Mio tunes into TV satnavs
A world's first, apparently
Mio has showcased a two satnavs that are bound to brighten up boring motorway journeys, because they can also receive TV signals.
Mio's 4.7in and 7in Spirit satnavs: pick up TV channels
The 4.7in and 7in devices are part of the firm’s Spirit range and can pick up DVB-T signals, in addition to getting you from A to B.
Neither model’s expected to hit UK shops until the summer, and Mio may still have some technical issues to iron out, because pre-production models that Reg Hardware saw yesterday were pretty c**p at picking up any telly signals.
Both models have bendy aerials that extend from one side, but Mio will also chuck in a much longer cable with suction cups on that presumably you can stick onto your car’s roof or window.
Obviously watching telly while you’re driving isn’t a good idea and Mio stressed that disclaimers will appear before TV mode’s enabled. However, the firm claimed that both versions should be able to receive TV signals at speeds of up to 60mph.
And if you find that you can’t pick up a TV signal, then the pair work perfectly well as ordinary satnavs. Prices haven’t been announced yet. ®
COMMENTS
Got one in the satnav in my old ambulance
Very useful on 7/7, as the cellular network went down and the radios were um difficult to say the least. When we parked up at each scene we could get a view of what was going on around the rest of the city.
Is was an option on VDO Dayton models, but it was pricey, so its not on the current one. And no, it didnt come out of public funds.
Not a new idea...
We visited my family-in-law in South Korea last year, and my brother-in-law had a TV-enabled satnav in his MPV. Koreans seem to like TV wherever they go - quite a few mobile phones over there have TV tuners, as do many subway trains in Seoul, for that matter.
Anyway, the TV-satnav helped pass a long car journey we went on during the visit, though I'm still not sure of the idea of a telly visible from the driver's seat (and surprised it's even legal in the UK - is it?).
Mine's the one with the insurance details and driving licence in the pocket (just in case...).
#fail
"receive TV signals at speeds of up to 60mph"
Shame the legal top speed in this country is 70mph then, really, and the longest, boring stretches of journeys, where your passenger would want to use the TV and you don't need the sat. nav. would be on just those sections of road...
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