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Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 10:03 pm Post subject: New to Mio
Hi All
I've been a TomTom devotee for 18 months, it's been a real Godsend. Seduced by the hi-res graphics and added functionality of Mio (and the promise of included TMC), I bought a c520t yesterday.
A couple of questions:
1 Although paired with my 'phone, I can't Import its Phone Book (this happens seamlessly with TomTOm)
2 Although I connected the unit with my PC in order to charge the battery, subsequently, when I wanted to Synchronize the Speed Cameras, the Mio was now unrecognized by the PC.
Oh and another one:
3 It doesn't mention in any of the promotional blurb that TMC is not actually available in the UK, so have I spent c£50 on a false promise?: Having said that, many people here seem to obtain TMC, so is it me that's doing something wrong?
Can anyone give me Mio tips? Here's one from me: if you're looking for screeen protectors, the PSP ones, available in PC World for £8 are exactly the same size as the Mio screen.
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 11:13 pm Post subject: Re: New to Mio
mmman wrote:
Hi All
I've been a TomTom devotee for 18 months, it's been a real Godsend. Seduced by the hi-res graphics and added functionality of Mio (and the promise of included TMC), I bought a c520t yesterday.
A couple of questions:
1 Although paired with my 'phone, I can't Import its Phone Book (this happens seamlessly with TomTOm)
2 Although I connected the unit with my PC in order to charge the battery, subsequently, when I wanted to Synchronize the Speed Cameras, the Mio was now unrecognized by the PC.
Oh and another one:
3 It doesn't mention in any of the promotional blurb that TMC is not actually available in the UK, so have I spent c£50 on a false promise?: Having said that, many people here seem to obtain TMC, so is it me that's doing something wrong?
Can anyone give me Mio tips? Here's one from me: if you're looking for screeen protectors, the PSP ones, available in PC World for £8 are exactly the same size as the Mio screen.
You have to import the phone book number by number iirc. I certainly haven't found a way of importing the entire phonebook. Bluetooth phone support is one of the weak points of all the devices in the range imho - the software is far from intuitive and the feature set is pretty poor. Other than that the devices perform remarkable well in terms of their other core functions. But phone support is very poor indeed.
You have to install the USB drivers for the device (Windows device) before you can connect to the device - XP and Vista should offer to install the relevant driver for you. You can then install synch or Mio Update and use it without a problem. You may need to reinstall if you connect the device to a different USB port.
TMC is supported but reception, depending on the ITIS service broadcast usually over Classic FM (with rare local variation), can be a bit tricky - it's a common problem and one not unique to Miomap.
I wasn't invited to install Drivers for the Mio, and the Control Panel said something about no drivers being required, but I shall have another go!
"You have to import the phone book number by number"... how does that work? The documentation is woeful! And I found today that I was having to re-pair (bond) my phone with the Mio each time I switched it on (input PIN and so on) - the TomTom always remembers my phone.
On the road today, I did manage to pick up TMC transmissions, from Classic FM as you say. It wasn't much help, but might become so in the future.
I wasn't invited to install Drivers for the Mio, and the Control Panel said something about no drivers being required, but I shall have another go!
"You have to import the phone book number by number"... how does that work? The documentation is woeful! And I found today that I was having to re-pair (bond) my phone with the Mio each time I switched it on (input PIN and so on) - the TomTom always remembers my phone.
On the road today, I did manage to pick up TMC transmissions, from Classic FM as you say. It wasn't much help, but might become so in the future.
Yes, the bluetooth functions of the device are very poor imho. The Mio and the phone are unable to connect automatically without you creating the connection via the phone's menu each time you turn the phone and the Mio on. I haven't been able to find a way around this although on 1 occasion - but only ever 1 occasion - my phone did manage to pair with the Mio automatically without me having to "search for devices" and then manually connect. I've used my Mio with Sagem, Nokia and SE phones and I haven't been able to create an automatic connection with any of the phones. All phones are able to automatically connect to a £12 earpiece. Maybe I'm also missing something obvious but having searched the various devices for a significant amount of time I'm not sure that I am. Also the Mio does not support bluetooth SMS.
In terms of importing the phonebook you have to send the contact to the phone via the phone's bluetooth setting (a bit like sending a SMS). The device will inform you that it has received the file.
Installing the drivers - or rather letting Windows install the drivers automatically - should fix your problem. I find that I occasionally need to reinstall drivers when connecting the Mio to a different USB port on the same PC (some devices seem to require this and the Mio is one of them).
I think that the Mio does provide better mapping than TomTom devices but it's probably a matter of personal preference. In some ways I think though that the Mio's routing options are oddly limited - no option to avoid or to include motorways for example and only a basic range of default routing options without using hacks. Hacks are available but, having used them for a while, I don't really miss the extra options they bring (although the new skins are very nice). Still, TomTom routing options are also pretty limited.
I can vouch for the usefulness of ITIS TMC - if you can receive Classic FM based TMC transmissions then the service is generally very good certainly for motorways, most busy A roads and even some less busy roads.
All in all I think the devices are good value for money - probably more so than TomTom devices but at the end of the day I doubt that there is much in it.
I do find the Mio's bluetooth functionality frustratingly annoying though and having to manually bond phone and device each time is a pain.
Windows doesn't automatically find the Drivers - for me. But I'll persevere..
I find the graphics MUCH better on the Mio than on the TT (though I think I'm going to need a new prescription for my glasses, the text is very hard to see!), but like you, miss the option of avoiding motorways for example, though I guess this can be done from the sub-menu on the map?
no option to avoid or to include motorways for example and only a basic range of default routing options without using hacks
Unless I misunderstand you, oh yes it does! If you go into the 'edit route info' screen and access the Parameters screen you can turn on/off things such as M-ways, toll roads, u-turns etc. You can also choose, Fast, SHort and Economical route options from this screen as well.
I have had my C520t for a few weeks now and ended up printing off the MioMap manual (all 94 pages of it!) and that doesn't include anything about blue tooth, general settings etc.
It's quite a sophisticated little piece of kit but not necessarily intuitive and you do have to read the manual a few times but most of the stuff is in there somewhere albeit not always clearly explained.
I also find that I have to wait a few seconds each time I connect the device to my PC via USB before it recognises a connection and sometimes switching the device on and off can help.
I always have the bluetooth capability switched off if I leave the unit in the car. Apparently one of the thieves latest ruses to see whether your device is in the car or not is to take a bluetooth compatable phone up to your car to see whether or not it can find a device within the car with which to pair! I saw this on TV as part of a police warning.........
I must admit I am less than convinced by the TMC capability which often provides inaccurate or wrong info but I don't think the Mio is worse than any other unit in this respect.
I find the suggested routing options some of the best I have seen on any such device and quite like it but you really do need to read the manual to fully appreciate the unit's capabilities. Enjoy!
Joined: Jan 04, 2007 Posts: 2789 Location: Hampshire, UK
Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 11:51 am Post subject:
perussell wrote:
I always have the bluetooth capability switched off if I leave the unit in the car. Apparently one of the thieves latest ruses to see whether your device is in the car or not is to take a bluetooth compatable phone up to your car to see whether or not it can find a device within the car with which to pair! I saw this on TV as part of a police warning.........
Bearing in mind that bluetooth has a range of about 10 metres (30ish feet), I'm a little sceptical about thieves being able to identify which car contains a bluetooth device...unless there isn't another car within 10 metres.
I always err on the side of caution and never leave anything in the car. _________________ Andy
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In the middle of Manchester yesterday, I 'searched' for my phone on a busy street and picked up about 2 dozen others, mostly 'xxXXBigBoyXXxx' and 'SupaMegaStar' :D
The TMC worked quite well today down the M6, even after I pulled out the ugly antenna.
Toll Roads and Motorways: I'm used to TomTom asking me if I want to 'Avoid the Toll Road' on the route as I plan it. I went through both the Mersey Tunnel and the M6 Toll today without the Mio whimpering once. I just have to adjust my mind!
Once I've got the Mio-PC connection sorted, one of the first jobs is to change the voice, which is more depressing than Marvin the Robot :D
no option to avoid or to include motorways for example and only a basic range of default routing options without using hacks
Unless I misunderstand you, oh yes it does! If you go into the 'edit route info' screen and access the Parameters screen you can turn on/off things such as M-ways, toll roads, u-turns etc. You can also choose, Fast, SHort and Economical route options from this screen as well.
I have had my C520t for a few weeks now and ended up printing off the MioMap manual (all 94 pages of it!) and that doesn't include anything about blue tooth, general settings etc.
It's quite a sophisticated little piece of kit but not necessarily intuitive and you do have to read the manual a few times but most of the stuff is in there somewhere albeit not always clearly explained.
I also find that I have to wait a few seconds each time I connect the device to my PC via USB before it recognises a connection and sometimes switching the device on and off can help.
I always have the bluetooth capability switched off if I leave the unit in the car. Apparently one of the thieves latest ruses to see whether your device is in the car or not is to take a bluetooth compatable phone up to your car to see whether or not it can find a device within the car with which to pair! I saw this on TV as part of a police warning.........
I must admit I am less than convinced by the TMC capability which often provides inaccurate or wrong info but I don't think the Mio is worse than any other unit in this respect.
I find the suggested routing options some of the best I have seen on any such device and quite like it but you really do need to read the manual to fully appreciate the unit's capabilities. Enjoy!
Sorry, I didn't explain the point about motorways very well. Yes you can alter the motorway tickbox in the "parameters" setting but you can't state an authoritative preference for using motorways on a given route. I'm thinking of, for example, the option in Autoroute to assign a sensitivity to various preferences. (Don't Garmin devices also have this option?)
With Miomap whether or not I have the motorway box ticked the unit will not direct me to use the M3 on a particular route to/from Portsmouth. It always prefers the awful A3 partly because the idealised speed/time conditions would suggest that the A3 is the better route but in reality it's the M3. With the sensitivity preference options (Garmin?) it's possible to add some real world intelligence to the routing.
It's good to be able to do this because of the TMC functionality of the device - you don't need to use the device to direct you over familiar routes where human knowledge is superior to ideal world calculations. Rather you can use the device to direct you around traffic jams on your preferred route.
I notice that even when using multiple via points it's tricky with Miomap to confine your journey to the preferred route - it will often direct you of the motorway between via points on to some time forgotten A road.
Oh well, nothing is perfect I suppose but it's a shame that Miomap isn't just a bit more fully featured in terms of route tweaking options. Having said that it's even odder that very few devices - other than Mio, Medion and TomTom - support multiple via points.
Btw, ITIS TMC cocked up badly tonight - the jam on the A322 was labelled showed as between Guildford and Bracknell when in reality it was the opposite direction.
Windows doesn't automatically find the Drivers - for me. But I'll persevere..
I find the graphics MUCH better on the Mio than on the TT (though I think I'm going to need a new prescription for my glasses, the text is very hard to see!), but like you, miss the option of avoiding motorways for example, though I guess this can be done from the sub-menu on the map?
The driver issue is a bit of a mystery to me. Upon initial connection of the Mio I didn't need to allow Windows to install the relevant drivers - the install CD did everything.
Subsequently however, and even upon switching the device from one usb port to another, I have had to allow Windows to install the "Windows Powered Pocket PC 2003" device driver before my system will smell the device. I'm not sure which version of Windows is installed on your device but it should be pretty similar.
I would try plugging the device in to a different usb port and then wait for the "found new hardware wizard" to appear. In both XP and Vista I have been prompted to install the relevant Windows device drivers.
The graphics on the Mio are one of the best things about the device(s). I have to say though that in terms of Map data detail (not beauty of graphics) there's little that can beat the detail of the old Medion PNA devices with Navtech data maps: those things even told you when you were crossing a "county" (political) boundary!
The Mio is a good device but its shortcomings are becoming more apparent to me than its strengths.
My main bugbear at present is that it seems to be impossible to "avoid" a road that you are already on. You may be caught in a 20 mile jam on the M25 but there's no way that you can force Miomap to recalculate a route to exit the M25 (it can't avoid a road that you are already on). You have to physically exit the road you are on and then force the Miomap to recalculate the route avoiding the road it is directing you to re-enter. Very annoying.
Joined: Mar 27, 2004 Posts: 132 Location: Woodford Green. Essex. UK
Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 9:54 am Post subject:
I cant see it mentioned anywhere else in this thread but MIO says the C520t does not work with Vista and they will be bringing out an update to make it work with Vista soon.
Has anybody noticed that when you try to input adresses into the address book they come out back to front.
I have also noticed that in the voice instructions they use "highway" instead of "motorway". I have written to Mio and they say they have passed this onto their programmers to be fixed in a future update for the UK.
Why havent we got a UK female voice?
And from reading GPS passions forum in the USA they have text to speech navigations, why not us??
Don't know about your model, but on a C710, if you select metric units it says "Motorway" :-) I find metric better because a) we travel abroad a lot and b) the Mio has a, to me, annoying habit of using fractions of a mile or yards depending on something. I dislike the constant switching. On metric it's metres once you are below 1km - and they are near enough yards to make no difference at navigation speeds.
There is a UK female voice. Have a hunt around for "Pippa" I don't have the URL to hand. She is *much* nicer :-) _________________ Mio C710 on MioMap 3.3
I have Windows XP Home: When I run the 'New Hardware' wizard, it doesn't find any driver, even though I have the Install CD in the drive, and Browse to the 'USB Driver' folder (which contains an .inf file).. I've tried all the USB ports (and have checked that they work!) with no joy
I really like the MIO interface, but if I can't load in new voices or cameras, then it's not much use to me. Mp3s would be nice, but I'm not too fussed, most of the cars I drive have mp3 players anyway 8)
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