Customer Reviews
Mio DigiWalker C230 
2008-03-20
I bought the Mio DigiWalker C230 after not getting any new updates from Dell. Dell's maps are old (2006) and I wanted to have an updated GPS system in my car because I do a lot of driving around as a local locksmith, Mark's Locksmith, here in Beaverton, Oregon. The only thing that I didn't like about this Mio C230 is that it does not tell you whitch side of the street the house is on, and that you are unable to change the time in the system after it was entered once. I wanted to change the time after having this for about a few months now but could not find a way to do it so I have to leave it as it is. This is a GREAT GPS unit for the price. I'm glad a long-hauler truck driver got locked out of his SUV because he showed me his GPS system, Mio C220, and I liked it, so I bought one the very next day.
I wouldn't recommend it. 
2008-03-12
This is the worst GPS system I have ever interacted with. It took a long time to figure out how to set the system up, and eventually I just gave up reading the manual and experimented till it worked.
Other issues:
-Computerized voice is sometimes unintelligible
-Doesn't provide street names in audio directions, instead gives instructions like "turn left in 400 feet." Unless you've got a tape-measure on-hand, good luck. "Turn down Main Street" would be more helpful!
-Frequently gives inaccurate directions. Has told me repeatedly to turn (the wrong way) onto one-way streets, dead-end streets, and no-turn intersections.
-Takes forever to orient. Expect to wait 5 minutes while it figures out where the heck you are. In addition, it doesn't give immediate directions after you input your destination. You have to choose a direction, start driving in it, and wait for it to figure out you're moving and tell you what to do next (which may be to turn around at the earliest possible opportunity).
-Often gives contradictory directions, seconds apart. This almost lead me to throw the C230 out of my car window. Twice. Turn left in 50 feet. Turn right in 50 feet. Turn left in 50 feet. Literally 3 seconds apart. Have frequently followed the directions given, only to get either contradictory directions when I'm already en-route, or the "turn back" command seconds later. Not only is this a frustrating and confusing flaw, but it's also dangerous, as being commanded to change direction unexpectedly can be a bit jarring when you're driving.
-Turns off at random when driving. This has happened both while I've had it connected to the charger and not. I will be en-route, and after what feels like an unusual long silence, look over to discover it has turned itself off. Powering on and re-orienting takes a few additional minutes, during which necessary directions are missed.
-As another reviewer mentioned, if you frequent a certain business repeatedly, you can't simply save that location in the system if the business is already in the system's directory. You have to search, for example, for a McDonalds, input the city and state, every time, rather than easily access it in a favorites list.
-i live in Boston, and the system is really lacking in its business directory. i have had to look up addresses for popular businesses (restaurants, supermarkets, etc.) ahead of time, then bring them to my car and input them in, since the GPS was unable to find them using its search function.
-no way to edit information! the GPS consistently tells me to turn down one particular dead end street, and i would really like to edit the system to reflect that the street is, in fact, a dead end. but there's no way to.
-plenty other issues to speak of, but the point is, there are better systems out there. Opt for one of those. Or buy this one and leave it on the freeway after a month.
Great value for a basic GPS. 2008-01-14
I recently purchased a C230 as my first GPS device. I couldn't justify spending a lot of money for a GPS device with a lot of bells and whistles that I probably wouldn't use. What I wanted for my first GPS was a simple, versatile, full-featured device that I could use to gain experience and then move up to a more sophisticated device if I deide that a GPS is really useful for my purposes. The C230 met all of my requirements. It comes complete with an AC car adaptor, windshield mount, instructions that are simple to understand and CD with GPS instructions and MioMap instructions. Some of the reviews that I read about the C230 complained that the instructions were difficult to understand and that it took a couple of hours of playing with the device before it could be used. I did not find this the case. Setting up the device initially and using it is pretty intuitive and goes quickly. I was ready to road test it in about half an hour. The software is easy to navigate. What I do feel takes a little more time is exploring the software and discovering all the subtle features that aren't explained in detail in the instructions. There's a trade off here. You can either get simple set up instructions and be up and running quickly, or get bogged down with a thick user manual. I prefer simplicity and I'm willing to learn as I go. The C230 provides flexibility in the type of views you can select and the manner in which the route information is presented. I prefer the cockpit view and find it very easy to read and useful. What really impressed me was how quickly the device syncs with the satellite signals and finds its location and how quickly it recalculates a route if I deviate from the recommended route. That was a concern of mine because reviews that I read in the past cited slow sync time as a fault with other more expensive GPS devices. Not the case with the C230. The voice prompts require a little attention. In some cases it mispronounces street names or cities. For example, it pronounces the city of La Verne as "Louisiana Verne"; obviously recognizing "LA" as the state abbreviation and not a prefix. Also, in some cases the route that it recommends to a destination that I am familiar with varies with the route that I would normally take. However if I take my preferred route it will usually recalculate the new route to the destination quickly. One limitation that I would like to see corrected in future versions of the operating software is the ability to select more than two "favorite" destinations. You can store a large number of destinations and they appear in the History section. All in all, I think that the C230 offers a lot of features, ease of use and functionality in an attractive small package at an affordable cost.
Nice Features, Poor Routes 
2008-01-05
I received this device as a Christmas present, and have enjoyed it overall. The ability to dynamically find points of interest and route to them is quite useful. It also has some more advanced features, such as the ability to customize the routing method and exclude certain roads, set via points, etc. I also enjoy the text-to-speech capability of the unit. Its pronunciation of street names is a non-stop source of comedy.
However, I have many issues with it. Most importantly, in my area (around Bridgeport, CT), regardless of the routing options set, it gives pretty awful routes. There must be an error in the underlying map file, as it will generally direct me to exit from the main highway on a ten-minute detour through stoplight-ridden downtown roads only to put back on the same highway a couple of exits down. Several times it has routed me across non-existent roads or the wrong way up a one-way street. Also, while the on-screen direction icons always seem to be correct, the voice will semi-regularly confuse left and right, which is mysterious and unhelpful.
Even with the many problems with the routes in my area, it is still pretty useful, though, so I'm glad I got it.
MIO DIGIWALKER C230 BEST TEXT TO SPEECH GPS UNDER $200 2008-01-05
Features I was looking for in a GPS unit that the MIO C230 has.
1. Text to speech.
2. Under $200.
3. Touch screen.
4. Updates and firmware availability (video, mp3 media player, calculator features)
5. Pre-installed maps on the unit NOT on SD card.
6. Maps and POIs for Hawaii, Alaska,Puerto Rico and Canada. (Try finding this on ANY of the other competitors GPS units for under $200)
7. Flexibility to be used on foot, driving and bike.(Again try finding this on the other competitors GPS units).
8. Traffic video camera alerts (traffic lights with video cameras)
This unit may not be as easy as the Garmins and I have owned the pilot i5 and Nuvi 600 series model, but they were not as easy to update or have the flexibility as this model. The Garmin Pilot i5 was my favourite. It worked with 2 rechargeable AA batteries, but it lacked text to speech and worked with the micro SD card that brought me to getting a replacement... the MIO C230. After reviewing and trying the Tomtom One, Navigon 2100 I decided to go with the MIO, it required sitting down and spending 30mins but it was worth having these 8 features.
I just hope MIO comes out with a model that works with batteries the consumer can replace. All GPS units seem to have the same problem and that is you end up replacing them just like blue tooth headsets, every 3-5yrs depending on how much you use it... when the battery dies you are better of buying a brand new GPS unit, map updates can run you between $65-100.
MIO C230 nice start, but needs work on support 2008-01-02
The Mio DigiWalker C230 is a slim and compact car navigation system featuring a highly sensitive GPS receiver and intuitive 3.5" touchscreen interface. Equipped with maps, POIs and turn-by-turn voice guidance, the C230 is easy-to-use and is ready out of the box.The lightweight and pocket-sized design makes it extremely portable. It's easy to move from car to car or carry in a bag. Just like portable technology should be. The bright 3.5" touchscreen interface is highly responsive and intuitive to use. Easily select destinations, preview route plans and go! Simple and straightforward. With clear voice and visual guidance, the C230 tells you your distance from the next turn and which direction to go. Hear the directions so you can keep your eyes focused on the road.
Good features with outdated map 2007-12-27
I bought this one because of Text To Speech feature. It works well when your destination does not involve roads that were not constructed in the last 3 to 4 years. Overall it's a good entry GPS for the price. I wish Mio will provide free updated map for this unit.
Absolutely fantastic!! 
2007-12-27
This is my first GPS system so I cannot compare this Mio230 model with any others.
I had read reviews of several different systems and just when I thought I had found the correct model for me, a negative review would pop up!
This mostly happened with reviews of ALL devices so I decided to go with my gut feeling.
I then read that Mio had text to speech - which I didn't think was important.
I've only had the Mio for 2 days so I'm hardly an expert.
All I can say is that for $149 it is amazing!
I would advise anyone getting a GPS system without speech to forget about it and go with speech.
It is virtually impossible to drive and consult a screen at the same time, particularly if you're driving in a city like Boston.
So, whether or not you purchase a Mio, just make sure it has TTS.
Otherwise you're just wasting your money!!!
Nice features, but.... 
2007-11-28
This GPS has lots of cool features. But it was extremely difficult (relative to other GPS units)to use and understand. The points of interest feature was a pain to figure out. While driving, they appeared as small dots. Not helpful. When the map was magnified, the POI's enlarged too, clarifying each icon. Then, inexplicably, they shrank again. The TTS feature was really nice to have, given the price of the unit. But I noticed some problems with navigation itself. For example, it kept telling me to enter a highway entrance ramp to the immediate right (less than 300 yards away, Mio said), when in fact it was 3.9 miles away. Secondly, the maps are outdated. Drove "off the road" a few times.
I realized it was time to ditch Mio when I damn near drove off the road while trying to figure out how to use some of the features. I don't fault the GPS for this. It's common sense to focus on the road while driving and it was a boneheaded move on my part. Still, this has not been a problem with the tomtom or magellan I used previously. This just goes to show what a pain the Mio can be to operate.
I returned it for a tomtom one (3rd generation). It does not have Text-to-speech but it's much easier to use.
Pros:
1) Text to speech (TTS)
2) Nice graphics (loved the cockpit view)
3) highly customizable features
4) Mio automatically switched to night view in the evening
5) Can modify points of interests (POI)
Cons:
1) Difficult to use. Please don't try to do this when driving.
2) Few Points of interests (POI) relative to tomtom or garmin
3) Everytime I touched the damn screen, the unit plotted a route to that location. And it took a while to figure out how to clear the "new" route. I am sure I am missing something, but it was a lot of effort to find out how to correct this quirk.
4) quirks in navigating (see above)
5) maps haven't been updated in a while it seems.
Worth the price? With TTS, yeah, probably. It gets two stars for the few points of interest outdated maps and difficulty in using.
Great features pity about the maps 2007-11-22
After falling in love with the system in my Acura RL I wanted a portable system for another car. This little unit has some outstanding features and options. But it's choice of routes was problematic. It insisted that I use a road that has been closed for over 20 years. It was returned.
