I have been a bit late in posting something about GPS gadgets. And tell tell you all, better late than never.
We haven't seen anything new from Mio in the U.S. since parent company MiTAC purchased Magellan in December, 2008. Last we heard, in fact, was in April, when the company responded to a GPS Business News article that it was leaving the U.S. market by insisting that no, it wasn't. Today we see proof of that, as Mio releases two new navigators for North America.
The Mio Moov S401 will offer a 4.3-inch screen, a 4 million POI database, and list for $179.99; the Mio Moov S501 will have a 4.7-inch screen, a 12 million POI database, and go for $199.99. Both will offer the company's new Spirit software which is designed to make search and navigation simple. These two can navigate to geo-tagged photos and will support keyword POI search, for when you don't know a destination's exact name.
These look like smart additions to the lineup, offering big screens and useful features at bargain prices. Buyers have shown they're mostly interested in low-cost GPS navigators. While the U.S. market has grown increasingly competitive (Navigon just pulled out of the U.S. due to shrinking margins) we predict these units will find plenty of buyers when they're released in June.
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