first take Mio's A701 is a jack-of-all-trades handheld combining PDA and phone functionality, GPS navigation, a 1.3-megapixel camera, an MP3 player and a movie player.
Upside:
The "all-in-one" nature of the Mio A701 potentially eliminates the need to carry up to six separate devices: a PDA, phone, GPS unit, camera, MP3 player and video player. At the Australian launch last week, Taiwanese-manufacturer Mio demonstrated the A701's MioMap software by searching for nearby restaurants of different cuisines. Mio claims over 380,000 points of interest can be found using the A701's GPS receiver, including service stations, post offices, Internet cafes and tourist attractions. Mio representatives also explained a safety feature called "location call" that sends an SMS with your GPS co-ordinates to a pre-defined contact, in the case of an emergency, by holding down the volume key for six seconds.
While having tri-band GSM and GPRS for data connectivity (no Wi-Fi, unfortunately), the A701 runs Windows Mobile 5.0 and features productivity applications such as Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Excel. Australian maps are provided by Sensis and preloaded with the navigation software onto a 256MB SD card. Points of interest can be searched for and directions can be spoken or viewed on a three-dimensional map throughout the trip. If a phone number exists for a listing -- say a nearby restaurant where you'd like to make a reservation -- the A701 lets you make the call at the push of a button. School zones, red light cameras and speed cameras can also be alerted to users when in the vicinity.
The A701 has a large 6.9cm (2.7-inch) touch-screen interface, 128MB of ROM, 64MB of RAM and a 520 MHz Intel XScale PSA-270 processor. The 240x320-pixel screen can be used in portrait or landscape orientation and a suction-cupped gooseneck mount allows you to quickly hook the A701 up on a windscreen. A car charger, USB cable and holder for the unit are also provided in the box.
Downside:
Some of the A701's specs seem to be outdated -- in particular, Bluetooth 1.2 and USB 1.2. With these older standards, synching will be relatively slow and Bluetooth headsets will have a much shorter range. We've tested quite a few all-in-one devices at CNET.com.au over the years and wonder if the A701 could be another "jack of all trades, master of none". Battery life and system performance can also be issues on multifunction portable gadgets.
Outlook:
The A710 is expected to be available at the end of October for a recommended retail price of AU$1,299. At the launch, Mio could not confirm which operators would be selling the device.
Mio A701
Company: Mio
RRP: AU$1299
