Post details: Mio A701 Review

Tue, 14 March 2006

Permalink 02:37:44 pm

Mio A701 Review

As promised then, my initial review of the A701. Pictures to follow later this evening.

Normally I'm against companies announcing products months in advance, but in Mio's case it seems to have worked to their advantage. If I hadn't have heard about it last August I would by now have bought a separate PDA and bluetooth GPS unit. After 7 months wait though, I finally have an A701.

Mio A701

[More:]



First impressions? You'll be pleased to hear it's worth the wait. Ergonomically, the A701 is great, and fits perfectly in the palm of your hand. I've just compared the feel of it to a colleague's iPAQ 5550, and that feels very cumbersome in comparison.

The screen is sharp, clear and easily readable. My first gripe though - Mio have included a plastic screen protector, but it's about 2mm too narrow, so bear this in mind when you fit it. Navigating using the stylus works out the box with no calibration necessary (although there is a utility to do it, if needed). The stylus itself is very thin, and not particularly comfortable; it stows away in a slot in the base of the unit which, although is fine when everything is new, does make me wonder whether it will start to slip out on its own accord when it's been used for a few weeks.

I bought my A701 with TomTom preinstalled and it works perfectly. I'm able to get a signal inside, away from the window, which I could never do with my Garmin i3 sat-nav. It also has the ability to download an Ephemeris file that apparently helps navigation software to fix GPS location more quickly. In use, the TomTom voice directions come from a speaker on the back of the A701. It could do with being a bit louder, but it's perfectly usable (and I do drive a fairly noisy car.) In comparison, the A701's 100% volume is comparable to the i3's 4/5. To answer a previous question, the GPS works independently of the phone network carrier.

The phone supports Bluetooth, and it paired with my Nokia HS-36W without problems. This allows you to answer and hang up calls and to redial. However, this does lead me to the first major oversight - the A701 doesn't support voice dialing. So you have a phone that is designed to be mounted in a cradle in a car, supports Bluetooth headsets, but doesn't have any safe way of making a call. If anyone has ideas on alternative software to do the job I'd be pleased to hear them.

When using a Bluetooth headset in conjunction with TomTom, the voice directions come from the speaker until a call is taken; the speaker volume then mutes and the call is redirected to the headset.

Mio certainly aren't shy with the accessories, which makes a nice change. Included with the A701 are a car charger, windscreen suction mount, AC adaptor, USB cable, case, spare stylus, screen protector and CDs. Not much in the way of printed material, just a quick start guide written in about 10 different languages, with the main manual on CD.

It wouldn't be fair of me to comment on battery life yet, as it's only had one charge, but so far I've used TomTom on a 40 minute journey and taken about 30 minutes of calls on it, and the battery indicator is only down to 3 bars from 4.

This is only intended to be a preliminary review as there are some features I haven't used yet, such as ActiveSync, but, as I say, first impressions are good. This isn't the holy grail of all-in-one devices - there's no Wifi or IrDA for a start - but for my needs it is certainly up to the job.

Advantages
- Clear, easily readable screen
- Unit comfortable to hold/use
- Sensitive GPS receiver

Disadvantages
- No voice dialling
- Stylus too thin

As ever, questions and queries in the comments section below.

**UPDATE 14:40 20 August 2006**
I've had the phone almost 6 months now, so I thought I'd give a bit of an update. As a PDA and SatNav the A701 is great, but, unfortunately, as a phone it is terrible. Too often I find either:

- the phone freezing when I answer a call. Seems to be related to having it locked.
- the call will pick up, but there is no audio in either direction.
- the A701 won't hang up a call properly, meaning a soft reset is required.
- after making a call via a bluetooth headset, the other person can't hear you.

I don't know whether these are hardware or software problems but, either way, Mio have done nothing to even acknowledge them, let alone fix them. I will be very reluctant to buy anything from Mio in the future.

**UPDATE 14:00 15 March 2006**
Photos will be coming tonight - I spent all of yesterday evening fighting with MS ActiveSync. It's not Mio's fault, but I haven't used such a useless, bug-ridden piece of software for years. Firstly, I had to uninstall my firewall (Sygate) as the A701 wouldn't connect: just disabling it wasn't enough. Why ActiveSync should even be troubling a firewall is anyone's guess. Next, when I synchronise with Outlook it misses some of my contacts: not the first or last few, just random ones throughout. If you leave the A701 plugged in to your PC ActiveSync wakes it up every 5 minutes. I've sync'd Outlook with Siemens, Ericsson and Palm devices in the past with absolutely no problem at all. Microsoft should be ashamed of ActiveSync.
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Comments, Trackbacks:

Comment from Alan
Thanks for the quick insight, looks like it will be worth the wait for mine on Thursday.

I have TomTom5 already on my Mio168 PDA, I ordered my A701 with mio-map to see how good Mio's own mapping program compared to TomTom.

The mio-map option however has been delayed from Mio-tech so I cannot comment on how well it compares against tomtom5.

Thanks again for your review it has made me more hungry to get my hands on my A701, like you I have been following the release since August as it seems to be the best all in one solution (albeit no wifi).

Cheers
Alan

14/03/06 @ 15:45
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
I'd be interested in hearing a comparison of Mio Map vs TomTom. I eventually went with TomTom because of the 7 digit postcode support, but it wasn't an easy decision to make.
14/03/06 @ 15:56
Comment from Buff
Thanks for this first review.

Is there really no way fot the A701 to use a BT headset for road GPS instructions ?
15/03/06 @ 07:50
Comment from Ahmed
Thanks for initial review. I too would be very interested in hearing about the MioMap vs TOMTOM5. Any reviews on this from anyone would be very helpful.
15/03/06 @ 08:41
Comment from Max
Waiting for your photos, mate!
Your review is the first on all the Web!! ;)
15/03/06 @ 14:30
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
See the latest update above for why there's no photos yet. Tonight, definitely.
15/03/06 @ 16:21
Comment from motorfret
other users with this device say that the voice dailing feature is on one of the cd-rom's, so you have to/can install it seperatly.
15/03/06 @ 17:19
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
No, I've checked and there is only a link to the Microsoft site to download and buy Voice Command 1.5 (for £24.99). The only additional software on CD is Phone City, eConvertor and Mobile Assistant. Maybe it's only included in certain countries.
15/03/06 @ 17:48
Comment from Alan
Don't know if it's any help but Vito do a Voice dialer for $15.95 with a 14 day free trail.

http://vitotechnology.com/en/products/voicedialer.html

I use a few Vito applications and may consider this one if the Mio does not include a voice dialer with the phone.

As for comparing Mio-Map with TomTom5, I will endevour to post back some comments, when I get it installed.

Alan
15/03/06 @ 18:37
Comment from DM
On the provided CD there should be an additional program that adds voicedailing capabilities to the Mio A701
15/03/06 @ 20:28
Comment from suzuki
wow - no voice dialling as standard - i thought it was a integral part of the latest pocket windows/phone edition - what a missed opportunity by mio
15/03/06 @ 21:33
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
Definitely no voice dialling. The A701 came with 2 CDs - the Mio Bonus Application CD has 3 programs: a currency/temp converter, a world clock and one for backing up/restoring contacts. The other CD is the one with MS ActiveSync. If you go to the option to install additional programs it says there aren't any on the CD and directs you to the Microsoft website to buy their voice control software. I'd be interested to hear where people have said it comes with software - they're either wrong, different countries get different software, or somehow I'm missing it.
15/03/06 @ 21:46
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
For all those of you impatient to see photos (yes Max, I'm looking at you ;)) I've posted some here. Note the rather ill-fitting screen protector. I gave up trying to take pictures of the display, but you can see pictures of WM5 all over the place.
16/03/06 @ 00:07
Comment from Max
Well Done!!!
Thank mate!!
Nice photos.
Could review deeply the phone functions and gps?
Bye
;D
16/03/06 @ 07:36
Comment from Roy Huntley
Are those horizontal silver bars either side of the navigation-wheel actually buttons which correspond with the left and right menu options in WM5 ? Or are they just for decoration ?
16/03/06 @ 12:25
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
The horizontal silver bars are just decoration.
16/03/06 @ 12:41
Comment from Max
Hi stuart!
all fine with your 701?
Tell us something about "Quick Position".
How is the battery working??
16/03/06 @ 14:39
Comment from Gordon Montgomerie
Can you tell me if there is a qwerty keyboard available on the touchscreen for typing in emails and texts etc ? or is it just the touch screen no's & letters representation of a normal phone keypad ?

I currently have a now very old Sony Erricson p800 phone and I love the touch screen keyboard on that.
16/03/06 @ 16:14
Comment from Alan
Got mine at last, thanks Stuart you were not wrong, it is worth the wait :D

Just charged it and installed some applications (Vito Navigator, Pocket Streets and Pocket nav) to check out the GPS, I have to wait a little for the miomap :/

Also installed a Spectra wifi SDIO card, only problem is the rubber flap that covers the SD slot on the phone, gets in the way with the wifi card in (this is because the wifi card is a little longer than a standard SD card), other than that it works perfectly, connected to the internet and did some pop3 emails.

So now I have the perfect device (who needs IrDa anyway)

The quick fix works very well, you download an ephemeris data file from the internet and it speeds the satellite fix up quite a lot.

Without it I was amazed at the speed of the fix with the sirfIII gps, it got a cold fix in about 10 seconds, with the quickfix activated (new file) this dropped to about 4 seconds.

Downside is the ephemeris data file is only valid for a few days, so to keep the quickfix up to date you will have to connect to the internet quite regularly (unless I have understood that wrong)

I also setup the bluetooth headset with no problems.

All in all I am very happy with the product.

16/03/06 @ 16:28
Comment from IAN
HELLO BUDDY
Is the Dpad good for games?
have you tried games on it and is the overall speed good, i ask this because the XDA UNIVERSAL also has a fast 520mhz but is slow.


Thanks
16/03/06 @ 19:40
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
Just catching up on a few questions:

- Yes, there is a touchscreen qwerty kwyboard. You can also use Palm Graffiti or handwriting recognition if you prefer.

- I've not tried it with any games and probably won't be, so I can't really help on this one. It feels quick though, and TomTom's 3D view is very smooth.

- Battery life is a tough one to gauge as I've been plugging it in when in the car or at my desk. I'll let you know when I'm away from a charger for longer.
17/03/06 @ 10:01
Comment from Az
does the A701 have an FM radio?
17/03/06 @ 11:13
Comment from toto
Where can I find an other good test of this phone?
17/03/06 @ 23:05
Comment from sokri
for just another good review visit http://www.myphone.gr/forum/showthread.php?t=79895&page=15 but you probably need translation since it's in greek. Also very special commends..
18/03/06 @ 00:26
Comment from Martijn
How is the signal strength of this phone guys... i gonna buy this phone in a couple of hours.. and now i heard from a guy of a dutch forum that he returned his phone because the signal strength of the GSM function is very bad.... any other experience????
18/03/06 @ 14:04
Comment from Peter England
I am using the A701 with Tom Tom and I have to say the GPS signal is very quick to lock on, even quicker when using the special file download thing (Epheremes?).

The battery seems to shoot down pretty quick on mine though, but I need to find out why, maybe it's just the way I am using it.

Pete.
18/03/06 @ 17:29
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
Az - no, there's not an FM radio.
Martijn - the GSM reception is at least as good as the SE T610 and Siemens S65 that I used before getting this, so the I'm not sure what problem the Dutch guy had.
19/03/06 @ 19:13
Comment from Dragstar
Stuart,

Im come from holland and because i read your positive review i decided to buy the a701.... I now own one finally and i agree its great, but i have a question.
You say you bought your a701 with tomtom preinstalled, can you tell me what version of tomtom ??? and are there any settings i have to make in my a701 so tomtom will find the built in gps.

Thanks,

ps. in the software included in the package was no software for voicedailing, so your right about that
19/03/06 @ 20:03
Comment from Peter England
I am using Tom Tom version 5.2
20/03/06 @ 09:16
Comment from www.GPSAndCo.com
Hello,

A complete review is available here : ;-)

http://www.gpsandco.com/articles/article.php?cat=article_pda&id=372
20/03/06 @ 12:23
Comment from Ian Goulding
I bought the A701 in the UK and it's simply great. Iwas hoping to install my TomTom Navigator 5 on it but when I asked TomTom to reset my activation code so that I could actvate it with TomTom they have refused to do so, their answer is shown below:

Discussion Thread

Response
20/03/2006 12.26 PM

Dear Mr. Goulding,

Your MIO PDA is not compatible with our Navigation software. We are therefore unable to comply with your requests for a new activation code. As much as we would wish otherwise, we cannot provide technical support should the devices used not comply with our list of compatible devices.

Kind regards,

The TomTom Customer Support Team
================================
I have been with TomTom since Ver:3 but it looks as thogh I won't be using them anymore!

Ian

20/03/06 @ 15:19
Comment from simon
Hi, everyone,

I would like to know if it's possible to insert wifi card in slot together with memory card or slot is reserved only for one card at once?
The problem is that there must be memory extension if you want to use all maps. And I need wifi too, that I can call via skype.
20/03/06 @ 15:50
Comment from Steve
But Ian, There are others in this thraed that say they are already using TOMTOM with their A701?
And you can buy it with TOMTOM. It doesn't make sense for TOMTOM to say they don't support it? version 5 has been updated for windows mobile 5 as well.

Any ideas anyone?

Steve
20/03/06 @ 16:31
Comment from Max
Hi Guys!
To the lucky owner of this wonderful PDA, what about the battery life??
21/03/06 @ 09:54
Comment from Allan
Sounds like a great device.
Is it possible to turn off the pda and leave the phone on, and the other way around.
21/03/06 @ 09:59
Comment from Steve
Hey guys just thought you should all know that even though some stores are selling the A701 with TOMTOM, TOMTOM themselves are not supporting it yet and have told me that it should not be bundled with the A701.
It may work, but if it doesn't TOMTOM ain't gonna refund you your money.
21/03/06 @ 12:20
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
If you buy TomTom bundled and it doesn't work then it's down to the retailer to refund you, not TomTom.
21/03/06 @ 14:52
Comment from Steve
I agree! Spoke to the retailer who is aware of the situation. They say they have there own support team to resolve issues so I supposed it should be OK. I was thinking in terms of if an update came out that caused problems. Either way I am still going to get one though, but not with TOMTOM. I already got it for my MIO 168, but I'm not paying for the same software twice!?!
21/03/06 @ 17:20
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
I've just read on pocketgpsworld that the Mio A201 has a problem with the Device ID changing, which of course is a problem when software like TomTom is tied to the device. I hope this doesn't become a problem on the A701.
21/03/06 @ 17:45
Comment from Buff
Could anyone tell me if while using any GPS software, there's a way to hear the vocal GPS instructions through a Bluetooth device such as a BT headset ? Thanks a lot.
21/03/06 @ 22:53
Comment from Piotr
Do someone knows what Bluetooth profiles Mio supports?

Built-in camera - can it add (as JFIF tags) position and time from GPS?

Can it be used as voice recorder?

22/03/06 @ 09:04
Comment from Max · http://User Manual
Hi Stue!
How is it going your a701??
Tell me more about the battery life?
Yesterday i've ordered here in Italy and it will arrive on next Monday.
Can you post somewhere (rapidshare for example) the user manual in Acrobat Format??
Thanks mate
;D
22/03/06 @ 10:06
Comment from Max
Hi Stue!
How is it going your a701??
Tell me more about the battery life?
Yesterday i've ordered here in Italy and it will arrive on next Monday.
Can you post somewhere (rapidshare for example) the user manual in Acrobat Format??
Thanks mate
;D
22/03/06 @ 10:09
Comment from bill
Got my A701 today but cannot install mt tomtom 5 which I had with my imate jam. Any ideas. Lovely phone by the way just would like to try out the sta nav.
22/03/06 @ 17:41
Comment from bill
Have now installed tomtom 5 OK but cannot configure gps reciever. Can someone please tell me the settings for tomtom to communicate with the mio internal gps, thanks.
22/03/06 @ 18:55
HELLO ALL
If you want to know about A2DP bluetooth or push e-mail for the mio A701, use the link above, its a long podcast from cebit2006 but it explains all.
22/03/06 @ 20:24
Comment from Mark
Had mine away from the power for about a day and the battery is running low. I have used the phone a few times and had the screen on quite a bit. This is with default (changed the backlight to 30s) power consumption settings (ie. 'performance' setting on auto.
23/03/06 @ 06:03
Comment from Malk
I have been running mine for a bit less than 24hrs, and I have a little bit over 1/3rd power left. The power bar has just gone into orange. This is with 'auto' performance settings, and backlight to 30s, with brightness to the 3rd notch. Haven't and not planning to do a full test with the battery as I'll be syncing lots (thus recharging the battery).
23/03/06 @ 06:08
Comment from Max
Reading the last 2 posts, i understand that there are battery problems?
:(
23/03/06 @ 08:16
Comment from Chris S
hi, have had trouble trying to get it to connect to any GPS signals at all. tried tomtom navigator 5, and now trying medion navigator too.
how do i get the GPS working?
will it coe to life with the satnav software, or do i need to activate it seperately?
have looked everywhere but want see any settings to adjust!!
Help please folks
23/03/06 @ 18:43
Comment from Martijn
I have the phone since 18 march...

No problems with tomtom 5.2
other nmea device on port gps_hwcom or something like that.. and baudrate 57600...

Download activesync 4.1 from microsoft, you dont have sync problems and install problems!

Only the GSM stability is poor... It goes sometime offline and going to search for gsm network... I have on that moment very good reception...

This morning I wake up and the was searching again... I cant trust it yet... god knows how long the phone was offline...

are there other owners who share the problem... on dutch forums are a couple of complaints about instability and sound quality of the phone part!

The rest of the device is great!!!
23/03/06 @ 21:07
Comment from Alan
Still waiting for MioMap for mine. :/

For the gps setup, use NMEA for the protocol, if you look in system settings there is an icon for the gpssettings, with this you can set/change a com port, so gps programs can share the gps device (like gpsgate).

I have sucessfully used the default com4 for all the gps programs I am running on it and the scan option from those programs found the gps device ok on that port.

Battery life is ok and comparable to most smartphone/pda's (don't know where they get thier battery life figures from), but is impacted once you switch on bluetooth and gps functions.

Just make sure you properly terminate any gps programs (use the memory~running programs~STOP option) when you finish with them and shut down bluetooth!.

With just the phone in use, the battery seems ok IMO, (I am not having any signal probelms BTW) but I have not been away from base without pugging the thing in for more than 3 days, but it has not let me down yet.

Careful management of running applications in memory seem to extend the battery quite well, i guess that's why the memory icon is on the today screen as opposed to being tucked away in system settings, as on the mio 168.

24/03/06 @ 09:37
Comment from PHILIP UK
HI
ANY IDEAS ABOUT BACKING UP APPLICATIONS FILES ETC. PHONE LOCKED UP A COUPLE OF TIMES AND HAD TO RE-INSTALL.
24/03/06 @ 10:33
Thanks for your review. It certainly encouraged me to go and buy a Mio A701 from expansys this week.

I've had mine for 24 hours and have installed GPSdash2 and it works great.

I've written a review in my blog, details of which can be found here...
http://roguesolo.livejournal.com/157065.html
24/03/06 @ 10:39
Comment from Dirk
Hi,

Got my new Mio A701 in the mail yesterday. Very happy so far, but have problems getting the GPS device to work with TomTom (latest version).

In TomTom, under: Change Preferences, Show GPS Status, Configure
which GPS device do I have to choose?
My options are:
- TomTom Wireless GPS
- TomTom Cable GPS
- Other Bluetooth GPS
- Other NMEA GPS
Only the TomTom Wireless GPS seems to at least recognize the GPS device. However, it connects via Bluetooth? Does that make sense for an internal GPS device?

Plus, TomTom does not get a GPS signal even though I am waiting and tried different locations.

Anyone has some advice for me, please?

Thank you.

Dirk
24/03/06 @ 15:14
Comment from Chris S
hi dirk, use this one
"Other NMEA GPS"
it will connect, but on mine the first few times it took a while, but now its very fast at getting a pickup.
you should be using tomtom navigator5 aswell, not tomtom mobile as others have been trying to use.
24/03/06 @ 16:09
Comment from Chris S
hi dirk, forgot to say also make the baud rate baudrate 57600, and other nmea device on port gps_hwcom
24/03/06 @ 16:12
Comment from Dirk
Chris,

I cannot thank you enough. I finally got it to work after hours of fideling around.

Thank you soooo much.

Dirk
24/03/06 @ 17:08
Comment from Chris S
hi Dirk,dont thank me, it was Martijn up a few posts who told me what to do, so i cant takeany real credit.
still nice to know your sorted now ;-}
24/03/06 @ 17:50
Comment from Jules
Hi,

I cannot edit my contacts on my MIO because i am missing the point "edit contacts" in the contacts menu.

Anyone with the same problem?
Thank's
24/03/06 @ 20:48
Comment from Matt
Activesync problem,

To get Activesync working correctly without having to disable the firewall, goto network connections. Choose the Windows Mobile 5 network connection and right click, choose properties. All three boxes are NOT ticked. Just tick them and Activesync fires up.

Matt
25/03/06 @ 09:25
Comment from Alan
Jules, you cannot edit a contact unless you have the contact displayed.

Open the contact and the menu should change to show 'edit', thats how it works on mine.


25/03/06 @ 11:53
Comment from IAN
HI ALL
Got my mio a701 and i can't get it registred at mio-tech.be/register, anyone else got problems. am i doing it wrong, please help, also made a mistake putting sim card in, tryed to remove battery, TOOK ME AGES. The thing is tight, scratched my battery up trying to get it out.
25/03/06 @ 23:38
Comment from Shelim
I have installed Navigon 5 on my A701 but when I run the program my device ID is not displayed on screen therefore I cannot register or use the product. Can anyone tell me how to get the ID ?
26/03/06 @ 17:57
Comment from Peter England
Hi everyone,

just wanted to let everyone know about the little issue with Activesync on the A701. Out of the box it wakes up every 10 minutes which can drain the life out of your battery.

Try turning it off with these details:
Go into ActiveSync on the A701.
Click 'Menu' then 'Add Server Source'.
Add a bogus 1.1.1.1 as a server ... then any letter as the user/pass/domain. Then uncheck those boxes at the end.
Now go back into 'Menu', 'Schedule', and switch to 'Manual' for those options.
You can delete this server afterward from the ActiveSync 'Options' list and it will still retain the Manual setting.

You'll probably find your battery life increases significantly (although I think this is also the case when you charge the phone every day for a week to 2 weeks).

Cheers,
Pete.
28/03/06 @ 22:17
HELLO ALL
If you are having problems with activesync, just go to microsoft website and get the updated version, 4.1. The one you get in the box is version 4.0 which is buggy.
29/03/06 @ 13:12
Comment from Andy
My company bought 10 of these devices to try out, so far 2 of them have had issues.

On the first, the touch screen does not work.
On the other one the touch screen is also faulty as it will not allow a prolonged click on the screen, i.e. when trying to get the menu up for an item you have to keep the stylus down for a set period of time before the menu appears, well this does not work. I tried a Hard Reset to resolve the issue, however it will now not get past the Windows Mobile start up demo where you have to pretend to move a calendar appointment!.

Other than that, the devices are great, exactly what we need.
29/03/06 @ 20:12
Comment from Mark
Hello!

I just went to buy a701, as I meet this nice think: http://www.etencorp.com/products/Communication/600.php

It is a litle lager than a701 but I think also litle better despite "just" 400Mhz procesor.
What do you think?

Mark,
Berlin
31/03/06 @ 16:27
Comment from Martijn
Nice phone... But 2nd thought no GPS!! :-)

A701 rulez!
31/03/06 @ 17:31
Comment from Mark
I know, the SD Wifi card would do here. However, this one has GPS embled but no wifi:http://www.etencorp.com/products/Communication/G500.php
31/03/06 @ 20:09
Comment from Trevor
Hello
Can anyone try the A701 with Memory Map as it would be a great to use walking. Lets hope Tom Tom start supporting this soon.
02/04/06 @ 00:29
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
I haven't tried Memory Map, but I have been using Navio which allows you to import and calibrate your own maps. I save the images from the OS site and stitch them together using Paint Shop Pro. It's a lot cheaper (£16) and it means you can get 1:25,000 for everywhere, not just the National Parks that Memory Map supply.

Although not officially supported, Tom Tom works perfectly with the A701.
02/04/06 @ 07:12
Comment from Colette
Can anyone tell me where the users manual is hiding??
It is not on the blue nor on the black cd-rom, all the blue one wants to do is re-install the active sync, which i do not want because I have multiple pda's and an older (i think stabler) version of active sync already installed.
02/04/06 @ 12:36
Comment from C L
Anyone tried Iguidance 2.1.3 yet? I'm having a hard time with the gps receiver here as it marks my location at 27N and 20W which is in Libya, Africa?!? Any suggestions?
02/04/06 @ 22:20
Comment from adam
I've been wanting to get this phone now for a few months, but I still have a few questions. Does anyone use this on Cingular? I'm in Los Angeles, California and want to make sure its completely compatible. Is there an AIM program that can be used on the a701? That was one of my main reasons for going with a newer smartphone. Thanks!
03/04/06 @ 02:34
Comment from Mick
Has anyone managed to set up MMS on Vodafone with the A701? I have the settings but must be inputting wrong.

Also picture speed dial wouldn't work! Hard reset brought up a different look and feel speed dial screen which did work.
04/04/06 @ 01:28
Comment from Haree
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04/04/06 @ 03:52
Comment from Arnie
Hi ! Your site is very interesting. Thank you.
04/04/06 @ 04:00
Comment from Alan
Comment from Trevor
Hello
Can anyone try the A701 with Memory Map as it would be a great to use walking.

Yes I have installed memorymap and it works great, screen is a little smaller than the Mio 168 but the OS maps are still useful.

I received Miomap at last and it installed with no issues, as promised a few comments about it compared to TomTom5

After using it for a couple of journeys I would say that Tomtom's interface (route planning) and displays are better but the miomap directions
are really great much more accurate and consise than TomTom5.

For example when Tomtom wants you to take a slip road from a dual carridgeway, it will say 'keep left' but it will also use this instruction when you need to make sure you are in the correct lane on a motorway, this can lead to confusion IMO and I have missed exits before as I expect the software to use the 'take next exit' instuction to leave on a slip road.

Miomap however correctly tells you to use exits (sliproads) and also gives better instruction on lane changes.

Miomap is also very good when you have a couple of directions straight after each other, 'turn left 200 yards and then turn right' will be the 1st instruction then you get a 'Turn right'. TomTom5 tends to wait until the 1st instruction is finished before telling you about the next turning which sometimes you are right on top of.

Another nice touch is that MioMap tells you what road you are turning onto eg. 'turn left in 200 yards onto the A3'

Miomap gives you plenty of warning about the next instruction (up to ½ mile before next instruction) so you can ignore the device knowing that when a change in route needs to be undertaken you will be notified in plenty of time.

You can also send text messages about your GPS location to another user and plan routes based on your phone contact details (not sure if tomtom had this function).

Miomap has a built in speed limit database so it can be setup to warn you of the current speed limit in force on a road if you exceed it by a user set margin (eg +5mph over), but I cannot get this to work yet, maybe I am not driving fast enough!

What I am struggling with is the route planning, it is not as intuative as TomTom5, that said the address database does seem to be more up to date and accurate.

Tomtom5 map display IMO is clearer than Miomap, but no doubt that can be cured by using a different skin, as the installed software only came with the mio black themed one.

I think I will stick to Miomap and get used to it, at least its supported on this device, but no doubt TomTom will get their act together and start supporting installations on the Mio A701.

If I was a new user to GPS route planning software I would buy Tomtom5 instead of MioMap, but the more I use Miomap the more I like it.

04/04/06 @ 12:03
Comment from Karan
Hi,

Can any one tell me how the Mio A-701 compares to E-ten's G-500?

Cant find any comparisions on the net :-(

Thanks

karan
04/04/06 @ 12:42
Comment from Alex
Nice comments Alan.
I`ve just bought the A701 with out the maps & just updated to Tomtom 5.21 just could`nt wate for Mio`s Maps.
04/04/06 @ 20:16
Comment from Simon
Does anyone know where I can get miomaps with Australian maps?
05/04/06 @ 01:25
Comment from Martijn
I have bought a tmc module for my A701... :-( boehoeeee!!!!

IT DOESNT WORK.... yet!

Its working on a friends a201.

Who knows when mio comes with a ROM update???
05/04/06 @ 19:17
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
How does the TMC module attach to the A701, Martijn?
05/04/06 @ 23:39
Comment from Martijn
With mini USB connector...

I just tried the module on a A201 and that works at once!!

Conslusion: A701 needs badly a ROM Update.... Is there anybody who had news about any update?? I read on a forum that they would come yesterday with updates... But I saw nothing!!
06/04/06 @ 14:50
The a701 uses a bluetooth TMC module, you will have to wait untill mio release it.
06/04/06 @ 18:32
Comment from DAVID
hi just got mio a701 with tom tom 5 got the tom tom extras working through vodafone gprs but now will not connect to traffic will weather etc any ideas
06/04/06 @ 19:43
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
David, I think the TomTom server is down as the moment as I can't get traffic updates either.

Martijn, I suppose if the TMC receiver connects to the USB socket it means you can't charge at the same time, which is a bit of a pain?
06/04/06 @ 19:53
To karan
the a701 has a little bit better gps reciever than the e-ten g500 but the e-ten is quadband, bluetooth 2, fm radio and A2DP support. The main problem with the e-ten is, the device is a BRICK at 191 grams.
07/04/06 @ 23:24
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
I haven't seen it in the flesh, but from pictures the E-Ten G500 also looks like a prop from Tron (there's one for the kids!) The A701 has a much more 'professional' look.
08/04/06 @ 00:12
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
Hi Elmer. I use TomTom and have not had any problems at all. I've also done a hard-reset and reinstalled it fine. They're due to bring out v6 soon, so it might be worth holding off for a few weeks if you can.

The no voice-dialling via Bluetooth is a limitation of WM5 and not the fault of Mio (as I understand it), as the Bluetooth stack was completely rewritten for WM5. Hopefully there'll be a ROM update that fixes it.

You can install any software designed to work on the PDA version of WM5 (as opposed to the Smartphone version.) Have a look at sites like Pocket Gear and Handango to see what's available.
10/04/06 @ 18:37
Comment from Elmer
Cool, thanks for your remarks, Stuart. I understand now that the voice dialing issue is only the case when using the A701 in combination with a bluetooth headset or something? So, voicedialing on the A701 itself is possible? It's just not handsfree then of course...

Would you recommend Tomtom over Miomap (ignoring for now whether it works or not)? I heard that the interface of Tomtom is much prettier than Miomap's. Do you find that to be true?
Weird that for some people Tomtom works fine and for some people provides problems.

The GSM reception is still a cause of doubt for me now. I'll do some more brainstorming on that one. Hopefully Martijn will answer soon and tell me some more about his experiences concerning this.

Thanks for the tips about the apps and the new version of Tomtom, Stuart.

Cheers, Elmer
10/04/06 @ 20:01
Comment from Martijn
@IAN Please read my post... I said it twice that I have a module for the A701, It is already weeks for sale!

I have a TMC module... it connects tot the power adapter and usb connector!!

The module is already for sale!!

It doesnt work yet with the a701!! The module is working with the a201!

11/04/06 @ 11:02
Comment from Howy
Hi Im thinking of purchasing the A701 without GPS software as I already have an upgrade copy of TomTom 5 for my ipaq pda I was not able to use it on the pda as it doesn't have blue tooth was wondering if I will be able to use it with A701 or will I have problems trying to register. Can anyone describe process of installing Tomtom 5 on A701 to avoid registration issues thanks
11/04/06 @ 15:32
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
Is this legal software you have Howy, or something you downloaded off the internet?
11/04/06 @ 18:45
Comment from Elmer
Hey Guys,

What do you say about Anti virus protection on your smartphone? Is it necessary?

Cheers, Elmer.

ps. I think I just ordered the Mio A701... no, wait...! actually I'm pretty sure... yeah, baby!! can't wait to get it home...
11/04/06 @ 22:40
Comment from Howy
Yes its a legal copy but they said it wouldn't work with my ipaq as it doesn't have bluetooth!
12/04/06 @ 13:22
Comment from mark
Hi guys/girls,

Just got my MIO A701 today...love the unit, design. Stylus is abit twigy!!
Anyone know why the BLUE LIGHT keeps flickering on and off? Its next to the green reception indicator, above the ear piece.

Also, can't get JAVA games (.jar files)to install? Would i need to install JAVA or am i doing something wrong?
Thanks
12/04/06 @ 16:19
The blue light means bluetooth is active, turn it off when not in use. To Martijn, sorry about that, just got confused.


Hope mio-tech release AKU 2.0 soon, that fixes many gsm bugs etc.
13/04/06 @ 23:35
To mark
I have no java games but have got a nintendo gameboy emulator running very good, playing mario bros on the go.





13/04/06 @ 23:38
Comment from mark
Thanks Ian

Managed to turn off the bluetooth indicator light!
Had some real nice games on my Nokia 6680, which can't be opened on my A701!!
I'm pretty sure somebody will know how to run Java Games (.jar files).....i am scouring the net for any info. May find some mobile Java App which needs to be installed first!!

Any info from some techy would be appreciated.

Thankyou

14/04/06 @ 08:19
Comment from matthew
Seriously thinking of the A701 for its combined phone/GPS functions, but it would also need to be able to cope with the journalistic demands of writing occasional 400-word pieces and emailing them off when away from my PC. Anyone know, in theory or in practice, if a universal external keyboard will work with it via Bluetooth (eg Think Outside's Stowaway)?

Also (excuse my ignorance) am I right in assuming you can plug in any sim card for it to work - eg my existing Virgin Mobile pay-as-you-go one?

Thanks
14/04/06 @ 11:53
Comment from mark
Yes any sim card........apart from 3G.
14/04/06 @ 12:15
Comment from Rob
hi! does anybody know if this beauty has vibracall for messages/calls ? Thanks!
15/04/06 @ 10:30
Comment from mark
Anyone having problems loading TomTom 5????
I just can't get it to load!
Any help appreciated
15/04/06 @ 13:33
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
What happens when you try Mark? Mine installed from SD card without any problems. Just to confirm - you need the PocketPC version, not the SmartPhone edition.

This will also be of interest to some people - I've just read on Modaco of a way to get TomTom voice directions (and any other sound) to come through a bluetooth headset instead of the speaker. Pair the A701 with the headset, then press send on the headset twice, and voila!! I've tried it with a Nokia and it worked fine.
15/04/06 @ 15:39
Comment from mark
Hi Stuart

I have spent ALL day fighting to get the TOMTOM working on my A701!! ALMOST READY TO SELL THE DAMN THING!!
However, i have now got the unit setup!!...with the Navigator 5 and NOT the mobile tomtom.
JUST ONE THING LEFT...which i would appreciate if you could help me with....i need help to get the VOICES going!
When i installed the above TomTom5 Navigator previously on my PDA unit, the voices were there and all i did was selected "Jane". NOW on my A701 mobile, its asking me to install the voices from the cd, but the voices folder is the same as i had installed previously on the PDA.

If you could explain in simple step-by-step instructions, this would put a smile on my face!

Thanks

Mark
15/04/06 @ 17:41
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
I'm afraid I can't help Mark - all I had to do was put the TomTom SD card in the A701 and it installed itself.
15/04/06 @ 18:36
hello mark
there is a a701 forum which is very help, the address is http://www.fourpages.co.uk/mioA701/

its a new forum for just the a701.
15/04/06 @ 21:39
to mark
the a701 does not support java 3d which your nokia 6680 does, go to www.pocketgear.com or pocket pc emulators, just type in google and get the nintendo gameboy emulator gnuboy, hours of fun, get the roms from www.rom-world.com.
15/04/06 @ 21:44
Comment from mark
Thanks Ian, Stuart for the info.

Its a struggle, but hopefully someone will know how to activate the voice guidance.

15/04/06 @ 22:40
Comment from Elmer
Anybody any comments concerning the necessity of anti-virus software on the Mio A701?

Cheers, Elmer.
17/04/06 @ 00:51
HI
Would not bother with vrus software, just slows down your PDA and is just another way for them to get your money
17/04/06 @ 23:44
Comment from Elmer
Sweet! Thanks, Ian.
18/04/06 @ 09:08
Comment from arif
just ordered the mio a701 after comparing it with the imate jamin and few others for over 5 hours to make my mind up, had the t-mobile mda before this, in the dimensions of the mio a701 the size seems smaller compared to the mda, is this correct?

Have i made the right choice?

Regards,



18/04/06 @ 12:10
Comment from big_tex_uk
I have just ordered my A701 from expansys with Copilot Live 6. Does anyone know of any problems with this system to date as i have heard a few rumours.

Cheers
18/04/06 @ 19:35
Hello
I have both the mda vario & mio a701. The vario is abit thicker because of the slider keyboard and the processor is much slower, battery life on the mio a701 is two to three days on lite use. The vario does have longer battery life due to slower processor.
18/04/06 @ 21:28
Comment from Zoidy
To big_tex_uk,

Hi, I have not had a single problem with my A701 and I have had it for a month. The battery life gets longer over the first month of use.

I have tried Tom Tom Nav 5.21, Via Michelin Navigator, and Mio Map 2.0 for the A201 and all work flawlessly. I actually have all three apps on the phone now. Still deciding which is best, although Via Michelin is a bit pants really.

If you are installing apps, ensure they work with Windows Mobile 5, as a lot of software still does not.

Z.
22/04/06 @ 22:53
Comment from Elmer
Hi Zoidy and others,

I finally got my A701 in my hands yesterday. It's a sweet phone. Also ordered TomTom Navigator 5 with it and the application itself installs perfectly. However, the moment I want to install maps from the cd-rom it says it can't find my SD card. When I try to install a smaller map (only postal codes (2mb)) on the phone itself, the application just dies and I get the very well known 'send/don't send' microsoft anoyance.

Did anyone encounter this problem as well? If so, what did you do to resolve it?

Cheers.

Elmer
26/04/06 @ 00:58
Comment from Zoidy
Hi Elmer,

I installed the app via cab file not from the PC. I also copy the maps manually to the SD card.

Ensure you get the update to Tom Tom Navigator v 5.21

Z.
26/04/06 @ 11:10
Comment from Roy
Hi everyone,

could anyone comment further on the GSM quality. I have heard that there are some flaws in the GSM system.

Cheers
26/04/06 @ 12:18
Comment from Elmer
Hi Zoidy,

Did copy paste a map from the cd rom to my SD card, but the app still can't find a map, so it says. Did you copy the map to a special folder?

Cheers.

Elmer
26/04/06 @ 16:39
Comment from Zoidy
Hi Elmer,

No, the .map file just goes in the root of the SD card.

Pete.
27/04/06 @ 14:45
Comment from Zoidy
27/04/06 @ 14:56
Comment from Arvind
Hi,
I am from India and actually picked up the Mio A701. Want to know from "knowledgeable" guys starting with Stu himself on whether in can download Maps of India from somewhere?
The GPS usage is practically non-existent there but i thought i may very well try using such stuff ahead of the pack.
Anyone if they can give some guidance on download of maps/software wud be great.Does the built in software work fine with downloaded maps?
Pl suggest.
Arvind
29/04/06 @ 20:49
Comment from Elmer
Hey dudes,

Just wanted you to know that the Tom Tom navigator 5 is running smoothly on my A701. Got my hands on some cool little apps too, maybe you're interested.

It's awesome to have a navigator system on your flippin' mobile device. On wednesday I'm doing a road trip to Belgium, so I'll let you guys know how Tom Tom got me there (or not).

Laters.

Elmer
02/05/06 @ 01:17
Comment from greg
Hi,

Can you chose an address from your address book for navigation or do you have to retype it in the navigation software?
Thanks.

Greg
05/05/06 @ 19:55
Comment from Elmer
Hey Gang,

Trip to Belgium was sweet. Tomtom worked reasonably fine I would say.
First of all however, the car charger didn't work. Not sure yet whether the charger is to blame or the cigarette lighter in my friend's car just didn't work, I'll have to figure that out by testing it in another car.
Secondly, to my opinion, Tomtom is fairly late with giving directions. It would be nicer if it would tell you where to go about 2 seconds earlier. That might be a matter of settings, have not figured that out yet.

The main problem I had though was that the gps had a hard time finding satelites. When it had finally found them it was all sweet and dandy, but the time it took before it was connected was sometimes going into minutes. And that even after downloading a fresh copy of the Ephemeris file. Even today, back in Amsterdam, it actually took me more than 5 minutes before it got a signal. That pissed me off pretty bad, I can tell you.

I'm also not sure yet if you have to set your gps settings again each time you launch Tomtom and want Tomtom to connect to satelites. It seemed to help at first, but later on it turned out to be wishful thinking, because even after setting the device, baud rate and com port, it still took me minutes. And that when being outside with a perfectly blue sky.

Another thing I had is that the device would not get unlocked. When I pressed the 'unlock' softkey, I could see a square forming around it, but the second screen where you can actually unlock it just didn't appear. A hard reset was the only option.

These are the negative issues with the phone. Overall, I have to say, I'm really satisfied with it. It's an awesome device.

Looking forward to other comments and some remarks about my issues perhaps.

Elmer
05/05/06 @ 23:16
Comment from Elmer
Oh, @ Greg, yes you can, but haven't tested it yet.
05/05/06 @ 23:19
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
Well, I was right about the stylus being flimsy - pulled it out this morning and half of it stayed inside the unit. Very poor. To anyone else who's stylus broke inside - how did you get the remaining bit out, mine is stuck fast?
07/05/06 @ 08:51
Comment from Elmer
That sucks, Stuart. Guess I'll be more careful in the future with mine..
07/05/06 @ 09:13
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
The trouble is it's not really a case of being more careful - it didn't snap, the telescopic bit just failed. I've emailed Mio support asking if I should expect to get through 9 a year, so I'll wait and see what they come back with.
07/05/06 @ 09:29
Comment from Elmer
Got a point there. Looking forward to Mio's response.

Question: does the zoom function on your camera work? When I zoom in (press up and down button) it does say it is zooming in, but on the screen nothing happens. When I take the picture anyway, it turns out that it was indeed not zoomed in.

This is a major bummer, so I was wondering if it's just my device or whether this is a regular issue.

Furthermore, at times windows seems to change my 'profile' for instance from 'calling' to 'vibration' automatically. This is weird and inconvenient. The only thing I can think of is that Tomtom is messing with it.

Any experience with that?

Elmer.
07/05/06 @ 22:11
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
I hardly ever use the camera, but you're right, zoom doesn't seem to work. It would be worth logging that one with Mio too. I've not had a problem with it changing itself to vibrate. I have, though, had a problem a couple of times where I wasn't able to hang up a call, I had to soft reset to end it. Have you come across that?
07/05/06 @ 22:36
Comment from Alan
I have checked my A701 and the camera zoom function works ok, it not only zooms on screen but takes a zoomed picture.

@Stuart I too have a stylus that came apart inside the unit, I just reinserted the end piece and by applying sidewards pressure at the same time as withdrawing the stylus, it picked up the top half and all of it came out.

I slightly rebent the copper bits inside the telescopic part to make a better fit and am continuing to use the previously broken stylus ok (still on stylus no.1)

I tend to now withdraw the stylus with sideways pressure to ensure it does not come adrift again, putting it away retracted also helps keep it in one piece.

Good luck in your removal.

Alan
08/05/06 @ 11:46
Comment from Elmer
Strange that your camera is working, Alan, and ours isn't. Device seems to have many child diseases. I'll name 4 that I've discovered. Maybe you have some ideas:

1. Zoom function on camera does not work
2. Can't get the GPRS settings right, so cannot access internet or send MMS
3. Inputting information can only be done by 'keyboard'. The 'Block recognizer', 'Letter recognizer' and 'Transcriber' do not seem to be present (what's the difference between the first two anyway??).
4. Speed dial does not work. Holding the '1' on the phone keyboard does call my voicemail, but tapping the image of my voicemail on the speed dial menu itself does not do anything. Same with other contacts. Holding down number '2' calls my sister, but tapping her picture in the speed dial menu does not; only a blue frame pops up around the picture, that's all. Pretty annoying.

Anybody?

I'll let you guys know when I come accross other flaws.

Chao, Elmer.
09/05/06 @ 18:18
Comment from Elmer
Did you guys have to set your mms settings seperately? Or was it sufficient to just set your gprs settings? I can get access to the internet now through gprs, but cannot send or receive mms. So I suspect that I have to alter some settings just for the mms itself.

Any comments?

Elmer.
11/05/06 @ 16:12
Comment from Cgun
Hey guys! just got my a701. my earpiece doesn't work; i can only hear with the speaker on during phone calls. when i use the speaker, people complain of echos(they hear themselves over)and its really annoying. Has anyone had this problem and can anyone help in fixing it(the earpiece especially? a quick response would be most appreciated
13/05/06 @ 07:42
Comment from katz
rom update for mio 701? i have 701 with dutch language wm5. trying to choose regional setting as english did not cahnge interface language. i thought rom update could solve the language setting problem. where can i get an update ? pleeeeeeeese...
13/05/06 @ 11:42
Comment from Elmer
After having installed Calligrapher 6.5.2 of the PocketPC Essentials Pack my A701 has just gone dead. It started with the touch screen not responding anymore. After that, when it went to sleep mode, it just didn't want to wake up anymore. I'm pretty worried. Not sure whether it had anything to do with the Calligrapher, maybe it was a coincidence, but I sure am sorry I never installed that Anti-virus program on it...
I've put it on my charger now and I'll leave it there to see whether it was just the battery (although it was connected to my computer the whole time), but I suspect I'll have to call Mio pretty soon though that I'm sending my phone back. Or do a hard reset, but I'm sure all my data is lost then...

First huge issue with the A701 unfortunately has occured...

Elmer.
14/05/06 @ 22:05
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
I had a similar problem after installing a game demo from Handango. The screen completely locked up and a soft reset didn't help. I ended up having to hard reset, and yes, you do lose everything. I'm now using Sprite Backup, so if it happens again I can just restore everything.
14/05/06 @ 23:09
Comment from Elmer
hmmm... that does not sound promissing... ;)

but Sprite seems like a wise thing to install then. How do I hard reset? It's the little soft cap on the back of the phone that I have to pull aside, right? And then push the button it reveals?

Cheers, Elmer.
14/05/06 @ 23:51
Comment from Stuart · http://www.ivorysky.com
No, power it off then press the 'volume down' and red button at the same time. It will vibrate and then boot up. You'll also need to reinstall a cab file from the Mio site to restore eDialling and the speed dial screen.
15/05/06 @ 00:31
Comment from Elmer
Got ya... remember now that that 'button' on the back is for an external antenna, or something...
But wow, that might even happen accidentally, press the volume down and red button at the same time! Gotta be careful with that.

Anyway, after exploring the internet some more in search of a less dramatic solution to my problem, I reset the device anyway. Feel sad now, all my settings and programs are gone. But hurray for ActiveSync, as my agenda and contacts were all retreived! Never thought I would say this, but: God bless you, Bill Gates.

Just installed Sprite as well. Still an evaluation version though. (Maybe you can help me out on that one, Stuart.)
Tried to back up just now, but is not working (yet).

Will get back to you guys with more.

Elmer
15/05/06 @ 17:12
Comment from Elmer
Oh, just got note from the Dutch T-mobile and they've discovered that Mio's and T-mobile's MMS settings are not compatible. So as of now, it is not possible to send MMS with the A701. Did you encounter problems with sending MMS? Which provider do you use? (As not many other people are responding, I'll direct myself to 'you', Stuart...)

Elmer.
15/05/06 @ 17:14
Comment from Elmer
@ everybody who's trying to install Tomtom 5.0 on their ppc: it does work, although at first it may seem otherwise.

The trick is to install the program itself first, which most likely will be version 5.0. Secondly, don't try to install maps directly with the setup.exe on your cd-rom. Just put your Tomtom cd-rom in your cd-rom reader and download the Tomtom 5.2 update from Tomtom.com (hard to find, but it's there). Execute this file and it will ask what you want to do. Then choose 'install maps' and it will install the maps currently on that cd-rom. And presto...

Good luck, Elmer
15/05/06 @ 21:31
Comment from Elmer
Well, this is only my fourth message in a row, but it'll be the last one for tonight, I swear. Thing is, I discovered why the zoom function of the camera is not working. That's because I had it in maximum resolution. Apparently, the zoom function only works for lower resolutions (credits for excellent A701 review of Pavel Koza @ http://mobile.pdagold.com/articles/detail.asp?a=281)

Good night, and good luck

Elmer.
15/05/06 @ 22:42
Comment from Cgun
Since i got my a701 my earpiece hasnt worked. i can only hear with the speaker & bluetooth during phone calls. when i use the speaker, people complain of echos and its really annoying. Has anyone had this problem and can anyone help in fixing it(the earpiece especially? Can somebody please help!?!?
16/05/06 @ 00:25
Comment from Elmer
Hi Cgun,

Yes, the echo's sound familiar, I've also had people complaining about that when on speaker phone. It sucks and I don't know how to solve it. My Jabra 250v headphone however is working perfectly with the bluetooth connection. What do you mean with using the "speaker and bluetooth"? Surely you don't need to switch on bluetooth when talking over speakerphone? Differentiate your problem please
16/05/06 @ 17:09
Comment from Elmer
Deinstalled Sprite, coz was not working. Then installed Sunnysoft Backup Manager and that is working perfectly. So now got a full backup of my phone. Still not hoping it's letting me down again, but now at least I can restore everything (hopefully).

Cheers.

Elmer
16/05/06 @ 18:31
Comment from Ralf
Hi,

I want to buy A701 but used Mio 169 before and GPS was perfect. How is the GPS in A701 ? Any comments?

cheers
ralf


16/05/06 @ 21:20
Comment from Elmer
Also perfect! After setting everything right (see earlier comments on this forum), no complaints whatsoever.

Question to you guys: can you put a custom mp3 file as an alert (e.g. for incoming messages)? I know you can for ringtone, but haven't figured out how to do so for alerts...

Elmer.
16/05/06 @ 23:05
Comment from Cgun
Hi Elmer, ok the problem is that if i make a phone call and i put the device to my ear i wouldn't hear a thing. No sound comes out through the earpiece on the device whatsoever. I've tried soft reset but it didnt work.
17/05/06 @ 06:31
Comment from Alan
@Elmer copy your custom sound to \windows\rings directory and you should then be able to select it for any event.
17/05/06 @ 08:36
Comment from Elmer
@ Cgun, that is weird... When you try and listen you don't have a headphone connected to it at the same time? Either through a wire or bluetooth? Coz that may cause the regular earpiece (at first I was confused by this term, I thought you were talking about an external headphone or something) to mute. If that is not the case, I'm afraid I can't answer your question. Maybe others?

@ Alan, I don't think that works. I have already tried that, so now I can use that specific mp3 as a ringtone, but not as sms alert or something. After all, the other standard ringtones that came with WM5 are not available for alert sounds either. Any other options?

Elmer
17/05/06 @ 14:38
Comment from Alan
@Elmer, copy into the Windows directory not windows\sounds.

Then maybe you can pick up the sound file from there in the sounds and notifications settings.

I am not sure of the file types, but definatly the sound files for notifications are contained in the windows directory, sorry for misleading you on earlier post.

I have not tried to use an MP3 so good luck if it works.
17/05/06 @ 14:49
Comment from Elmer
Eureka! Copying into the Windows main directory does work indeed. It only takes .wav files though, not mp3. Thank you, Alan.

Elmer
17/05/06 @ 15:25
Comment from Karan
For Arvind:

Hi there is this guy in somewhere in Punjab and he sells the maps of india. Basically only Delhi has a detailed map as of now, to the best of my knowledge. His name is Rajan and his number is - 09988112521. You can give him my ref as i have already purchased the maps from him.
18/05/06 @ 07:05
Comment from Karan
I have bought a A701 3 days ago and i cant seem to play the music files through my bluetooth headset. The first time i connected the headset it played the music but thereafter it always plays the music through the speaker. please help.
Thanks guys:-)
18/05/06 @ 07:07
Comment from Cgun
I'm starting to regret buyin this phone now..the volume is not loud at all, visibility is poor outdoor..i should've went with my first choice which was the Eten g500
19/05/06 @ 05:28
Comment from Michael
I just got a Mio A701 and got TomTom, had it working for 1 day after a bit of messing with it at work, now I can not get it to find a valid GPS Signal anylonger.

Anyone out there can help me figure this out??? What am I doing wrong. I am using TOMTOM Nav5 set at com3 and TOMTOM configure at NMEA GPS, GPS Baud to 9600, and connected to GPS_HWCOM:

Also Not familar in the states with ephemeris I hit the download but it comes back as error. Is this something I need?? or only in europe.

Really appreciate any help along the way.
26/05/06 @ 17:37
Comment from GFI_AL
As Mike suggested the best place for help is a forum

http://www.fourpages.co.uk/mioA701/

Its quite good and the problem you are having has been discussed there in detail.

Most set up tomtom with the following settings

Other NMEA GPS
GPS Baud Rate 57600
GPS_HWCOM

GPS_HWCOM is on Com2 (not com3), the shared software port for programs by default is com4.

It is better to ask these questions in a forum you will get a faster response.

Good luck in getting a solution
27/05/06 @ 11:08
Comment from Cgun
is there a ROM update for the A701
29/05/06 @ 15:53
Comment from Elmer
Check a post on the other well known forum (http://www.fourpages.co.uk/mioA701/viewtopic.php?p=945#945) for an answer... (which is a big definite NO)
31/05/06 @ 22:48
Comment from Paul
Can anyone suggest a good place to buy one of these phones.I guess many of you will have shopped around.
18/06/06 @ 16:27
Comment from Brian McInnes
Thanks to all before me. I have been the proud owner of an A701 for two weeks now and I'm chuffed to bits with this 3 in 1 package. The Tom Tom works a treat. I use the PDA aspect for email and appointments etc. Can't comment too much on the phone side as nobody ever calls me...aaah. Would be interested in any comment regarding which Bluetooth headset to buy. To anyone considering buying one of these... go for it!
23/06/06 @ 19:54
Comment from Stuart
Hi Brian. As a sat nav unit and a PDA the A701 works great. I am, however, getting a bit disillusioned with the phone part - two many lock ups when answering a call and sometimes not being able to hang up calls without resetting. Hopefully Mio will release a ROM update soon to fix these issues.

As far as bluetooth headsets go, I use a Nokia (sorry, can't remember the model). It works fine most of the time, a bit crackly sometimes, but it does the job.
24/06/06 @ 02:13
Comment from Brian
Thanks for your response Stuart.
24/06/06 @ 19:23
Comment from Dan
For those users who find TomTom doesn't give enough warning for instructi ns, ensure you have the right profile selected. For vehicles the Fast Car is the best option. If it's on Cycle or Pedestrian you'll get warnings way too close!
02/07/06 @ 16:34
Comment from Globalgmcd
Hi Elmer,
Do you have a flawless operation using your Jabra 250v all the time with the Mio A701. I have the Sony Ericsson HBH662 and when I call people in the first instance, I can hear them, but they can't hear me. I have to place a second call. But if you have not had any hiccups using your Jabra250v, then I think I will purchase one right away, as I don't know when Mio will ever get a patch to fix this BT glitch for so many of us using some many quality brand BT headsets. Let me know your experience using your BT. Thanks.
13/07/06 @ 12:32
Comment from dubbon
The R54 version come with built in VOICE command in the A701 .
SOLVE the PROBLEM
a701 dot blogspot dot com
22/07/06 @ 22:34
Comment from chris scales
I just used some of the postings to get my Mio (gps) to work with TomTom. Without the kind help of those who posted these comments, I would have gone bonkers trying to fix the gps compatibility nightmare. Mio and TomTom should do better.
23/07/06 @ 00:14
Comment from dubbon-A701.blogspot com
very good review
bugs comes in USB connection after changing rom version 54
24/07/06 @ 12:14
Comment from globalgmcd
Hi Dubbon,

Where can I download the R54 version that you were talking about. When did this come out ?
24/07/06 @ 15:02
Comment from Globalgmcd
Got the upgrade and using it. However the BT headset communication problems is still not fixed yet. One the first call, my party can't hear me, although I can hear them. Have to call a second time. Anybody has any ideas how to resolve this ?
28/07/06 @ 03:57
Comment from whizkid
wow what a gadget i am amazed with it the volume of ring tone is loud enough if you set it on long tone rather than short

alot of people seem to have gps setting problems the correct settings are as follows

other nmea gps
gps baud rate 57600
gps_hwcom
28/07/06 @ 12:15
Comment from emamy
hi, i brought a WLAN-11b/g spectec card,installed the driver with no luck. does anyone know how to set up mio 4 connecting wirelessly. what should i put in the connection wizard section where it asks me for my isp number ect. or do i just go to settings/network adaptors. i would greatly appreciate any help.
05/08/06 @ 03:57
Comment from Tony Veal
Very interested in purchasing a MIO 701.

Although would like to know if you are able to read files off a Compactflash memory card through a card reader conected to the PDA, or is it not possible?

As being a photographer it would be handy to transmit a photo instantly while on location utilising the PDA instead of a laptop.

Tony
UK
11/08/06 @ 16:02
Comment from Paul
The people that want to upgrade their crap 45 rom you can get updated firmware here: fourpages (dot) co (dot) uk (forward slash) mioA701 (forward slash). Had to post url like that cos urls are not allowed in post.
24/10/06 @ 09:47
Comment from chris B
just got an A701. have it on trial for 4 days...overall on reviews, should I keep it or go for a different make/model?

24/10/06 @ 20:28
Comment from Nigel
has any body used Excel is readable
29/10/06 @ 15:58
Comment from carmelo
hello guys
thinking of buying a A701.i,m not good at installing software.this set is my first and it,s nice to have a phone,gps,camera etc., all in one when i go overland in europe and u.k.do you recommend it? thanks.
Bytheway i come from the island of MALTA
01/11/06 @ 11:35
Comment from os
what is the recomended bluetooth headset to use with the A701 ?
03/11/06 @ 06:12
Comment from Scott
Stuart,

So no BS bro, what do you think of the phone overall.. You've had it for a while, how do you sum it up?
I'm in the U.S. with T-mobile, and this thing seems to be the clear winner against E-gen, HP, O2, etc. Should I go for it?
16/11/06 @ 01:30
Comment from the Mio A701 is POS phone , thank you
hi i just got my Mio A701 phone locked up, i can't even use ActiveSync to back up what i have on it. After seeing all the comments, it is a POS phone, point! The "phone" function on it is just a POS.

good luck!!
24/11/06 @ 22:12
Comment from Andy
The best smartphone PDA I have ever used. It does everything well. The best part is the MioMap V3 GPS software. Being in Australia, it is simply brilliant and precise in every way. Beats Tom-Tom etc hands down.

I-mate are releasing a similar unit in the first quarter of 2007 while Mio are releasing a smaller unit. I await these units to see whether they are as good as the A701.
06/12/06 @ 12:23
Comment from Steve
Quality phone. Most of the problmes mentioned above have been solved in a recent firmware update available from the MIO website.

Buy one now!
06/12/06 @ 16:05
Comment from art
I have just bought the Mio A701 with TomTom software poaded onto a memory card. I cannot seem to get the GPS to work. I keep getting "no GPS device" error message. Any ideas anyone.
11/12/06 @ 15:45
Comment from art
If anyone want to know how to get Mitac Mio A701 working with TomTom navigator go to the UK website for "fourpages". I hope you can work this out URL's are not allowed.
11/12/06 @ 17:28
Comment from Tom
Want WiFi, Mobile phone, PDA, MP3 player and GPS all in one small unit - Try the new Asus P535 and you will see all of the above work very well. No problems with nagigating and receiving calls throughout.
23/03/07 @ 04:32
Comment from Angel
Hello Everything:

I have a Mio A701, is a excellent device and work very well, but I have a problem. The device make a GPRS conection at 10:58:01 each 3 or 4 days with a invoice very expensive. In the Messaging program the option "Connect and check for messages" is disable for all conections, and the problem is not resolve. Would you like help me to disable this connection?
Are there more options to disable this function?
26/04/07 @ 21:29
Comment from Stuart
Go into Settings, Quick Position and make sure you don't have Automatic download enabled. That would cause it to connect at the same time every 3 days.
26/04/07 @ 21:36
Comment from yonas
hi i have mio a701 but is not working with anoter sim it is locked how to unlock it please tell me i will do it
09/02/08 @ 19:23
Comment from Robert C
Hi all,
I have a Mio A701 Like the phone but I have a problem with eratic/non existant functioning of the vibrate function.
Do I check a setting or is something broken??

Thanks
03/09/08 @ 12:57

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