GPS knows better - Mio Digiwalker C230
My brother and his wife gave me the Mio C230 Digiwalker a couple years ago as a present. I left it in the box, thinking I would sell it.
"I don't need that," I thought to myself. "I know this city."
However, I whipped it out recently. I thought it would be fun and perhaps helpful, especially with my girlfriend in the car to navigate while I drive.
Boy was I right. The small, rectangular box, less than an inch thick, is fairly simple. It has only two buttons, the standby button and an On/Off switch we never use. It took Britt a few times out and about to get the hang of it, with touch-screen typing and menu options and a couple of different views, one called "cockpit" and the other more of a map overview, I believe.
The gadget has gotten us into, and out of trouble. One memorable moment came as I drove in daytime out toward Britt's school about a month ago. Britt was fumbling with the thing, and I heard all kinds of noises coming out of it. She was sounding frustrated, but I was driving through the busy streets of the Richmond and couldn't help her much.
This thing is broken, Britt said as I drove on. I more or less knew the route, but still enjoy hearing the directions the Mio gives. Britt usually enjoys playing with it as well. But the "view" was messed up, Britt said. Usually in the cockpit view, the land is black, with a red line showing our projected route and a blue line for the streets, or something like that. Now, though, the land was beige, with black lines on screen.
Pretty soon we figured out the problem. It was the first time we had used the device during daytime, when it switches to a brighter mode. Tee-hee.
We haven't got a good nickname for the Mio but tried out Magellan and Sir Francis Drake. It's usually accurate with directions, though sometimes it tells me to turn where turns aren't allowed. It also can lead me to some troubled neighborhoods. Recently, we used it to get from the Dogpatch area of San Francisco, an up and coming spot near the new ballpark, to Keith's house in the Mission. Mio guided us right up and over the dodgy part of Potrero Hill, the projects where OJ Simpson grew up. There were some characters out on that Friday night, but we weren't hassled. Could I have sued its makers if I were?
The voice is an older female, and mangles some pronunciation, especially Spanish street names. "Arguello" sounds more like arugula. "Gough" sounds like nguoi. It cries "route recalculation," a mouthful, every time I get off track. That happens often. Britt says I'm just trying to piss off the machine. Maybe.
Despite the Mio's simplistic worldview, and constant nagging, it takes me places I would never otherwise go. For this objective, technological naivete, I enjoy my Mio.
"I don't need that," I thought to myself. "I know this city."
However, I whipped it out recently. I thought it would be fun and perhaps helpful, especially with my girlfriend in the car to navigate while I drive.
Boy was I right. The small, rectangular box, less than an inch thick, is fairly simple. It has only two buttons, the standby button and an On/Off switch we never use. It took Britt a few times out and about to get the hang of it, with touch-screen typing and menu options and a couple of different views, one called "cockpit" and the other more of a map overview, I believe.
The gadget has gotten us into, and out of trouble. One memorable moment came as I drove in daytime out toward Britt's school about a month ago. Britt was fumbling with the thing, and I heard all kinds of noises coming out of it. She was sounding frustrated, but I was driving through the busy streets of the Richmond and couldn't help her much.
This thing is broken, Britt said as I drove on. I more or less knew the route, but still enjoy hearing the directions the Mio gives. Britt usually enjoys playing with it as well. But the "view" was messed up, Britt said. Usually in the cockpit view, the land is black, with a red line showing our projected route and a blue line for the streets, or something like that. Now, though, the land was beige, with black lines on screen.
Pretty soon we figured out the problem. It was the first time we had used the device during daytime, when it switches to a brighter mode. Tee-hee.
We haven't got a good nickname for the Mio but tried out Magellan and Sir Francis Drake. It's usually accurate with directions, though sometimes it tells me to turn where turns aren't allowed. It also can lead me to some troubled neighborhoods. Recently, we used it to get from the Dogpatch area of San Francisco, an up and coming spot near the new ballpark, to Keith's house in the Mission. Mio guided us right up and over the dodgy part of Potrero Hill, the projects where OJ Simpson grew up. There were some characters out on that Friday night, but we weren't hassled. Could I have sued its makers if I were?
The voice is an older female, and mangles some pronunciation, especially Spanish street names. "Arguello" sounds more like arugula. "Gough" sounds like nguoi. It cries "route recalculation," a mouthful, every time I get off track. That happens often. Britt says I'm just trying to piss off the machine. Maybe.
Despite the Mio's simplistic worldview, and constant nagging, it takes me places I would never otherwise go. For this objective, technological naivete, I enjoy my Mio.
Labels: Lots of Quotable One-Liners, product review, tech
posted by Pete @ 9:58 PM
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