We’re launching our 5 part out-of-the-box video explaining in simple easy to understand terms, what to expect from a Mio PND.  Whilst this video focuses on the V735, parts 1-3 & 5 apply to any of the S series models. Here is what you can watch on the videos:

Part 1 - describes what you can expect to see on the outside of the box.
Part 2 - shows you the contents of the box. Contents may vary depending on the model purchased, but the essentials are the same.
Part 3 –introduces the key features of the Spirit interface and how to use them.
Part 4 –explains how to use the digital TV functions of the V700 and V500 models.
Part 5 – describes how to mount the device in the car and start using the PND.

We hope you enjoy them and that they provide you with some useful information. If you’d like to see more videos let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate.

We're all used to the ubiquitous in-car GPS system. But what else can you track using a GPS? It stands to reason that if you can track a moving car, you can track a moving anything; from your pet pooch to your child. So where else could you put a GPS receiver that would prove useful? The list below gives some examples of unusual places that you find GPS technology today:

Golf GPS - They've been around for a while now, but golf GPS systems are improving with every swing. Taking the guesswork out of working out how far it is to the hole, these clever devices will tell you how far you hit the ball, where the hazards are and much more.

Farming – Ok, so you probably won't be rushing out to buy one of these tomorrow. But GPS systems in farm machinery are helping farmers plough a more accurate furrow, and scythe more hay while the sun shines.
 
Luggage - If you've ever had an airline lose your luggage, these seem like an invaluable idea. GPS systems that are placed in your bags, and if you're unfortunate enough to lose a bag, then you can track its whereabouts and recover it again.

Pets and Kids - More or less the same thing as far as GPS technologies go. They both like to run off when your back is turned. Whilst putting a collar around your child’s neck may seem appealing, those devices are best left for the dogs. Kids, meanwhile can be monitored with handy key rings, or some slightly bulkier versions for bags or belts.

Shoes – These could be used to track your active independent kids or your elderly dementia riddled parents. Make sure your kids don’t go wandering aimlessly and your parents don’t hang around malls. Shoes with GPS help the tracker watch where the trackee goes.

Lingerie – It’s time for women to take control. The designer in this article believes that she can entice men to find her by putting a GPS into her lingerie line.

Mio are exhibiting at IFA in Berlin between the 4^th and 9^th of September, but just to whet your appetite and provide information to those of you who won’t be able to make it to Germany, Mio are launching an IFA virtual exhibition website.

Discover more details about the new range of PND’s with digital TV receivers, PND’s with the much heralded Spirit navigation software and the Spirit navigation software itself.
Journalists and others can read more about Mio’s company information and about the role we’re taking in the World Expo 2010.

Access the Mio IFA virtual website here.

We want any and all readers of this blog to write a story or an article for us. It can be fact or fiction describing: how you use your Mio, how Mio products are built or any other subjects so long as it involves Mio’s products or alternatively you can add one the banners below on your own blog. In return we’ll enter your name into a monthly prize draw to win a banner for your blog and promotion of your blog on the Mio Buzz website.
To give you some idea of what we’re after, we’ve written this short story or you can review the other articles on this site.

How Mio’s GPS products are made

Deep between the chrome and glass towers of Mio HQ, under crystal statues, and iconography of their glorious leader, hidden away in a white walled Faraday cage, there are men; bespectacled men with bottle-bottom glasses, working tirelessly to design beautifully crafted, thin, stylish devices that will look great  adorning living rooms, bedrooms or cars.

Once designed, these products have to be realized. Batteries, GPS receivers and other bits and pieces shipped from the supplier via underground waterways using customized peddle boats, powered by muscular legged Amazons.
The touch panel screens and plastic housings are constructed using the highest grade materials, smelted from nearby mines and formed in the foundries of the foothills of Taiwan.
Once the materials have been collected it’s time to put them together. This is done by a dedicated team of highly skilled fitters who slavishly put the fiddly components into ever smaller housing.
Completed products are boxed by elfish looking people and shipped to the 4 corners of the world by a bearded man and 6 reindeers.

The End

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On the weekend of the 8th of August typhoon Morakot battered southern Taiwan. Click here to see how the area was affected. Many thousands of people were left homeless and over 500 people lost their lives. 

To aid in the rebuilding of these communities MiTAC donated NT$4m (US$ 121,440) in cash and 100 specially adapted Mio GPS devices worth NT$1m (US$ 30,000) - using TMC technology to tell rescuers exactly where broken road and bridges are so they can be avoided.  MiTAC and Mio employees also donated over NT$1.7m (US$52,000).  All of the above money and equipment was given to the Red Cross to aid their rescue effort.

 Once again the Mio Moov V series proves that it outshines the competition. Recently launched in Germany, the V735 collects the coveted Infostat 'Retail Tip' award.

To quote Infostat:

“With the Moov Spirit V735 TV Mio created a multi talent, which succeeded in all areas of the test. User friendliness, flawless picture and reception quality, a clearly arranged individual navigation solution with useful extra information and high class manufacture make the navigation and TV combination a real recommendation.”

The Moov V735 is one of Mio's range of Portable Navigation Devices (PND) that can receive digital TV signals. Using the popular DVB-T standard and incorporating two receivers the V series ensure that digital TV can be watched (by your passengers) whether you're on the move or when you're parked up somewhere.

All of the V series models come with Mio's latest Spirit navigation software with its TruMap™ paper-like map view, extensive range of Points-of-Interest and capture button for saving details of journeys and locations. To read more about Spirit read here.

To read more about the V735 read the following websites:
German -

 First the answer to a rather important question:

Q. What is geotagging?
A. Geotagging is the ability to add GPS coordinates to photos, video, websites etc. Your Mio PND can read these coordinates and help you find your way to new and exciting places.

So now you know what it is, how do you get the images? There are lots of websites with geotagged images; our favorite is Navpix since it’s easy to use and fully stocked with images of users’ favorite locations. On the website you'll find full instructions on how you can contribute to the growing community of geotagged photos.

So the first thing you need to do is download the images and then follow the instructions below:
1. Install and run the Mio More Desktop* application.
*Note - Some older devices may not have Mio More Desktop software and therefore won’t support geotagged images.

2. From the Toolbar, select Import NavPix.

3. a. Select the images to import and and select Open.
    b. Drag the images from their location onto Mio More Desktop.

4. Select Transfer to your Mio.

It really is that easy, 4 simple steps will get geotagged images onto your Mio, ready for navigating to.
For more detailed information on how to use Mio More Desktop, read the user manual that came with your device.

 Tell us what you think of this blog. We want to know what type of articles you enjoy reading.

Should we focus on the fictional side of our GPS products life or you may prefer the factual product news; are you an arm chair traveler who day dreams about where to go on vacation or technical enthusiast who wants to know where we’ll next be demonstrating our products? Whatever you like reading on this we want to hear from you, so we can focus on what you’d like to read.

Use the poll on the right to tell us what you think.

Israel joins the ever growing list of countries that are launching the Moov S series.

With clear easy to read maps, intelligent search functions, high quality speaker and Capture button the Moov S555, S505 and S568 will lead you through the streets of Israel and help you find new and interesting places to visit.  To read about Spirit in English visit, to read about it in Hebrew read here.

Every few weeks, especially during the summer months, there is another report of somebody driving badly and blaming it on their GPS system. Having trawled through the media here are some of our favorites.

1. Car becomes stuck on New York railroad – Having been instructed by his GPS, an unnamed man from Silicon Valley drove onto the train tracks and became stuck before being hit by an oncoming train. He had of course chosen to ignore the obvious road signs warning him of the danger.

2. Ambulance crew goes 200 miles in wrong direction – Of all the people that should know where they’re going you’d have thought the emergency services would be near the top of the list. But in the UK a London ambulance crew followed their GPS and not the road signs and took a patient to Manchester, some 200 miles (320Km) away!

3. 1600 miles out of the way – Syrian lorry driver, Necdet Bakimci, was meant to be taking luxury cars from Turkey to Gibraltar off the coast of Spain. Unfortunately, following his GPS devices advise he ended up at Gibraltar Point in Skegness some 1600 miles (2500Km) away.

4. Typo sends Swedes wrong way – Whilst looking for the clear waters of the island of Capri in Italy, a Swedish couple drove 400miles (600 km) out of their way to the northern industrial town of Carpi.

5. Wrong house destroyed – The title says it all, but a demolition crew in Georgia, America, knocked down the wrong house because their GPS gave them the wrong coordinates. The demolition crew said that they’re saying that they have the paperwork with the correct coordinates and a description of the building, so they were in the right.

6. Turn right off the cliff – Blindly following his GPS, the owner of a BMW almost drove to his death. Going down narrow roads and steep lanes on the way into Todmorton in the UK, the driver continued to drive straight ahead, and had it not been for a fence he would have fallen off a cliff.

The moral of all of these stories is that, no matter how accurate your GPS is, you must pay attention, read road signs, watch what you type and don’t forget to think. As your parents once asked “If so and so jumped off a cliff, would you follow?” the same question must be posed when following GPS instructions.