Customer Reviews
The Mio C520 is amazing 
2008-06-04
This GPS unit came ready right out of the box. The first time it was turned on, the colors on the screen were vibrant. The gps oriented itself in just a few seconds. All the nearby streets were identified. This was my first personal gps unit, so ease of use was important and the Mio C520 unit did not let me down. I ordered this unit and received it within five working days, this was important to me since I was traveling from Longview, Tx. to Detriot Mi. a week after ordering. Thanks Amazon. The day after receiving the Mio C520 I typed in the Detriot address and began my trip. It took me right to the address in Detriot. What a stress reliever as I darted through traffic like a local not having to worry about if i'm in the right lane for the next turn. This unit comes with all the bells and whistles, Touch screen,text and speech, Mp3 player, picture viewer blue tooth and a million POI. The point of interest feature was great for finding hotels and restaurants on the trip up to Detrioit. It found a couple of museums and shoping malls in Detriot.
Passing Grade 
2008-06-02
I just completed a 4000 mile car trip...and it was my first experience using this GPS device. It performed better than I expected. With only two detectable errors (the turn was Left and not Right as the "stern headmistress" voice indicated. On a positive note, it guided me through a complex route in rural Virginia to an obscure country address. The hands-free bluetooth phone function works really well. The software manual is "spotty" giving exquisitely detailed explanations on some points and glossing over other crucial items. On balance, good value for money.
Mio C520 Low cost with many great features 2008-05-30
I had been looking around for a new GPS for myself and I found this new company Mio. I found the C520 has a 4.3" widescreen it can also connect to your Bluetooth enabled cell phone. It comes with a build in media player that can play back AVI files from Divx and MP3 music. The GPS is great, with turn by turn detailed information. I had it for a month now and I love it. The only down side is the build in speaker is not lourd enught when playing movies or music so you might want to get the optional cradle with a bigger spearker.
Good but not perfect 
2008-05-27
I bought this GPS about a month ago. Acquisition time, route calculation and recalculation times are excellent. My previous Gramin took forever to find POI's and calculate and recalculate routes and this was the main reason for purchasing the new GPS.
Routing is OK. I discovered a few errors in the maps in the Boston area but nothing that will make it a deal killer. Menue takes some time to get used to but after a short learning curve is actualy excellent and better than the Garmin (you must read the manual!).
TTS is OK. The biggest con is that for several highways the TTS GPS uses unfamiliar road names instead on road numbers. It doesn't happen a lot but when it does it's a little confusing.
The biggest con is map update by Mio. I purchased this GPS in early May. Mio published a map update on April but I still need to pay more than $80 to get the update. Now I'm stuck with 2007 maps even though I purchased the GPS in May 2008. When you buy a GPS, you expect to have the latest maps included. In addition, it seems that all of the firmware updates are published for the European market and the US market is a little neglected.
Overall, I'm happy with the GPS.
MS Outlook Sync Problems 
2008-05-25
I spent two hours with MIO Tech Support figuring out why the MIO C520 was importing the address from my Outlook incorrectly. Finally, the Tech specialist told me that I have uncovered a known bug and the MIO is working on it. If it was a known bug, why did they keep me on the phone for two hours? I wonder how many of the professional reviewers (CNET etc) actually tried importing their contacts. The C520 is close to a year old, how much more time do they need to correct a fundamental bug which affects their marketing and sales pitch directly. If you want to use your Outlook with your GPS, stay away from this product.
Better than Garmin and Magellan's 2008-07-24
I had the Mio C310x first, but it got stolen. Then I bought a Garmin Nuvi350, but it was so bad I had to return it (I didn't use the C520 before I tried the Garmin, so I was only really comparing it to the older C310x). After that, I decided to look for the C520, seeing it has an upgraded version of the interface of the C310x.
Here's why I stick with Mio's older C series even now:
- A lot more options, compared with other brands, for tweaking to make it work the way I want it to (could even be overwhelming for some users, but I like it a lot)
- Animation of the map is the fastest and with highest refresh rate I've seen so far of portable GPSes. This is a BIG HUGE plus while on the road.
- Split screen view, which I've been used to on the C310x (though it had less functionality on the C310x), is immensely useful. If you've never had one with it, you won't know why it's so useful!
- POI search is extremely fast, unlike Garmin.
Poor routing algorithm 2008-06-29
After using the Mio C520 for over 3 months now I truly regret I bought it. the device performs poorly in route calculation choosing the most bizarre routes you would ever imagine.
Fortunately also owned a Garmin 200W and the TomTom One. both outperform the Mio in suggesting much faster and more logical routes. THIS IS THE MOST BASIC FUNCTION OF A GPS DEVICE!
The bluetooth speakerphone is useless as there's so much background noise. besides, you have to pair the phone each time you turn the Mio on.
Overall nice feature/function but poor design, stay away!
Mio C520 2008-06-13
I read a lot of product reviews on this and several other brands. If you take them all seriously, most likely you would never buy a GPS. The C520 works just fine and probably equal to all others in its price range. The most difficult thing is in deciding which options you need or want. I choose this model as an upgrade from the C230. I wanted the wide screen. I like the Mio brand because of the unlock and options you can add if you have some computer experience. It now has more games and gizmos than I will ever use. It has always locked onto satellites in less than a minute and never yet lost a signal while traveling. It seems to be accurate within 20 ft. The voice is very robotic and some street names are mispronounced. If you like gadgets then this is a fine choice. For grandma or grandpa that don't use a computer or a cell phone maybe a TomTom would be a better choice. I commute 150 miles a day and my Mio C520 sure helps.
Mio C520 2008-06-13
Great product. excellent usability.
Works great as blue tooth connector for talking in cellular while driving
Disappointing 
2008-06-06
I bought the C520 in Jan 2008 and found it to be pretty easy to use, although the interface can be maddening at times.
The biggest complaints I have are (1) Re-boots frequently and (2) Maps hopelessly out of date. The re-boots occur when the volume on the text-to-speech is muted - after a while I get really annoyed at the 'GPS babe" announcing that I'll need to turn in 700', 400', 200' etc (it's like having my wife giving me directions!) Oh, then she announces for me to turn left at the next turn - after I've already passed the turn (again, my wife...) The unit will run for a few minutes and then re-boot, not a good thing when you're traveling in traffic and need to know where the next turn will be!
The maps are very out-of-date; however, I was willing to pay the $80 to update the software. Unfortunately, after going through the web form on their online store, I was informed that "this merchant does not accept this credit card." I had selected American Express from the drop-down box, but they don't accept Amex??? When I wrote them asking what the problem was, they ignored me for two weeks, and when I wrote again, they indignantly responded that "the problem has been corrected." Well, it hasn't - I wrote to tell them that about a month ago and have never heard back. I don't know what country these guys are in, but when I can afford it, I'm buying something "Made in the U.S.A." - this is a waste of my time.
