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Evesham integrated GPS PocketPC

Mitac Mio + CoPilot Live 4

The software also provides a 'get out of traffic jams quick' feature. Tap the Detour button at the top of the screen, and CoPilot will take you off the main road and along the backstreets, hopefully bypassing the roadworks or whatever is holding up the traffic flow. There's also a button that will immediately take you back on to the original route.

I had an ideal opportunity to try this while stuck in slow moving traffic going up the A1 near Archway, but with the the unit mounted to the screen over to the left of the windscreen so as not to impede the view, I couldn't reach the tiny Detour button to hit it.

ALK CoPilot Live 4 Detour Handling   ALK CoPilot Live 4 Detour Handling

This is definitely a situation where keeping GPS receiver and display unit/PDA separate is a good thing. Had the Mio been attached to the dash, say, I would easily have been able to activate the detour facility. But of course you can't do that without losing the satellite fix.

So is battery life. An hour an a half's driving was enough to all but flatten the PDA's power pack. Having forgotten the bundled in-car ciggie lighter adaptor, I had little choice to go on using the PDA on battery. Had my journey been a long one, I'd have been stuck without directions after less than two hours on the road.

Verdict

Both Mitac's Mio 168 and ALK's CoPilot Live 4 software are, individually, solid enough products, and putting them together for £450 including VAT makes for a very cost-effective package. At £400, Halford's Medion PocketPC/GPS bundle is slightly cheaper, but the extra seems a small price to pay for an integrated GPS receiver and ALK's superior software.

I prefer Navman's Bluetooth-based 4400 GPS module and its SmartST Pro software, but it remains a more expensive if you don't already own a Bluetooth-equipped Pocket PC. And while SmartST Pro looks and sounds better than CoPilot Live, the ALK offering is tops for features and stability.

The Mio 168 isn't a bad PDA either, but it's let down a little by the screen. Inside the car, with no direct light, it's easy to read, but it becomes rather less legible when it's mounted on the windscreen attachment, which is essential if you want to get a satellite signal. That limits its use when you're out hiking on the moors, too.

But when a dedicated sat-nav system can set you back a grand, who's complaining? Evesham's bundle is undoubtedly very good value indeed. ®

Evesham Mitac Mio 168 GPS bundle
 
Rating 75%
 
Pros</h> — Compact, light PocketPC with integrated GPS
— Good navigation software
— Very good price
 
Cons — Screen hard to read in bright light
— Sound quality could be better
— Interface tricky to operate when PDA's mounted on windscreen
 
Price £450 including VAT
 
More info

The Evesham web site
The ALK CoPilot Live web site

Related Review

Navman GPS 4400

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