Mio has formally unveiled its Windows Mobile 5.0-based smart phone with integrated GPS, the A701.

The handset was exclusively revealed by The Register in August, and the company yesterday unwrapped the device in Beijing.

The A701 is a PDA-style phone sporting a 2.7in, 240 x 320, 272,000-colour display. There's a 1.3mp camera on the back and a 520MHz Intel PXA270 processor inside. The CPU is backed by 64MB of SDRAM and 128MB of ROM.

As a phone, the A701 is a tri-band GSM/GPRS device. It also offers Bluetooth 1.2 wireless connectivity. The integrated GPS receiver is powered by a SiRF Star III chip and centres on an antenna fitted into a bulge on the top-left of the device. Mio has bundled its own MioMap route-planning software, along with maps from Navteq.

Mio recently upgraded MioMap to version 2.0, and is offering the update, along with revised maps, free of charge to European Mio 268 Plus and Mio 269 Plus owners. The only cost to the user is the return of the original CDs to Mio and a shipping fee for the new disc.

The A701 is scheduled to ship mid-December. European pricing has yet to be detailed. ®

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