Review: Mio Digiwalker C510E sat-nav device

Slim, light and yet still faintly rugged-looking, the Mio Digiwalker’s design is both pocket-friendly and practical. As with the Medion Gopal PNA465, the Digiwalker features a 400MHz processor and uses a Sirfstar III GPS chipset. It’s obviously a good combination, as the C510E is notably faster in operation than many of its rivals. It doesn’t, for example, spend ages redrawing maps as you zoom in or out of them.

Once again, Windows CE provides the backbone operating system, while the Mio Map v3 navigation software is robust and easy to use. The Mio is controlled almost exclusively via the clear, colourful touchscreen and features a series of rubberised function keys along its right-hand edge.

Usefully, street-level maps for the whole of Europe are provided on disc (although only those for the UK come pre-loaded). The maps themselves are bang up to date and easy to work with.

The usual selection of extras is available here, including a photo viewer and mp3 player. More useful is the C510E’s support for Bluetooth, which allows the device to be used in conjunction with a compatible mobile phone as a hands-free set. This is particularly handy, since you can make calls and navigate directly to contacts stored in a database that can be synched with Outlook. The only thing we would say is that the bright blue light signifying Bluetooth operation can be something of a distraction if used while driving.

Another handy feature of the C510E is its speed camera warnings. These can be set to either on-screen or audio alerts and users can access downloadable updates for the service for a full year after buying the product. Support for TMC traffic updates, on the other hand, is slightly tempered by the absence of the FM antenna required to make use of the function.

This article is part of a group test of 10 satellite-navigation devices
See also:
Introduction
Acer p610
Garmin Nuvi 310
Magellan Roadmate 3050T
Medion Gopal PNA465
Navman N40i
Novogo S700
Sony Nav-u NV-U50T
Tomtom One Europe
ViaMichelin X-950
A tables of features can be read via our pdf download above