom Tom I could hear the other caller fairly clearly through the powered speaker on the cradle. Apparently, they could hear me OK, too! You can even export your contacts from your phone to the device, which was great, but for some reason the Mio never gives you the caller ID of an incoming call, even if it is in the contacts list (it just displays the number).
As for the traffic feature, it has proved to be handy so far. The map will change the warning roads to blue, and will automatically reroute you around the trouble spots. Is it reliable, I hear you ask? Well, it's difficult to answer that question because I am always being directed away from the roads where there is supposed to be heavy traffic, so I rarely get to see what I am actually being diverted from. I guess that I will just have to trust the Mio on that call! Let me warn you, however, that to use the traffic feature you will need to have your unit wired up to the eyeballs! First of all, the traffic data is received through an FM traffic receiver cable, which needs to be suctioned to your windshield (basically, you are going to have a curly wire running from the back of the unit to the top corner of your windshield). Also, the device will have to be powered, as you cannot use the traffic service on the internal battery. So, you will either have to live with stray wires running around your cockpit, or you can do what I did and have it professionally installed. Just so you know, I had everything fitted at Best Buy and it cost me about $82. But, it was worth it! The traffic subscription is free for the first three months, and after that, it costs $60 for an annual service.
What else do you get in the box for your money? Well, the Mio comes with a handy case, a very sturdy mount and cradle (compared to other GPS units), a USB cable, a car charger, a wall charger, and a CD-ROM with some basic software. My only concern so far is that I cannot seem to find a way of keeping my device updated using the internet, but hopefully that will be resolved in the future. On a brighter note, I have just discovered that Mio will soon be offering maps of other parts of the world, which will be sold in the form of SD cards to plug directly into your device.
When everything is functioning properly, I am very satisfied with abilities of the Mio C720t. It is a feature-packed unit that is almost half the price of the equivalent Garmin, and worth every penny. However, Mio still haven't worked out the system crashes, which were problematic on its little bother, the C520. So, the device will unexpectedly restart when you are following directions, which can be a problem if it happens at an inconvenient point along your route. I would say, on average, that the software restarts itself between 3 and 4 times a day. Reading the reviews of the C520, I noticed that some folks had this problem whereas others didn't. My only logical explanation for this would be the locale, as in some cities have more streets and therefore more possible routes to calculate. Maybe it can only handle so many calculations at once, which would suggest that more memory is needed in the device to handle the denser populations. I contacted Mio about this issue and they told me to send the device in for repair. I chose not to do this, as I knew that rebooting the software wouldn't help the situation, which is what Mio said needed to be done.
In conclusion, I have a decent GPS unit with many features, but am frustrated by the consistent restarts. If only Mio would sort out this problem, once and for all, then they may be better competition for the likes of Garmin and Tom Tom, particularly with their flagship models, like this one.
In summary:
Pros:
-Great looking device with fantastic screen quality.
-GPS mapping and directions are reliable.
-12 Million POI's is hard to beat, and very handy.
-Traffic feature is useful and functions well enough.
-Price is reasonable compared to competition.
-Cradle is sturdy and rarely comes unstuck.
-Speaker is loud and clear when attached to cradle.
-Auto zoom function is very useful.
-Camera and MP3 player are handy if you want to travel light.
-Geotagging not offered elsewhere yet.
Cons:
-System restarts are frequent and a nuisance.
-Touchscreen can be tricky to use.
-Menus and settings are not always easy to navigate.
-MP3 Player can't be used when following directions.
-Battery life is poor.
-Traffic feature requires external cable.
-No automatic software updates available from the internet.
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