INTRODUCTION

   One of the very first things i got when i learned how to drive in the late 90's was a very detailed map (more like a book/guide) of Greece which i could use to navigate to places i had never been in the past. Of course although back then it's not really like drivers had many options that all changed when the first GPS navigation systems arrived soon afterwards so it didn't take long for me to get one of the first Mio handheld models for use both while in the car and while on foot (although as it turned out i hardly used it 3 times while on foot). Today things have changed for the best and so aside GPS navigation systems most if not all smartphones come ready out of the box either with Google or Microsoft maps and with a plethora of other solutions (like Sygic and CoPilot). Still a good GPS navigation system is always preferable over the solutions found in smartphones and so today we decided to take a look at the latest offering by Mio the Spirit 6970 LM Truck.

   Mio develops and markets products that enable users to take advantage of the latest developments in mobile services. The brand was established in May 2002 and today has operations in Taiwan, mainland China, Europe, North America, Australia, Japan and South Korea. Mio currently employs more than 900 individuals worldwide, and sells and markets its products in over 38 countries and territories. It is Mio’s belief that mobile life and mobile business will remain an integral part of life into our future. Mio’s brand tagline, “Explore More,” focuses on changing the way people experience the world while letting users know that they can explore the world easily and freely with Mio products.

   Mio has a very large range of handheld GPS navigation systems but the Spirit 6970 LM Truck is currently their the top-of-the-line solution that features a medium sized 5 inch color LCD touchscreen (480x272p) which is paired with the SiRFatlasV ARM 11 CPU (@664MHz) by CRS and the Skyworks SE4150L GPS IC. Now i can't say much about the hardware used in the Spirit 6970 LM Truck because this is the first GPS device i use that has these specific components but when it comes to the included software it offers a wealth of features such as maps from all around the globe (depends on the country of purchase of course), lifetime map and security camera updates, lane guidance, voice commands and route announcements, TMC, trip planner, IQ routes, find my car mode, truck mode, pedestrian mode and more. Mio also allows you to buy and even rent (very useful for quick trips) maps from their online page which in turn you can activate and upload onto the device with ease just by running their MioMore Desktop PC/MAC software. But let's see what the Spirit 6970 LM Truck by Mio offers and just how well it behaves in real use.