Strengths: small size, precise navigation, rather fast "cold start".

Weaknesses: none

Summary: Compare to the Garmin c330, which I used in the past, the Mio c220 provides the same great navigation in a much smaller box. The only difference is the "Menu" organization. It takes, however, just a couple of trips to get used to it.Overall - C220 is a great portative GPS system, which will not break your bank. Highly recommended.

Strengths: Accuracy, features, size, responsiveness

Weaknesses: Some functions are not intuitive--READ THE FULL MANUAL

Summary: I needed a basic GPS and thought that for the price (Circuit City: $180), that's what the Mio C220 would be. I was wrong! This is more than "basic". It has all the key features I wanted and more. Accuracy is scary. It calculates speed, distance and time all in real-time and lets you know if you go off-route be even a couple of feet. (Of course, that's because of my geographic location--US Mid-Atlantic--and the number of satellites that are providing a signal.) It has a speed trap database that you can add to and will warn you if you are approaching a known speed trap location. It's the size of the new Garmin Nuvi devices. What's missing are the announcement of street names (big deal) and Bluetooth service. Because the voice prompts are sometimes hard to hear, Bluetooth would be great--but then again, the Mio C220 is under $200! The Garmin equivalent is three times as much. Recommendation: Print out the full user's manual from the CD. The included paper instructions are limited. Play with the device and get to know it before really trying to use it on an important trip. The Mio is a European product and doesn't always follow American logic. Some things, such as creating an address book, are not intuitive.

Strengths: low cost, great GPS signal, can modified to play movies and songs

Weaknesses: low volume

Summary: low cost (around $200), great GPS signal (using SirfStar III, the same chip used by many higher cost GPS), can modified (just google) to play movies and songs (partial WindowsCE 5, no ActiveSync yet) low volume when using it with GPS, you can increase the volume when playing movie or songs but you may hear some static. Overall, I like it though not as much as Mio 310.

Strengths: Small size; accurate; quick to get position fix; quick rerouting; screen easy to read

Weaknesses: Some quirks in navigation; some inaccurate driving time estimates, missing POIs; some routing options buried in menus

Summary: I've been using this for a few weeks. I can only compare to iGuidance 2.0 running on a Dell Axim X5. It is very portable, screen is easy to read, plenty loud for me, even with the radio on at normal volume. The windshield suction mount works very easily. It is a step up from the admittedly out of date software I was using before. But there are a few quirks, most of which I suspect relate to the map data and not the navigation program itself:1) estimated trip times can be off - e.g., it said that a different route than how I usually drove to work over back roads should take 22 min. instead of the half-hour it takes me. It was wrong.2) on a trip in FL, it kept telling me to "bear right" because it mistook left turn lanes for the road going off to the left. Repeatedly, one turn after another for 3-4 in a row at times. Also, there's one exchange on my way to work that cloverleafs to the right and it tries to tell me to turn left. Interestingly, iGuidance, which uses Navteq maps (the Mio uses TeleAtlas) does the same. Parallel devolution, perhaps?3) POIs - I had expected it to have the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in its POIs (iGuidance 2.0 did) - I was wrong. But I don't use POIs much so I can't address general completeness.4) menus - some menu options one might use frequently are buried too deeply, require too many clicks to get there, and not always obvious whether some routing options are on the routing menu or require going back to home and then advanced options.5) only allows 2 "favorites" to be stored - "home" and "work", but has large memory for previous destinations. Nice feature of offering previous cities from which you can then find address, saving reentering city name.For those wanting to hack it for mp3 player, etc., it looks like people are making progress and that is now possible.Overall, I'm quite happy with it when going places I don't know, and it's a good deal, especially when frequently available on sale.

Strengths: Good brightness, fast calculation, excellent maps

Weaknesses: Screen is a little small, menu structure not easy to negotiate, really should provide a paper manual

Summary: I bought this as a portable GPS for my frequent business trips. Too many times I got lost in strange cities while trying to follow Google Maps printouts. Since I have a factory navigation system in my Honda Pilot, I didn't want to spend a lot of money for a Garmin or Magellan since I already spent over $1000 on the factory system. Compared to my factory system, the Mio's screen is brighter (as opposed to other reviews that say that the display is too dim) and the calculations much faster. The POI database searches and sorts much faster as well (flash memory based as opposed to DVD on the Honda system). I must say, though, that the menu structure is much less logical on the Mio system... I've read the manual and still have trouble figuring out how to move to the right part of the menu structure. The Quick Install Guide is basically useless; all it tells you how to do is to mount it on the dashboard or windshield. The hardware and software manuals are on a CD. All in all, it's a great little GPS. I only wish that I hadn't bought the factory navigation system. The annual DVD-ROM updates cost as much as the Mio C220! Great value.

Strengths: Price, size, speed, accuracy

Weaknesses: volume, no other functionality

Summary: While it is not the best in the market, it is amazing for the $. people have some success in hacking it with C250 utilities, to play mp3 files. However, I think it is nowhere as hackable as 310x. Performance wise, it is very good. Takes a minute to receive GPS signal at startup. In few instances it lost GPS signal en-route but picked up signal with a second or two. POI database is wonderful with phone numbers. Routing is pretty good, so is the speed of recalculation if you miss a certain turn. There is no TTS, but the screen displays the road name and GPS unit gives voice guidance to turn left/right in certain distance.

Strengths: low cost, great signal

Weaknesses: low volume

Summary: love it, bought it at $190 when it was on sale. work great so far. excellent GPS for the money, with great signal using SirfStarIII GPS chip, very update maps. only minor is volume is a bit low as others has said.

Strengths: Compact, Stylish, Price

Weaknesses: Not good map software, not smart POI search

Summary: Overall this is a very good entry-level car GPS system for the price. Compare with Garmin streetpilot 330, this one is more compact and stylish. Its 20 channels receiver is definitely another plus. The biggest disappointment is the map software. Although this new product uses 2007 version of Atlas map, my 5 year old address is still not on the map. Also incorrect U-turn instructions are especially bothersome for NJ drivers. Plus finding POI can be difficult if you cannot remember or misspell the name. It also lacks of some useful high-end functionality such as announce street names, Bluetooth, and real-time traffic. But nonetheless, it function well as a basic level car GPS and get you to where you need to be. Its fast route recalculation can be very useful for the detour situation.

Strengths: Small, portable, good signal pickup, ready out of the box, price under $150

Weaknesses: Support, low volume, illogical menus, some 'touch' buttons are small, lots of features for a basic unit, power cord plugs into the bottom of unit and is awkward.

Summary: I just returned from a 2 week 2,500 mile vacation roadtrip with a Garmin c330. This was my first experience with a GPS. I never had to look at a map or take my eyes off the road. I fell in love with it and wonder how I got along without one. I purchased the Mio for my son who's off to college and figured he doesn't need to be fumbling with maps in a strange city. Having used both GPS units they each have their pros and cons. As everyone else said - low volume is biggest problem - I have a convertible, but it is still low if you want the voice prompts and want to listen to the radio with the top up. The touchscreen buttons are small even though the screen dimension is the same as the Garmin. There is no PC interface, so planning a trip is all done through the screen. The POI lookup is extremely quick and has a ton of POI's - i looked up my dentist for the heck of it, and he was in there with his phone number even though he moved to his new location just 2 years ago! On the other hand it did not find a golf course or a public swimming pool that are each located closer to my home than any of the ones it found? Some routes it plans are bizare. The Garmin was much better at this function. One trip to a relative was 32 minutes on the Garmin and 47 on the MIO and it was .7 miles longer at 23 miles vs 22.3 - I've done the trip 100's of times and the Garmin's time and rout is correct. Yes it would it get me there, but not the most efficient way - and I think it's time estimates are longer than reality. This unit does have the ability to plan a trip with various stop points and lets you avoid certain types of roads if you like such as unpaved or toll roads. It warns you of upcoming toll roads and will even tell you if you are exceeding the speed limit by a percent or mph of your choosing. All-in-all for the $140 this is a very functional unit and if you're using it to get around in strange areas, you probably won't even notice that it may not be the best route. At that price, it's somewhat disposable and if it gets lost or stolen, it's not going to break the bank. In a couple of years I suspect this whole market will come down dramatically in price like seems to happen with everything else I buy! For the reasons I just mentioned, I'll probably keep the Mio, but I like the logic and layout of the Garmin much better and if I were choosing between the two at an equal price point, I would go for the Garmin. Oh Yes... as others have said - Read the manual that is included on the DVD (not the printed mini-manual in the box) and plan to spend a day with the manual and the unit getting to know it! If you like to tinker with your electronic gadgets, this is the unit for you. UPDATE: I FINALLY gave up after trying to love this unit - I returned it - the volume is WAY too low and as a result I missed a number of turns. And that was in my SUV with the windows up and the radio very low. In my opinion, driving along and hearing an upcoming turn is a key benefit of a GPS. Also, I could not get accustomed to the illogical user interface. I'm going to try the Garmin Nuvi 350 - same compact size - more features - but $300+. Hope the sound is better!

Strengths: quick recalculation

Weaknesses: poor manual

Summary: I bought this for a couple weeks. I just figured out how to set the Point of Interest and some other function, the manual is pdf file, it is not user-friendly, hope they will have some flash instruction. The good feature of this product is it can recalculate the route very fast in the situation that you drove a wrong way.

Strengths: Start fast, small size, accurate navigation

Weaknesses: N/A

Summary: This is my first owned GPS. It's very good. First, low cost (around $150); Secondly, great GPS signal (using SirfStar III, the same chip used by many higher cost GPS). Thirdly, lots of Fancy functions, for example smart zoom, camera alert, automatically volume adjustment.

Strengths: Very portable,New Maps (October 2006),Fast,Well-Featured for price

Weaknesses: No frills (mp3, video, etc),No wall charger,Sometimes picks strange routes,Not the most intuitive interface

Summary: I haven't had this GPS for very many days, but I've done a lot of playing with it since it arrived and I think it's a great device. It picks up signals quickly and holds on to them. It was able to read satellites in the bottom floor of my work's 5 floor garage! The touchscreen works really well and it appears to be pressure-sensitive. If you want to map a point, you tap lightly on the screen. If you want to move the whole map, you press more firmly and drag your finger and the whole map moves. It's got some really cool features like auto-dimming and auto-night colors just before sunset and the reverse just before morning. It even shows you the sun in 3D mode in its correct position when the sun is setting - how cool is that? And the energy-saving feature dims the screen when it's not in use and auto-brightens when approaching a turn or the destination (or when you touch the screen).I can't believe how small it is! 3.5" is a pretty typical size screen, so that's not unusual, but it is so small and lightweight. It will be incredibly easy to bring this along on trips that involve flying, which is very handy. The battery is supposed to last 4 or 5 hours, which is good. I just wish it came with a wall charger instead of requiring you to plug it in to a cigarette adapter.More expensive units include lots of other frills that I have no use for in a GPS device - things like mp3 players, bluetooth, video players, etc. This is just made for navigation - getting you from point a to point b. If that's what you are looking for, then you can't beat this product for the price!My only concern is that it sometimes chooses odd directions in getting you from point a to point b. However, there are 3 different settings for route calculation: fastest, shortest and most economical. I haven't played too much with each type to see the differences on a given route.Some people have complained that auto-rerouting doesn't work very well. That instead of finding a new road to take you on, it tries to get you back to the original road. I haven't seen this to be the case unless the road I'm on just doesn't get me where I'm going. I guess this part is a little bit hit or miss, but that's a pretty subjective area. Some people might want to be taken back to the original route.There are a lot of other little, cool things it will do, but suffice-it-to-say I think this is WELL worth the sub-$200 that you would pay to obtain it. Why spend the extra money getting a better-known brand when you can get this.One thing to note - it's interface is a little bit intimidating - especially at first. I've heard others say that Garmin and TomTom's interfaces are much more intuitive, and I think that's probably true. This one isn't bad, but it does take some getting used to. Once you've played with it for several days, it becomes almost second-nature, but that may be learning time that some are unwilling to invest.

Strengths: Nothing as of now

Weaknesses: Power on takes a lot of time,Poor satellite reception,Poor Visibility, Poor Audibility.

Summary: Everything. Power on button takes about 40 seconds,Detects satellite signal and immediately says that the signal is lost ( mind you on a clear road no blocks). I changed 3 pieces and all are found to be bad . The audibility is very bad even upon tuning the audio setting to the max speed. I used a Mio C310X that was far better than this one. This one doesn't has the buttons for volume increasing decreasing like in C310 X.

Strengths: great product

Weaknesses: not find yet

Summary: I bought this device a week ago, I am very satisfied the result. The accuracy might be just a few yard different, other than that, it is perfect. good price and quality

Strengths: Small and light weight for easy carry. Great price to performance ratio

Weaknesses: Sometimes it does not give the most logical route

Summary: Bought it on a special. So far it performs very well given the cost. There is no extra bell and whistle like MP3 or Bluetooth, but it does what a GPS suppose to do. Getting you from A to B. Screen is bright enough with automatic day and night modes. I find the volume is adequate which is the most common complain from other users. Negatives include no in home charger and sometimes it does not give the most logical route. All in all, quite satisfy with the unit.