14 DAY TRIAL // Mio Technology is one of the world's most important manufacturers of GPS navigation devices, and, according to their own statement, their European and especially East-European segments are doing better than ever. However, in order to further improve the company's market share, Mio has released the Moov line, which is designed to answer the demands of the entry-level/mid-range segment.
Since I've had the chance of a hands-on approach, I'll point out what seem to be the features that will most likely appeal to all the users out there. First of all, the GUI (graphical user interface) and the menus have been greatly improved over the past products, partially due to the fact that we're dealing with Navman software here.
Thus, the process of moving from the address search section to the POI section or from the preferences to the display brightness selector is a very fast and seamless one and even users with no previous experience in working with PNDs will most likely find the new Moov's quite user-friendly. Furthermore, the zoom system works perfectly, and the device also offers 2D/3D, day/night navigation modes, as well as a special surprise for crossroads: an auto-zooming system (new window pops up on the screen), which lets the user view exactly which exit to choose.
The displays installed on the devices from the Moov line are 4.3-inch or 3.5-inch touchscreen LCD screens that deliver a fairly OK brightness level, as well as a relatively high level of responsiveness (no stylus, everything is done by "hand", but the operation is very smooth). Additionally, the flagship version (Moov 360) has been equipped with a Bluetooth module, which allows users to turn it into a full-fledged speakerphone.
Another very innovative feature provided by the Moov line is NavPix Photo Navigation, a function that allows users to upload geo-tagged photos into the device's memory (via the MioMore desktop application) and then navigate directly towards the location where the respective photos have been taken. And since we've mentioned navigation, it's also interesting to note that all the models from the Moov family use a SiRFInstantFixII GPS module, which is five times faster than its traditional counterparts.
Up until now, I've pointed out just the advantages provided by the devices from the Moov line. However, there are also some drawbacks, mostly related to the extra-features department. Thus, the PNDs do not provide any significant extra-features (there's no multimedia playback, just plane ol' navigation) and the external design is not exactly extremely attractive, but other than that, there's nothing really bad that can be said about the Moov models (well, not before a closer inspection, that is).
Most importantly, the Moov PNDs have some pretty pocket-friendly price tags, which range between 270 Euro (the Moov 360 Europa model) and 180 Euro (the Moov 200 Regional). In this manner, they'll probably be quite attractive for the Eastern-European market as well, which is rather well-known for its appetite for rather low prices.
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