[vicott]

If you talk about Pocket PCs with integrated GPS, MiTAC is definitely no stranger to this arena. Recently, Mio Technology, a subsidiary of MiTAC, has announced the Mio A700 and A701, and these mark their first foray into Pocket PC Phone Edition. In particular, the Mio A700 is the one that will be released in Singapore soon. Meanwhile, PPCSG takes this navigation device for a spin and finds out how their first Pocket PC Phone fare.

[vicott]

Specifications

Let's take a look at the brief specifications of the device:
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition
- Intel PXA270 Processor running at 520MHz
- 2.7" QVGA TFT Screen supporting 65K colors
- Triband GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz
- 128MB ROM and 64MB RAM
- Bluetooth v1.2
- SiRF Star III GPS Chipset
- 128-Chord Polyphonic Ringtones
- 1.3 Mega pixel Camera with 2x/4x/8x Digital Zoom
- SD/MMC Card Slot with SDIO Support
- mini USB Connector, USB 1.1 compliant
- 1320 mAh Li-ion battery
- 107 x 57 x 18.8 mm
- 148 g

Other than having built-in GPS, the rest of the specifications are pretty standard for Pocket PCs nowadays. However, what's obviously lacking in this device is an infra-red port and integrated Wi-Fi. Fortunately, it comes with a SDIO expansion slot, so the user can always add on a SDIO Wi-Fi card for his/her wireless connectivity needs.

The package for the Mio A700 looks pretty comprehensive as it also include accessories like travel charger, car charger, windshield mount and a leather case other than the usual fare. The car charger comes in very handy for drivers, especially when the power-demanding GPS function is in use.

[vicott]

Design

The Mio A700 comes in 2 flavors, either in a black or white body. Due to the inclusion of integrated GPS, the Mio A700 is slightly longer in size when compared to O2 XDA Atom or Dopod 818 Pro. Otherwise, it is still a very slim and portable Pocket PC Phone. Most importantly, it is the smallest and lightest Pocket PC Phone with built-in GPS to date.



On the front, the device features a comfortably large directional pad, Answer and End Call buttons, and another 2 smaller configurable buttons which are mapped to Windows Media Player and the GPS software by default. While the device looks really cool in glossy black, the glossy surface is very prone to finger print marks. But that's not so bad for the front profile since the glossy surfaces of the front profile are not the areas that are frequently touched.



The left profile features only the volume up and down buttons, while the right profile features the camera button, a 2.5mm stereo headphone jack, a SD/MMC card slot as well as the soft reset button. The cover for the SD/MMC card slot may be pretty handy to prevent dust and dirt from entering the card slot when it is not in use, and also to prevent accidental ejection of the SD/MMC card. However, this cover can prove a little awkward when a SDIO Wi-Fi card is in use.



At first sight, it may seem that the power button is nowhere in sight. In order to power up the device, the End Call button has to be used. However, the user has to press and hold the End Call button for about 5 or 6 seconds in order to trigger the ShutDown utility for putting the device to Sleep mode or Power Off.



At the bottom of the device, it's a pleasant surprise to find the mini USB connector rather than a proprietary one. However, it only supports the USB 1.1 standard, and that's a little slow for file transfers as compared to USB 2.0. The stylus silo can be found on the bottom right and an extensible stylus, which looks a little thin and flimsy, can be slid out from its position.



The camera lens and a self-portrait mirror, can be found on the back of the device. To the right of the mirror is where the speaker is. Placing the speaker on the back of the device may be a little awkward. Nevertheless, it was fortunate that the speaker volume is pretty loud. To the top, a small rubber piece covers the antenna connector, which is used for boosting the GPS reception strength in areas with poor reception.

[vicott]

Features

The device is equipped with 128MB ROM and 64MB RAM, of which 65.32MB of Storage Memory and 53.54MB of Program Memory is accessible to the user. After a soft reset, there is about 32 to 34MB of Program Memory free for running programs. The generous amount of Storage Memory is a delight, especially when compared to the recent HTC offerings, which typically only have around 40 to 46MB of free Storage Memory.



It is interesting to note that the device already comes with an utility for toggling the USB connection between ActiveSync mode or Card Reader mode. This can be pretty handy when you wish to transfer files between the SD card and a PC without ActiveSync installed.



The quality of photos taken using the integrated 1.3 Mega pixel camera were generally quite poor. It's also such a pity that the native camera software does not have a full screen view. In video recording mode, the video resolutions supported include 144x176 pixels and also 240x320 pixels.



The focus of the Mio A700 is on the built-in GPS feature, where Mio Technology has a wealth of experience on it. The choice of the popular SiRF Star III chipset is very much welcomed here. Getting a GPS fix was rather fast, ranging from 10 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the environment. The device is able to receive around 9 to 11 channels on average.



The device comes preloaded with a number of handy and interesting GPS applications. In order to help navigation software to obtain a GPS fix more quickly, it would be useful to download satellite calibration data periodically using Quick Position. If you are a geocaching enthusiast, you may find the application called Mio SMS Location very handy. It displays the longitude and latitude of your current position, and you can SMS your message along with the location information to a friend.



After loading a few applications to the device, it still does not feel too laggy for a Windows Mobile 5.0 device, all thanks to the speedy 520MHz processor. Audiophiles may be a little disappointed with the audio output through the headphone jack on this device. There was lack of bass and the volume was a still quite soft even at maximum volume.

Going through the Programs and Settings Control Panel, it’s surprising to find that Clear Storage is missing on the device. Hence, the only way to perform a hard reset was to press and hold on to the End Call button and the Volume Down button simultaneously when the device is turned off, and until the device vibrates.

[vicott]

Performance

Powered by an Intel PXA270 processor running at 520MHz, does the device perform up to expectations? The best way to put it to the test is to run Spb Benchmark on it. The following table shows the results collected and compared with other Pocket PCs running on Windows Mobile 5.0. Overall, the performance can be considered to be quite satisfactory.



The 1320mAh battery was rated as being able to last 200 hours on standby and 4 hours on talk time. Let's see if it's up to the test under the scrutiny of Spb Benchmark. The unit was able to last 7 hours 29 min with continuous video playback, and also able to last 6 hours 36 min with Wi-Fi active (using Spectec SDIO Wi-Fi card). Both tests were done with the device set to flight mode, using maximum backlight and running the tests until the battery is drained out.



Although the battery test results look pretty good, the battery life is pretty poor at only 2 to 3 hours when GPS is in action. However, that should not be a big issue if you are using it with the car charger plugged in while driving.

The Mio A700 is designed as a portable navigation system which is also a PDA and a cell phone. If you do not mind the lack of built-in Wi-Fi, this device may be well suited for you. Generally, the form factor, performance, internal memory size and battery life were all very satisfactory for a Pocket PC Phone that is running on Windows Mobile 5.0.

[wycklk]

A good product but i wish it comes with an integrated WLAN 802.11g.

[Ice Fire]

vicott, are you using it?

I using this A700 about a mth, no prob with it. GPS more better than when I used Rikaline.

Just the stylus is poor design.

**The package for the Mio A700 looks pretty comprehensive as it also include accessories like travel charger, car charger, windshield mount and a leather case other than the usual fare.**

think this is for Mio A701. A700 don't have car charger and windshield mount. the leather case also poor design, 2 pieces pouch :confused:

[vicott]

Ice Fire, on May 4 2006, 10:57 AM, said:

vicott, are you using it?

I using this A700 about a mth, no prob with it.  GPS more better than when I used Rikaline.

Just the stylus is poor design.

A700 don't have car charger and windshield mount.  the leather case also poor design, 2 pieces pouch :confused:

It's a review set actually and I have used it for 2 weeks. I also think that the GPS works really well on this device. As for the packaging, I can confirm (what what I see physically) the accessories I mentioned are inside the box. The official website also mentioned those accessories on the Mio A700 page.

[Ice Fire]

go home read the package list again, but I don't have the car charger and holder, need to buy :cry:

1 thing wanna ask, can it change to Eng version, mine is Traditional Chinese Windows Mobile 5.0.

I asked the dealer, can't

[ggk13]

I quite like the form factor considering it has GPS built in!

Anyone knows when it will be available in Singapore?

Thanks