The Mobile Navigation System from Mio is another Navigon-based unit, with mp3 playback functionality and an address book which you can synch with Outlook, allowing easy navigation to your contacts.

The front panel provides a navigation pad, with a mute button – of dubious utility, we think – and a back button on the left of the screen. To the right is a Home button, which will quickly set up a route to your home address, a location button to take you to the main Navigon screen to enter a new location or change settings, and zoom controls. A volume control is tucked away on the side.

A useful fold-out chart gives basic instructions to help you get up and running when planning your first route. The memory card includes major roads of Europe, while the DVD in the box contains more detailed ones – a welcome inclusion at this price; spend the extra for a TMC receiver and you’ll have a full-featured solution, albeit with a bit of a bird’s nest of wires.

As you’d expect from the Navigon software, the route planning is good, with clear displays in a range of views, and being able to route to contacts is useful; we think you’ll be better off syncing contacts than managing them on the Mio – the built-in contact application lacks finesse.

There’s a good range of POIs, complete with logos – it was a little surprising to see a Burger King icon appear on screen, but we found the navigation control a bit fiddly at times, and it can’t be used with the on-screen keyboard – you’ll probably whip out the stylus from its slot on the rear fairly often.

The addition of the extra buttons makes quite a difference to usability, compared to the Medion, but the lack of precision on the navigation control, coupled with a quiet speaker, means we can’t wholeheartedly recommend this unit.

This article is part of a group test of satellite navigation systems. Others are:
Intro and Editor's choice
Blue Media BM6380GPS
Evesham Nav-Cam 7000
Garmin Street Pilot i3
Magellan Roadmate 300
Medion Go Pal PNA350
Mio 268+
Navman ICN520
Novogo A30
Tom Tom One
Viamichelin X930
Top-of-the-range options
The choice between all-in-ones or PDA add-ons
Europe's GPS constellation