Is GPS changing the way you see the world?

As more of us use electronic devices to store our phone numbers and use GPS devices to navigate through streets, are our brains losing their ability to store information? 

Although the human brain has a breakdown when it comes to remembering numbers longer than 10 digits, could the use of cell phones be having a detrimental effect? Years ago there was no problem remembering phone numbers, you had no choice. You may have had a phone book, but you could remember six or so phone numbers without any problems.

 Picture from The Alchemist Lab
Today it appears that that GPS navigation devices maybe actually changing the way in which our brain's form cognitive maps.  As any London black cab driver will tell you ad nauseam "we're the best cabbies in the world". This is because of their extra large rear hippocampuses, caused by three years of riding around every London street before they can take "The Knowledge".  But for us mere mortals our brains usually do a pretty good job of picturing areas and routes in our minds eye.

Alex Hutchinson in The Walrus writes that…neuroscientists are starting to uncover a two-way street: our brains determine how we navigate, but our navigational efforts also shape our brains."
Experts are starting to see signs that changes in our brains will occur as we grow accustomed to using GPS devices, and not our minds to see the route ahead. But adaptation is what humans have been doing for millennia; this is just one more thing to adapt to.

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One of Mio's days

With every new Miomap update, more details of rural and well hidden locations are being provided. The streets of China and Taiwan are a maze of narrow alleys and poorly addressed lanes. It can be a daunting task for even the most experienced driver to find their way around. The true story below explains what happened to one staff member on their way to an appointment and how their Mio saved them both time and embarrassment.

It is a fact of office life, that, your work load will increase exponentially to the urgency with which you need to keep an appointment.


It was a slow work day, I’d managed to get everything done and had an appointment at about 7pm. Great, I figured. I’ll be able to leave the office at 6pm and make my way, through the scooter and car infested streets and still have time for a coffee. At 5:30pm Murphy invoked his law. E-mails flew in from all angles, the boss wanting this, someone else wanting that. None of which could possibly wait until the next day. But with 30 minutes I’d managed to field everything and clear my in box. So I grabbed my coat, ran down the stairs, rushed through the doors and hailed a passing cab.

Just as I'm sitting there, catching my breath giving the driver vague directions. I realized I'd forgotten the address. "@#$!%"
 
It was on a post-it somewhere on my desk. This was not a good start. Fumbling around in my handbag, I found my Mio GPS, but with no hint of a name or address it wasn't going to help much. 


My laptop did, however, have the name of the clinic, but no telephone number or address. Ok, so now I had the name and was one-step closer and still on schedule. 


Now to test my GPS, did my Mio have enough POI’s installed to get me to the destination? It was a long shot at best. It's not like this was a big hospital, just a specialized clinic off a main road.  I entered the name of the hospital, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.  I was more than a little surprised to see the full details displayed. With the cab driver now knowing where to head, we found our way in no time.  So next time you’re looking for an obscure place, reach out and grab your Mio, you never know what you’ll find.

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Mio goes green

Over the last few years it seems as though the whole world has gone green. It’s green house gas this, recycle that. It’s enough to drive you mad. Since pretty much every scientist and former politician has an opinion on what causes global warming, whether it’s by the cyclical nature of the earth or by humans being their usual self destructive selves, it makes you wonder why you bother in the first place.

Mio, along with a lot of other companies and governments, accepted that it may well be the fault of humans, so erring on the side of caution, have decided to do their part to make the planet a bit healthier. Whether this will have any real effect remains to be seen, but as they say, every little counts.

So what are Mio doing? Well it falls under a two categories: voluntary and compulsory. The voluntary stuff includes things like producing smaller packaging and making our offices more environmentally friendly, by using energy efficient light bulbs and recycling rain water. The compulsory requirements are: RoHS for the EU and China and restricts the use of hazardous materials; WEEE is another EU directive that aims to reduce the amount of material going into landfill sites and EuP which looks at how energy efficient products are during their life cycle ( from raw materials to disposal).
I guess whatever we do can’t be bad. Will it have any real effect? Only our children’s children will be able to answer that one.

For more information on Mio’s green policies, check out http://www.mio.com/greenerMio.htm and feel free to share your environmental ideas with the rest of the community.

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GPS Myths

We’ve all heard horror stories about GPS devices so here are our top myths about navigation systems.

 

It costs money to use – False. After initial purchase it is completely free to receive satellite signals. Other services such as traffic management, weather reports, MSN direct are usually charged for.

It will send me in the wrong direction – False. If you haven’t updated your maps in a while then it is possible that roads may have changed direction and been re-routed. You’re still meant to be able to read road signs!

It will send me under low bridges – Possibly True. Map data normally doesn’t contain detailed information about bridge height or narrow roads. If you’re driving a high vehicle and you see a low bridge don’t think that the GPS will lower your vehicle and help you fit under it. They’re good, just not magic!

Governments can track my whereabouts – Possible. Depending on which navigation system you use it is possible that a GPS system could be used to track you. None of Mio’s does.  But since most in-car GPS systems can only receive information from satellites and not broadcast it to others, the government can’t see where you’re going. Your cellphone on the other hand is another matter!

It won’t work on cloudy days – False. GPS systems work using direct line of sight to the satellite, so trees and buildings may get in the way, and you probably won’t be able to use it inside. But clouds have no effect on the signal.

GPS is the same as GPRS – They are not the same. GPS means Global Positioning satellite and they work on the concept of getting your GPS system to receive positioning signals from the 27 satellites in orbit around the earth. GPRS is General Packet Radio System and is a simple method of transferring data on cell phones.  Support the NMA group in your area.

The satellites send maps to my GPS – False. Apart from the fact that the amount of data that this would require is astronomical it’s just plain silly. The maps are preloaded on to the device or sold separately for adding later.

GPS’s automatically record where you’ve been – Partially true. Not sure where this one came from, but cheating husbands can rest assured that their wives won’t be able to see where they’ve been from their GPS device.  Some brands products do send route information back to a central computer, but none of Mio’s do.

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Mio "Spirit"

The legend of Spirit is shrouded in mystery and intrigue changing through the generations as it’s passed down from grandmother’s false teeth, to grandfather’s false leg and onto the children’s wooden toys.  It’s worth taking with a sandpit full of salt. 

Some say it started with the birth of the world itself. A small germ of an idea that was watered and fed and over time evolved and morphed its way up through the primordial soup and the millennia into what we have today. It was hidden through the age of beasts, the time of ice and the era of dark, out of site from the conquering armies and empire builders; until it was discovered by a small boy, in the bottom of a deep well, in the wilds of New Zealand’s South Island.  

Through this dark time the product was known only as X, its name would only be realized when it was born. As it gestated and grew it began to take on form and actualization, a personality became apparent and it whispered to the Creators, “Spirit”.

 
“Ok” thought the designers, “Spirit it is” and promptly removed its voice box, installing a speaker instead.  

Others say a bunch of guys were kept in a room and fed nothing but crushed crisps and coffee sachets through the bottom of the locked door until their brains imploded causing the resulting mass to be less messy and more contained*. 

At the same time as the flat party food and dehydrated drinks were being consumed, a team of marketers were sitting down at Pedro’s Tapas in Soho chomping on chorizo’s, paella and kicking chilies stuffed with cheese. It was during this session which lasted until 3am that its name came about. This was supposed to be a brainstorming session and so it was. Their brains were well and truly stormed. A host of names had been proposed at the start and these were considered dull. So as the doors were closing behind them and they stumbled up the stairs to the cold, wet, bubblegum strewn streets dealers. 

Someone shouted “SPIRIT” into the night air. Its sound echoed around the 18th century parapets and 1960’s facades and landed in each of their ears. “SPIRIT” they all replied in unison. And so the next morning they arrived to find a single word on a yellow post-it on each of their monitors. SPIRIT it said. Nobody knows how it got there, no one took responsibility and indeed no one knew.

The truth may never be known, but if you see some rather skinny, griseous men with sunken eyes and haunted looks walking through the dark night they may be the ones.

Now, these are two possible versions of how Spirit came into the world, the last is quite different. It involves a bunch of highly intelligent people working night and day for a couple of years to produce a great user interface for Mio’s new generation of navigation devices. Together they sat in an office with coffee and water and studiously developed the name.

* The human brain is remarkable in times of great stress. In other animals stress causes an explosion and provides food for other species. Humans implode and provide a less untidy corpse to show relatives to at the funeral.

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New Mio Moov S Series Features and Development

The New Mio Moov S series is finally getting rolled out around the world. Discover how it can help you to make the most of your journeys and learn a little about how it was developed.

During this unsettled economic period, more and more people have become conservative in their spending, including reducing their budget for traveling. But they still need to get away from the stresses of work and life. Targeted at helping consumers plan and take trips more easily and cost-efficiently, Mio have launched the revolutionary Moov S-series equipped with the breakthrough Mio Sprit Navigation Software, fulfilling users’ needs throughout the whole journey: from planning to going, and exploring the places worth visiting. With the right tools to plan your trip and guide you on the road, you don’t have to sacrifice your dream trip just because of budgetary concerns.

Planning ahead has never been easier 

To save your time when planning ahead, Google™ Maps is supporting Mio Moov S series users in picking locations on maps and transferring them directly to My Places for route planning.

Act like a local and avoid tourist traps

To act like a local and know where to go, users can use the “Explore” function on the Moov S series. Different from the traditional POI search the innovative Explore Mode™ allows you to browse the map and seeing all nearby POIs at a glance.

All of these features were developed with the aid of a focused  R&D team who asked themselves a small number of very big questions:

1. What is the future of car navigation?

2. How can we get people to take their devices out of their cars and into their lives?

3. How can Mio devices appeal to women?

To answer these questions Mio conducted some empathic user research in the US, Germany and the UK. They met and spoke to a wide range of people about their navigational needs, worries and behaviors and showed theme a selection of current GPS devices and documented their responses. Their concerns were listened to and their individual needs were identified.

Designing the interface took about six months. The hardest part was getting the organization to get behind the “spirit of Spirit”. Little decisions like the functionality of a button, would take over a month to finalize. The building of Spirit challenges many of the old ways of thinking for both customers and staff alike.

So now it’s out there find out where your nearest Mio dealer is and have a try for yourself.

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Cara Menggunakan GPS Mio Moov 200/300 (Bagian 4) – Oleh Tri Agus Yogawasista

Dari bagian 1 sampai bagian ke 3, merupakan dasar dari mengoperasikan pertama kali sampai untuk menyetel beberapa bagian yang dianggap penting. Ada beberapa bagian yang tidak akan dibahas disini, silahkan sebagai Pekerjaan Rumah ya, he…

Mari kita bahas, bagaimana cara menemukan tujuan yang kita inginkan. Kita masuk langsung pada Menu Utama 1 dari bagian 3.

Sebagai misalnya, mencari Jl. Raya Bogor, Cibinong, Bogor. Pertama tekan Alamat dari Menu Utama 1 dari bagian 3.

Akan keluar Menu Pilih Sebuah Negara. Pilih negara Indonesia.

Terlihat Menu Pencarian Tempat Tujuan, pilih Alamat Jalan, kemudian ketik, Raya Bogor. Akan muncul beberapa nama disekitar Jl. Raya Bogor, silahkan pilih daerah Jl. Raya Bogor sesuai akan dituju, Cibinong.

Pencarian alamat dapat menggunakan Kota/Daerah, Kode Pos maupun Persimpangan. Terserah anda yang paling mudah akan digunakan.

Setelah dipilih, Jl. Raya Bogor, Cibinong, kemudian tekan tanda centang, bahwa anda setuju.

Menu Pratinjau Tempat Tujuan, anda setuju, tekan Anak Panah, sebelah kanan bawah. Maka akan dihitung jarak dari tempat asal (Misalkan dari Jl. Pamulang Barat 1)

Menu Menemukan Lokasi Anda, sedang menghitung jarak atau rute yang akan ditempuh dari tempat asal.

Menu Menemukan Lokasi Anda, telah terhitung sejauh 47,2 dari Jl. Pamulang Permai Barat 1 (misalkan) ke Jl. Raya Bogor, Cibinong. Dengan rute ditunjukan dengan jalan berwarna hijau dengan ujung berupa anak panah.

Bilamana ingin mengetahui rute secara detail tekan sembarang tempat digambar Peta, tahan sampai keluar menu seperti gambar diatas, berupa arahkan, tampilkan rincian, POI terdekat dll.

Masih bingung? Silahkan segera ya membeli GPS Mio Moov 200 atau Mio Moov 300, atau mau yang sangat canggih Mio Moov S500 atau Mio Moov S550. Saya jamin anda akan lebih ngerti dan pintar dari penjualnya, he….

Selesai.

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Cara Menggunakan GPS Mio Moov 200/300 (Bagian 3) – Oleh Tri Agus Yogawasista

2. Menyetel Peta

Menu Utama bagian 1 dari 3, teruskan dengan menekan tanda anak panah disebelah kanan bawah, hingga diketemukan Preferensi. Kalau sudah diketemukan tekan Preferensi, hingga terlihat gambar dibawah ini :

Kemudian sentuh atau tekan Tampilan Peta

 

Terlihat menu Tampilan Peta bagian 1 dari 3. Terlihat ada 2 bagian, Skema Warna Peta dan Skema Peta. Dimana Skema Warna Peta dapat diubah-ubah sesuai selera kita, skema warna peta terdapat juga pada seri yang terdahulu yaitu Mio C230 dan Mio C320 atau Mio C320b. Untuk Skema Peta pilih Siang/Malam Otomatis. Kemudian tekan tanda panah kanan bawah.

Menu Tampilan Peta bagian 2 dari 3. Terlihat Presentasi Peta, centang Tampilan Rambu Dilarang Masuk. Diharapkan pemakai Mio Moov 200 dan Mio Moov 300 tidak akan kena tilang bapak Polisi, karena masuk jalan satu arah (verboden).

3. Menyetel POI

Sama dengan urutan diatas, menyetel Peta, diketemukan menu Preferensi bagian 1 dari 3. Tekan aktifkan POI.

Diketemukan menu Tampilkan POI diatas Peta, tekan Hidupkan Semua.

4. Menyetel Photo

Kelebihan dari GPS Mio seri Moov ini, kita dapat memasukan Photo baik berasal dari Flickr, Picasa maupun GPS Camera Digital. Photo yang akan dimasukan bukan sembarang photo seperti Camera Digital biasa, tapi Photo yang didalamnya terdapat kode, merupakan letak koordinat dimana photo tersebut diambil (Geotagging).

NavPix didapat pada Menu Utama bagian 2 dari 3. Pilih NavPix.

Dengan bantuan CD yang ada pada GPS Mio Moov 200 dan Mio Moov 300, photo yang ada akan dikonversi.

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Cara Menggunakan GPS Mio Moov 200/300 (Bagian 2) – Oleh Tri Agus Yogawasista

Sesudah kita mempelajari bagaimana cara menjalankan GPS Mio Moov 200 dan Mio Moov 300, kita akan mempelajari bagaimana cara menyetel (setup) yang utama saja, sebagai tambahan pengetahuan saja. Bilamana anda membeli GPS Mio di Kios Buku Gema semua setup sudah siap, tinggal pakai saja.

1. Menyetel Rute

Menemukan Lokasi Anda, saat anda menyalakan pertama kali. Lihat kiri bawah ada gambar papan tombol (keyboard) merupakan sarana untuk masuk ke menu utama.

Menu Utama bagian 1 dari 3, teruskan dengan menekan tanda anak panah disebelah kanan bawah, hingga diketemukan Preferensi.

Menu Utama bagian 2 dari 3, tekan Preferensi.

Menu Preferensi bagian 1 dari 3, tekan opsi rute

Menu Perhitungan Rute bagian 1 dari 4, silahkan rubah sesuai keinginan anda

Menu Perhitungan Rute bagian 2 dari 4, Jenis Jalan. Jangan centang Hindari Jalan Tool, karena kalau ada jalan Tool akan dihindari, tapi centang Peringatan.

Menu Pemberitahuan Sopir bagian 3 dari 4, bilamana anda tidak menginginkan kecepatan kendaraan maksimum 100 km/jam, maka centanglah.

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Cara Menggunakan GPS Mio Moov 200/300 (Bagian 1) – Oleh Tri Agus Yogawasista

Semua produk GPS Mio, cara menggunakan dengan sistem tombol sentuh (touchscreen). Cara menggunakan GPS Mio Moov 200 dan Mio Moov 300, sama mudahnya kalau kita menggunakan HP, Desktop maupun Notebook. Saat tombol On atau Standby atau Off digeser ke arah On, akan terlihat gambar sebagai berikut :

 Tombol pada Mio Moov 200

Tombol pada Mio Moov 300

Simbol Mio Map 2009

Centang kotak pada saat dihidupkan, terserah anda untuk memilih bahasa yang akan digunakan

Persetujuan Keselamatan, tekan Terima. Tentunya anda harus mengetahui isi persetujuan tersebut

Sesudah menerima Persetujuan Keselamatan, akan muncul lagi gambar Simbol Mio Map 2009, kemudian akan terlihat gambar Menemukan Lokasi Anda. Gambar dibawah Sinyal Satelite belum menyala, terlihat jam (kanan atas) belum berjalan, menunjukan J:22. Dan Satelite belum menyala, lihat gambar bawah kanan, terlihat Antena Parabola berwarna merah, bilamana berwarna hijau, sinyal satelite jalan.

Menemukan Lokasi Anda

Menu Utama, ada 3 bagian

Mudah bukan !!!. Jangan kuatir, GPS Mio ini tidak akan meledak bilamana anda salah pencet dan juga bagi anda, maaf, gaptek (Gagap Teknologi), tidak susah kok.

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Accidents ‘Caused’ by GPS devices

Every few weeks, especially during the summer months, there is another report of somebody driving badly and blaming it on their GPS system. Having trawled through the media here are some of our favorites.

1.   Car becomes stuck on New York railroad – Having been instructed by his GPS, an unnamed man from Silicon Valley drove onto the train tracks and became stuck before being hit by an oncoming train. He had of course chosen to ignore the obvious road signs warning him of the danger.

2.   Ambulance crew goes 200 miles in wrong direction – Of all the people that should know where they’re going you’d have thought the emergency services would be near the top of the list. But in the UK a London ambulance crew followed their GPS and not the road signs and took a patient to Manchester, some 200 miles (320Km) away!

3.   1600 miles out of the way – Syrian lorry driver, Necdet Bakimci, was meant to be taking luxury cars from Turkey to Gibraltar off the coast of Spain. Unfortunately, following his GPS devices advise he ended up at Gibraltar Point in Skegness some 1600 miles (2500Km) away.

4.   Typo sends Swedes wrong way – Whilst looking for the clear waters of the island of Capri in Italy, a Swedish couple drove 400miles (600 km) out of their way to the northern industrial town of Carpi.

5.   Wrong house destroyed – The title says it all, but a demolition crew in Georgia, America, knocked down the wrong house because their GPS gave them the wrong coordinates. The demolition crew said that they’re saying that they have the paperwork with the correct coordinates and a description of the building, so they were in the right.

6.   Turn right off the cliff – Blindly following his GPS, the owner of a BMW almost drove to his death. Going down narrow roads and steep lanes on the way into Todmorton in the UK, the driver continued to drive straight ahead, and had it not been for a fence he would have fallen off a cliff.

The moral of all of these stories is that, no matter how accurate your GPS is, you must pay attention, read road signs, watch what you type and don’t forget to think. As your parents once asked “If so and so jumped off a cliff, would you follow?” the same question must be posed when following GPS instructions.

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Get going instantly as you go

Quick GPS Fix is a positioning technology that allows users to get a GPS signal fix on their device 5 times faster than before. This technology is embedded into the GPS chipset and does not require an external connection to the Internet to function. Additionally, Quick GPS Fix also helps enhance GPS signal quality by providing accurate and stable GPS signal reception when driving in city canyons, where tall building can block GPS signals.

The faster GPS fix is achieved by using predicted satellite locations instead of externally downloaded location data from satellites (which can take from 30 seconds to several minutes, depending on the environment). The presence of satellite location data (synthetic ephemerides) is valid up to 3 days and makes cold starting a device practically as fast as a warm start, which can be as quick as 10 sec with a direct line of sight. More intuitive for users, the satellite location data update will be complete as soon as each GPS satellite fix.

Routine commuters in urban areas can also benefit from Quick GPS Fix technology. In most cases, tall buildings and narrow streets cause signal blockage; which makes it extremely difficult for GPS receivers to pinpoint location data satellites. This results in slower and less accurate position fixes when driving in densely packed cities. Quick GPS Fix improves GPS reception as satellite locations are generated on the device rather than a satellite or another external source.

In addition, in dense city canyons, GPS receivers normally lose GPS signals whenever one or more of the visible satellites are blocked by a structure. Even if new satellites show up, the device still requires some time to download satellite location data in order to get the GPS fix back. Thanks to Quick GPS Fix, whose satellite location data are generated from the device, the GPS signal is quickly back on line as soon as the new satellites become visible.

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How Do I Use Geotagged images on my Mio?

Q. What is geotagging?

A. Geotagging is the ability to add GPS coordinates to photos, video, websites etc. Your Mio PND can read these coordinates and help you find your way to new and exciting places.

So now you know what it is, how do you get the images? There are lots of websites with geotagged images; our favorite is Navpix since it’s easy to use and fully stocked with images of users’ favorite locations. On the website you'll find full instructions on how you can contribute to the growing community of geotagged photos.

So the first thing you need to do is download the images and then follow the instructions below:

1. Install and run the Mio More Desktop* application.

*Note - Some older devices may not have Mio More Desktop software and therefore won’t support geotagged images.

2. From the Toolbar, select Import NavPix.

3. a. Select the images to import and and select Open.

    b. Drag the images from their location onto Mio More Desktop.

4. Select Transfer to your Mio.

It really is that easy, 4 simple steps will get geotagged images onto your Mio, ready for navigating to.

For more detailed information on how to use Mio More Desktop, read the user manual that came with your device.

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Spirit Tips 4 - Economical Routing

In the fourth installment of our Spirit feature articles, we'll look at Economical routing and how it helps you.

As fuel prices continue north and motorists have become the scapegoats for the world's environmental problems, GPS devices have been shown to reduce the amount fuel used by $200 in a survey carried out by one of Mio's map providers, Navteq. Direct routes, informed routes and visual and audio pointers all help drivers to be aware of the road ahead, so erratic fuel consuming driving is avoided. Many of Mio's navigation devices also feature TMC (Traffic Message Channel), so drivers can see the delays ahead and reroute accordingly and avoid fuel burning traffic jams. Mio now go one step further with Economical routing options, to save motorists even more fuel.

Scenario – Saving you money

Mio provide drivers with option of choosing an Economical routing option.  Economical routing provides drivers with routes that have less turns and fewer traffic lights, therefore ensuring that the brakes are applied less often and saving fuel.

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Spirit Tips 3 - Crumb Trail and Capture Button

In the third of the series about the features of the Mio Spirit navigation software, we'll be looking at how the capture button and breadcrumb trail can help you and your friends get the most out of your exploration.

Scenario 1 – Showing where you've been

It's nice to tell others where we've been and what we've done; it's even better to be able to show them how we got to these places and encourage them to experience the journeys for themselves.  Using the breadcrumb feature (the green dots in the image below), you can trace your route and how show other people precisely how you got somewhere. These routes can also be saved into My Places for future reference.

Scenario 2 – Capturing those special moments

When you're out on a romantic drive with a loved one; you stumble across a nice little restaurant or shop that you're unlikely to find again. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to ensure that you find it again?  Press the Capture button and your current position is saved to My Places ready to be found again when you next need it.

Scenario 3 – Recording voice notes

Writing memos whilst you're driving is a hazardous, but sometimes necessary part of work. Using the Capture button you can record voice memos whilst you're driving, ensuring that your hands only leave the wheel to switch the function on.

Scenario 4 – Keeping a travel diary

By combining scenarios 2 and 3 drivers are able to keep a personal travel diary.  When capturing a favorite place the date and time of the capture is recorded alongside the location in My Places. Add in the extra functionality of voice memos and extra details of the journey and place can be saved.

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Spirit Tips 2 - Junction View and Signposts

In the second of a series of articles about the features of the Mio Spirit navigation system, this week we'll be looking at Junction Views, Signposts and Junction Views, indicating which lane you should be in.

Scenario – Seeing the junctions

Highways aren't always well signposted. You're driving along in the fast lane, following the GPS, watching the road ahead, and listening to the radio, the wife and kids. There are 1001 things to concentrate on and before you know it you've missed the poorly signposted exit because a truck drove past the only sign and the next exit is 10km away. Because of these problems, 3D Junction View and Lane Guidance have been developed to give you a life like views of major exits and tell you which lane you should be in, so you’ll find it easier than ever to make the right turn at the right time.

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Spirit Tips 1 - Explore Mode

Over the coming weeks we'll be looking at the features (Explore Mode, Junction View/Signposts, Capture button and Crumb Trail, and Economic Routing) available on the latest Mio navigation devices and how they apply to you. A different style to our user manuals, these guides will explain how to get the most out your Mio PND (Portable Navigation Device) in a way that applies directly to your situation.

Explore Mode

A key feature of the PND and deliberately separate from the map function, Explore mode has been designed to help you find points of interest (POI) in your immediate area.   It's unique because it shows you which POI's are in the immediate area rather than you having to search for a specific type of POI and hoping that one exists where you are now. You can of course find them in the old fashioned way, but we believe this is more flexible.

Scenario 1 - Need to find something to do in strange place?

We've all arrived early for a meeting or found ourselves in an unfamiliar town waiting for a meeting the next day and not knowing what to do with ourselves. You have a choice: you can either wander aimlessly around the main streets hoping to find something interesting to do or you can use Explore Mode on your Mio Moov series PND.

If you can't decide what to do, but want to know what's available in your vicinity you can see the intuitive icons on the map.

 

To find out more about a place you've chosen, tap the icon to see its address, telephone number and other important information.

Scenario 2 – Spontaneously looking for somewhere to stop

When you're on your way somewhere its common to stick to the main highways, they're often quicker, if a lot less interesting, than minor roads. But your choice of food is limited; you want to get off the highway but are unsure of where to go and nervous about getting lost and not finding your way back again. Explore Mode takes the anxiety out of such decisions by telling you exactly what restaurants are available when you want.

Select the place you want to go and tap Go.

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