Good Solid GPS, Not Great
[8 of 8 customers found this review helpful] ★★★★☆ 4.
- Acquires satellites quickly
- Easy menus
- Easy to read
- Fast recalculation
- Large clear lcd
- Simple controls
- Thin
Pros
- Flimsy mounting
- Lousy tech support
- No satellite status
- Quirky poi list
- Speed warning poor
Cons
- Faster routes
- Finding specific address
Best Uses
"I have had this GPS about 3 weeks, and tested it over about 2,000 miles of travel. I bought it after watching the Mio video introducing the S500 (European version of the S501), and assuming it would have all the same features. Wrong!
As for the good, it usually picks up satellites very quickly. Its routings are first rate. It is very nice to get a choice of route types (fastest, shortest, easiest), although it would be much better if it were easier to choose the type of route you want for a particular trip. That choice is buried too deep in the menu structure. Its recalculation is very fast, unlike my previous GPS that was painfully slow and annoying. I especially like the right side dropdown that allows you to display the Distance to Go, Time to Go, Speed, ETA, and Current Time. The only problem is that dropdown disappears whenever the GPS needs to recalculate. But compared to other GPSes that only allow you to display a few of those parameters, and sometimes only one at a time, this is wonderful.
The map display is only mediocre. I have tried each of the dozen or so color schemes, and none has the high contrast I would like. All seem to focus on pastels. It would also be better if it were easier to switch between the 2D and 3D modes.
While driving, this does offer lane guidance, which is a nice feature. However, the Mio video shows that the S500 offers Highway Sign navigation, with the signs you should expect to see displayed over the proper lanes, rather than just an indication that you should be in one of the two right lanes, for example. This is a feature I wanted, but, I found out was not part of the S501. The other missing feature shown in the videa is 3D views of urban areas.
The MioMore Desktop2 that comes with this is supposed to offer Gas Price downloads. When I first tried this (several times), I received an error message. Finally, on the fourth day, I did get it to work. However, as soon as I tried to actually use it, I got an error message that my gas prices were 24 days old, and to update again. Well, updating again does not work. The next day, I figured I would try again, but it would not let me download again, telling me I already had the file. So I used Windows Explorer to find the Gas Price files (there are two), deleted them, and then updated again. This time, the resulting message was that my gas prices were 25 days old, so I could not use them. In other words, Mio seems to have the capability to collect these prices and put them on your GPS, but can't be bothered.
Meanwhile, after the first day of problems, I sent an e-mail message to Mio, via their website, asking about the problem. They promise a response within 24 hours. That was over a week ago, and I still have not seen an answer. They also have a feature called "Mio Community," which has no community, but appears to just be a parked domain filled with Google-supplied ads (including for other company's GPS units!!!). Very disappointing.
Another problem is that in order to use some of the Desktop features, you need to have the CD in the drive. I tried copying the CD's contents to a directory on my hard drive, assuming I could point to it. No way. Either you have the CD, or, it won't work.
I have had a few occasions (probably 5 times now), where the GPS just won't pick up satellites. I finally figured out it needed to be reset, which is easy to do.
Mio brags that this GPS has 12 million POIs. Maybe it does. But I have been disappointed. For example, as a test, I tried to find two major retailers, one that has a store about two miles from me. It did not include that store (which has been around for about 18 months), although it did list others that are farther away, and have been in existence longer. I had the same experience with the other retailer. This would not be so bad, except I ran the same test on a Magellan 1470 (Mio owns Magellan), and the 1470 had the store that was closest to me. And the 1470 went on the market 8 months before the S501.
Finally, one other quirk is that this is the first GPS I have seen that does not allow you to see what satellites it is picking up. That is a significant omission.
After thinking about it a long time, I did decide to keep the GPS, rather than take advantage of Radio Shack's 30 day return privilege. I really like the large screen, the right side dropdown status bar, the fast recalculation, and the hardware button to get back to the main menu. All in all, at Radio Shack's introductory sale price, it is worth the money."
Source
LOVE IT
★★★★★5.0
Pros
Acquires satellites quickly
Easy menus
Easy to read
Easy to set up
Large clear lcd
Reliable
Simple controls
Cons
Best Uses
Faster routes
Finding specific address
Rural navigation
Urban navigation
"I've been using a Garmin for the last year and got this Mio for Christmas. Was skeptical, never heard of a Mio. Used it today and was pleasantly surprised because I'd read some of these other reviews. If I take a different route with the Garmin, it constantly says "recalculating" and keeps telling me to turn around. To the point of irritation. The Mio tried to get me to turn around a couple of times, then adjusted itself to MY route. Didn't irritate me at all. Took me right where I wanted to go and when I got there, my destination was on the side of the road that it said it was on. I love it, and WON'T use the Garmin again."
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.
Source
Absolutely Brilliant Piece of Hardware
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful] ★★★★★5.0
Pros
Acquires satellites quickly
Easy to read
Large clear lcd
Reliable
Cons
Short battery life
Best Uses
Faster routes
Finding specific address
Planning trips
Urban navigation
"I have used a Mio 310X for the last three years, and was very happy with the unit, but it was time to upgrade. I spent many hours reading all about the newest, latest and greatest, and decided on a Garmin NUVI 255WT (on sale at [...] for 129.00).
Source
Please Contact :
Kios Buku Gema (KB Gema) – Mio™ Authorized Dealer
CP : Tri Agus Yogawasista
Jl. Pamulang Permai Barat 1 No. A19/11, Pamulang Permai 1
Pamulang Barat, Ciputat 15417
Tel. : 021-26147755, 0858-83554930, 0852-11572722 (Office Hour)
Email: kbgema@gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/kios.buku.gema/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kios-Buku-Gema/252481719612
http://kiosbukugema.multiply.com/
http://kiosbukugema.wordpress.com/
Pros
Acquires satellites quickly
Easy to read
Large clear lcd
Reliable
Cons
Short battery life
Best Uses
Faster routes
Finding specific address
Planning trips
Urban navigation
"I have used a Mio 310X for the last three years, and was very happy with the unit, but it was time to upgrade. I spent many hours reading all about the newest, latest and greatest, and decided on a Garmin NUVI 255WT (on sale at [...] for 129.00).
However, I was very disappointed with the GARMIN NUVI 255WT. I found the quality of the "voice" muffled, and the road instructions abrupt and very last minute. In addition, the road names given were not the commonly known street names, but rather the State Road #'s. (I am currently on vacation in Florida. I bought this Garmin GPS on a Saturday, and was very anxious to return it on Sunday.
I went back to doing market research, and despite the many negative comments on this forum about MIO and the S501, I decided to try it out given my previous satisfaction with MIO. To make a long story short, I found this GPS to be terrific, and all prospective "GPS" purchasers should simply ignore any negative comments from other users, and confidently buy this unit.
The voice instructions are crystal clear, and the unit actually reads the highway signs as they appear. The unit announces the formal name of the street, in addition to most or all other commonly known variations. As well, the instructions are given well in advance, and repeated as you get closer to the turn etc.I have not had any difficulty in using the "POI's", and suspect that all unhappy users have simply never read the manual.
"RTFM" To be candid, I did invest about an hour or so comprehensively reading all of the documentation, but once I completed it, I found the unit easy to use, and had no difficulty or confusion about any aspect of the machine. This "GPS" is wonderful!!!"
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Source
Please Contact :
Kios Buku Gema (KB Gema) – Mio™ Authorized Dealer
CP : Tri Agus Yogawasista
Jl. Pamulang Permai Barat 1 No. A19/11, Pamulang Permai 1
Pamulang Barat, Ciputat 15417
Tel. : 021-26147755, 0858-83554930, 0852-11572722 (Office Hour)
Email: kbgema@gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/kios.buku.gema/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kios-Buku-Gema/252481719612
http://kiosbukugema.multiply.com/
http://kiosbukugema.wordpress.com/
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