Mitac Mio 168 review

Mitac's Mio 168 is the first Pocket PC to feature a built-in global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

This makes it far easier to use the GPS facilities for which Pocket PCs are ideal: with the receiver built in, you don't have to remember to charge a Bluetooth device or fiddle with a wired receiver when in the car.

The Mio 168 is small for a Pocket PC at 113x70x24mm and weighs just 147g, so it fits easily into a pocket. The GPS receiver is fixed to the back of the device by a hinge, so it may be vulnerable to snapping off if you carry the Mio 168 without a protective case. It is also supplied with car-mounting gear.

Our test device came with ALK's CoPilot navigation software (www.alk.com) on a 128MB SD card. This left around 13MB free for other files on top of the 64MB of built-in RAM. CoPilot is designed for drivers rather than experienced computer users. It provides screens of clear information but lacks some of the fancy touches of other programs - there is just one voice, for example, and map displays are staunchly 2D. It is easy to set up destinations such as 'work' and 'home' for use at any time.

The software caters for both drivers and walkers and has a planning mode in which you can prepare trips and save them for later use, so you don't need to plan everything while the GPS is active. The spoken directions give clear explanations of what is required at junctions, although they are a little quiet for motorway noise levels. CoPilot's mapping data is from a third party and, as in most route-planning software, it suffers from errors. During our tests we found a few roads it didn't know about.

As well as route-planning, the Mio 168 offers a full range of Pocket PC features. The 64MB of RAM is an average amount, and the SD card slot can be used for more than the CoPilot software card. The processor isn't the fastest around but is pretty swift, and with Mitac's Mio Utility you can slow it to conserve power in the non-removable battery. We got about four-and-a-half hours of life from the battery. The device also has a cigarette lighter adaptor for in-car use.

This PDA/GPS combination is a good choice if you need both an in-car navigation system and a handheld computer, and it's certainly better value than buying the two separately. However, the Pocket PC itself is not the most accomplished we've seen.