Mio C220 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

I've owned a Mio c310x for a while, and really love it. I bought this because I figured it would be more or less the same thing, minus the MP3 player, which I never use anyway. I'm happy to say that this is just as good as the 310---same great GPS receiver, same quick routing recalculation, same huge POI database, and same great display. That's right---all those folks who are saying that the 310 is brighter are completely wrong (including Bonnie Cha at CNET.) The c220 (like the c310x) has 2 levels of brightness control, one in the MioMap program and one in the basic hardware setup. I assume that all the folks who say the display is invisible in sunlight simply haven't figured out that you can increase the brightness 2 ways, and you may need to do both. It's just like a computer sound system, you've got a sound level in the audio software, and you may also have a volume knob on your speakers. In this case the "hardware" brightness control is easy to miss, since you must exit the MioMap program (without turning the unit off) to access this control. It's also accessible on initial setup, but most folks fumble through that before reading the instructions, I guess. I have the hardware brightness set at about 2/3 (default is 1/2), and the display is bright and crisp and contrast-y in bright sunlight, even with sunglasses on. And it can go brighter! (I assume the reason for the low factory setting is to conserve battery power, but it's still good for hours, even at the brightest setting, and I use it mostly in the car, anyway.)This is a great product at a really great price---the only complaint I have is that Canada maps aren't included. I live in the Northeast, and I may want to venture over the border some day.

I bought this item as a Christmas gift for my Mom. She is not tech savvy, but I thought a GPS system would be easier and safer than following printed directions while driving. I wanted something easy where you can just type in a starting address, an ending address, and then just follow the directions (similar to online map software). Unfortunately, I found this device not user friendly, even for a more tech savvy person like myself. It was not intuitive how to use, and you have to poke keys on a digital keyboard with fingers, which was difficult to do without hitting nearby keys. I found the maps challenging to navigate, and I couldn't figure out how to zoom out/in and easily pan without affecting the route. The user guide was only on the CD, and at 87 pages long, I realized that this product is only for the most patient and determined person. Knowing that my Mom would not go to this much trouble to learn and use it, I returned it. I hope there are easier GPS systems out there.

In terms of GPS functionality-- this unit works fine. It has a pretty good display, navigation works well, etc.However, I had to return this unit becuase you can't store address as "favorites" like many other GPS units (including my older NEXTAR C3). You can store "home" and "work" - that's it. (and while these two 'favorites' can be renamed-- two just doesn't cut it for me).ALso, while you can review and retrieve an address from a "history" of recently-travelled destinations, these will scroll off eventually and then those addresses have to be re-entered.Too bad-- a really important feature that was left out, and a deal-killer for me. Wish I had known beforehand.If that doesn't bother YOU-- then I do actually still recommend this GPS-- the price is sure right.

The MIO GPS is an excellent buy. I purchased this unit a month ago for a 500 mile road trip, and it performed better than I expected. The last thing to do on a road trip is to deal with the frustrations of navigating, especially in other cities. It's plenty loud at highway speeds with windows up. Clear and easy to read display with day/night mode (automatic or off). One point that I do agree with the other reviews, the menus are a little strange and do require a little bit of messing around to get comfortable with. Overall, the MIO C220 is the best bang-for-the-buck touch-screen GPS on the market.

Great Navigation- I bought this in April. Works fine, right out the box.Turn by turn directions, it's very accurate, and it's easy to use. I just bought another one for a Christmas present. It doesn't have the MP3 or picture display capability, but it's great if you want or need a navigation system. The screen is large and bright enough, has the night -view, 3-D imaging, and lots of bells and whistles. It uses an SD card with pre-loaded maps, and does the job!!! Highly recommended.