Mio Moov A470 GPS

The Mio Moov A470 is a midrange GPS unit equipped with a 4.7in widescreen display. Highlights include inbuilt safety alerts, live traffic updates, 1GB of onboard memory, a microSD card slot and Bluetooth hands-free connectivity.

Like the Mio Moov A350 and Mio Moov A430, the A470 offers basic GPS navigation at a (semi) affordable price. While not quite the bargain that its cheaper stable mates were, it remains a reasonable proposition thanks to its useful inbuilt features.

The main differentiator between the Moov A470 and Moov A430 is the former's slightly larger display — 4.7in vs. 4.3in. To be honest, this is unlikely to make much of a difference while on the road (4.3 inches is more than enough room already). In fact, we actually prefer the screen on the Moov A430, as the smaller size helps prolong battery life. The screens boast identical resolution (480x272 pixels). On the plus side, the A470’s larger icons help to minimise typing fumbles, especially if you have large fingers.

The other big difference between the two devices is Bluetooth functionality. You can pair a Bluetooth-equipped mobile phone with the Moov A470 so you can make and receive hands-free calls while driving. When you receive a call, the GPS unit switches from navigation mode to phone mode, which could be irritating if you’re overly popular. On the plus side, the hands-free speakerphone works well and it offers fuss-free connectivity.

Unlike previous units in the Mio Moov range, the A470 uses the NAVTEQ-powered MioMap 2009. This combines Australia-wide road coverage with 12.5 million addresses, including 600,000 preloaded points of interest (POIs). The main menu is spread over two pages, with separate submenus for each category. Anyone who has handled a GPS before will be comfortable with the interface (POIs, favourite destinations, recent locations and a tripmeter tool are all just a finger-tap away). As mentioned, the Mio Moov A470 also offers live traffic updates with congested areas highlighted on the map.

If you’re unfamiliar with GPS technology, the Mio Moov A430 provides an inbuilt tutorial that takes you through all the core functions; much handier than an instruction booklet, we’re sure you’ll agree.

We’ve never been fond of the Moov range’s 3D maps, and the Mio Moov A470 hasn't changed our disposition. While the map does look marginally better than previous Mio models, it’s still a bit jerky and garish looking. You can tell that the device is on the cheaper side, that’s for sure.

On a more positive note, we found the 4.7in widescreen LCD to be of superior quality, especially for a model in this price range. The anti-glare coating does a good job of deflecting sunlight, while the touch-screen interface is very responsive.

The Mio Moov A470 offers a variety of voices and dialects, with three different choices for English, Australian and American accents. Curiously, some voices have been christened with cheery names like ‘Lee’ and ‘Karen’, while others are simply branded ‘Australian Female’. This made us feel sorry for the nameless, disembodied voices.

With an RRP of $399, the Mio Moov A470 isn’t exactly a ‘bargain buy’ — especially when compared to the similar Moov A350 and Moov A430 ($199 and $299, respectively). However, when judged on its own merits, it remains a worthy option.

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