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.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

We received the Spirit 6970 LM Truck inside a very small box with the company logo at the front and a large product image.

On the left side of the box Mio has listed the main product features and all the available maps of this version while on the right side we find the startup code.

The main product features are also listed at the rear in 8 languages.

I've seen better packaging but the contents were in perfect condition so i guess it's sufficient.

The box contains the Spirit 6970 LM Truck GPS navigation system, cigar power adapter (with integrated TMC antenna), windscreen mounting bracket, RCA A/V cable, software DVD, warranty papers, quick start guide and the lifetime map updates key.

THE SPIRIT 6970 LM TRUCK

The Spirit 6970 LM Truck is perhaps the most elegant portable GPS navigation system i've ever seen largely thanks to the attention given to its finish and of course its dimensions (142mm in length, 86mm in width and 14mm in height).

One of my favorite portable GPS navigation systems has been the old yet very easy and fast to use Z100 Crocodile by Becker (4.3" screen, waterproof) so i thought it would be nice to place it next to the Spirit 6970 LM Truck to check the differences in size.

The company logo is placed on a brushed aluminum area that surrounds the LCD screen as can be seen above.

The microphone that takes care of your voice commands and telephones (if you connect the device with your smartphone) is located on the lower left of the screen while the on/off power LED is placed on the left top.

A medium-sized speaker is placed at the rear of the device.

On the left side of the device we see the USB host port (also used to charge the device), 3.5mm AV input and a microSD card slot.

I was a bit surprised to see that the bundled windscreen bracket is very sturdy although there are sturdier aftermarket ones available.

MIOMORE DESKTOP SOFTWARE

Prior to using the device i suggest installing the MioMore software (it's available in 31 languages).

Once the software is installed it will ask your permission to do a full backup of the device and also to install any available map updates.

That's not all however so from this software you can add/remove maps, create new POIS (points of interest), watch store pictures, choose which applications you want to show on the main screen of the device, see the places you've been and you can also use the trip planner.

USING THE SPIRIT 6970 LM TRUCK

The main screen of the Spirit 6970 LM Truck has these 6 icons/shortcuts (you can configure this from the MioMore Desktop software) and thus i doubt anyone will find it hard to use.

Through the find icon you can search for an address, city/area, coordinates, postcodes, intersections and POIs.

The my places tab keeps record of places you've visited and can also be used with the find my car feature.

Most aspects of the device can be controlled through the Settings tab such as the volume levels, LCD day/night mode, LCD brightness levels, safety features, route options, navigator mode (car, pedestrian, caravan or truck), map display, map scheme/colors, available maps and version, written and voice language, unit selection, time/date and the current Bluetooth connected devices (or a list of the ones paired with in the past).

There's also a very useful trip meter under the settings tab (quite useful especially if you've visited the German Autobahn like we did).

Here's how the map is displayed on the device. True it may seem somewhat basic but it's very detailed (in terms of streets) and the display is very smooth and updates very fast.

Of course if you decide to change the route or add a waypoint and/or make a detour you can do so on-the-fly just by touching the screen.

CONCLUSION

   If my memory serves me right in my life i have used a total of 6 handheld portable GPS navigation systems from Mio, Garmin, Becker and TomTom and at least to date the Spirit 6970 LM Truck has been far more accurate and feature-rich than all the others (we did cover that in the previous pages). On top of that you're getting lifetime map and safety camera updates so no matter how many new streets or signs added where you want to use it you will never have to worry about getting lost ever again. Also we did encounter the usual "lag" until the system manages to acquire signal from the global positioning satellites and load all the maps (one of the reasons you may want to remove some) which can get somewhat annoying especially if you're in a hurry but so far the same has happened with all of the portable GPS navigation systems I’ve used in the past so i can't really blame Mio for that. We also would like more battery life since unless you plug the device into your cigar power socket chances are it will run out of battery before you reach your destination but once again that's not something new with portable GPS navigation systems (although it could do a lot better in this area). Also i do think it's about time all manufacturers launched portable GPS navigation systems with screens way larger than 5 inches (some have but very few models exist as we speak) especially since there are smartphones as large and even larger but i guess they don't think that the device would be as portable then. Still 5 inches nowadays is considered average so hopefully Mio will release larger screen models in the near future. Overall we loved using the Spirit 6970 LM Truck by Mio and to check all the benefits offered we used it for roughly 2 months from the day we received it and in over 15 routes by car in Greece and Germany (unfortunately we didn't use it on foot).

   In the past portable GPS/Satellite navigation systems did cost quite a bit but now you can get a state of the art model like the Spirit 6970 LM Truck by Mio for just 179Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). Unfortunately no matter how hard we tried we couldn't find this particular model for sale inside the USA so Mio may not have plans to launch it into that market just yet. With this out of the way although we do feel that the Spirit 6970 LM Truck is not perfect we do think that Mio has released one of the best portable GPS navigation systems to date and since we really enjoyed using it and provided flawless navigation in not one but two different countries it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Size/Design
- Available Maps
- Rental Maps
- Features (Find My Car, Lane Guidance, Voice Entry, Route Announcements, TMC, Trip Planer, IQ Routes, LearnMe Pro, Hands-Free Bluetooth Connectivity, Truck Mode, Parking Assistance)
- Lifetime Map Updates
- Lifetime Safety Camera Updates
- AV-In Port
- MioMore Desktop Software
- Easy To Use GUI

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Battery Life