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GPS Devices Let the Music Play
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Written by Brian J. Sero   
Monday, 09 March 2009
GPS Devices Systems

The Ideal Digital travel companion would make sure that you're on the right track to your destination while also keeping you entertained, without weighing you down. Both Mio Technology's DigiWalker H610 and Delphi's NAV200 qualify on all three counts. Of the two, I prefer the $449 DigiWalker for its compactness and portability, even though the $380 NAV200 is a top-notch GPS device at a relatively bargain price.

I evaluated a preproduction version of the DigiWalker and a shipping version of the NAV200. Both products come with maps of all 50 states and Canada preloaded, as well as points-of-interest databases containing millions of entries. Both devices also have an SD Card slot for loading audio, video, and image files.

SPOT-ON NAVIGATORS
THE FIRST TIME you use the DigiWalker's MioMap program to show your location or navigate to an address, the device establishes a GPS link in about 1 minute, and subsequently plots your position in just seconds. The NAV200 took slightly longer to grab onto its initial GPS signals, but it kept up with my driving very well afterward. The cradle included with each device for attaching it to the windshield of the car held each unit in place over some pretty rough roads.

Both products are small enough to fit comfortably in your pocket, but the NAV200 is noticeably larger than the DigiWalker: The former measures about 4.5 by 3.3 by 1.3 inches (with the retractable GPS antenna down); and the latter is only 3.5 by 2.3 by 0.8 inches (its GPS antenna is built in). The DigiWalker's 2.8-inch display is slightly smaller than the NAV200's 3.5-inch screen, but on both the driving directions are easy to spot (some of the other GPS information is too small to see at a glance, however).

BASIC MEDIA PLAYBACK
DESPITE OFFERING A convenient way for you to play MP3 and .wav audio files, and to view standard image and AVI video files, neither product provides the playback and management features of a stand-alone media player. For example, the DigiWalker has no external volume control, so you have to use the touchscreen controls in its MioPlayer Pro application to adjust the volume--though the unit ships with a pair of earbuds whose wire has volume controls and last-track/next-track buttons. The NAV200 requires that you plug in your own headphones. And while the external speakers on both devices are sufficient for spoken driving directions, they sound like vintage transistor radios when playing music.

The DigiWalker's small size makes it useful when you are navigating on foot. For many people, that one feature will be worth the $69 premium. But if you're looking for an accurate and portable in-car GPS device, it'll be very tough to find a better bargain than the Delphi product.

Last Updated ( Monday, 09 March 2009 )