Mio A701

Last Update: Review by LordPercy (added on 24/02/07)

Mio A701 is a GPS-enabled pda handset featuring AGPS support to enables users to navigate accurately even in poor satellite reception areas. The other features of Mio A701 include; 520 MHz Intel PXA270 processor, 1.3 MP camera, Windows Mobile 5.0 compatible, 2.7″ touch screen, 128 MB onboard storate, bluetooth 1.2 and SD/MMC card support. The Mio A701 is currently priced in Australia for around AU$1299.00

+ REVIEWS (last updated: 24/02/07)

LordPercy reviews the Mio A701, and writes:
“The integration with Outlook under Windows Mobile 5 does allow the Mio to navigate to a contact which proved far easier than tapping in an address using the stylus or D pad. The downside is having to keep your contacts addresses up to date which we are particularly bad at! Before setting off it is a good idea to select a profile a bit like the Pocket Loox N100 we tested, there is a profile for foot, bike and car which adjusts slightly the screen layout and also ETA times. Instructions are both on screen as with all Mio Maps and voice prompts.”

CNET Australia reviews the Mio A701, they rated the pda phone 8/10 and write:
“Overall, the Mio A701 is a very well thought out phone. Its combination of good looks and functionality make it a good everyday phone. The 520MHz Intel XScale PSA-270 processor certainly has enough grunt to make things run smoothly and the menus and functionality are intuitive and simple to pick up. There’s also a solid 128MB of ROM and 64MB of RAM installed in the device. Our only gripes were with the fact that there aren’t enough user-definable buttons, and that the stylus isn’t suited for long-term use.”

RegHardware reviews the Mio A701, they write:
“Around the rear is the camera and the much more useful speaker. This is loud enough to provide clear instructions even during high-speed motorway driving, something some other PDA- and phone-based navigation systems have a problem with…The maps are shown in a 3D view when driving and the spoken instructions are quite accurate. You can also add voice tags to certain commands. It doesn’t feel like the MioMap software always took the shortest route though, as on my way back from the shops, it wanted me to take a much longer route home than the one I normally take.”

Infosync reviews the Mio A701, they rated the pda 85% and write:
“Finally, on the note of battery life, the A701 delivers in the range of three hours of GPS use, which should tide most pedestrians and bikers over for a day. Used as a business phone, it falls slightly short of 2 days with average use, which is on par with other recent entries…What’s positive: Comprehensive map management features; good performance and battery life; decent storage. What’s negative: Interface in need of slight improvements; beyond-GPS functionality limited.”

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