Testing:
We tested the Mio™ Knight Rider™ GPS like any other GPS would be tested. Attach the suction cup to the windshield and plug in a destination. At first glance, there were a few features I notices missing with the Knight Rider GPS, only to find out later that they were hidden. On a different GPS, I’ve been able to simply save the latitude and longitude of the current location of the car.With the Knight Rider™ GPS, you have to touch the screen on the location of the car, and then you can save the address the car is currently at.This is a bit of a downside, but not a deal-breaker.
The Knight Rider™ GPS does, however, have a stunning list of POIs, and a nice method of retrieving them. Simply go to the menu, then POIs, then “near current location.” You are then allowed to search for POIs by category, or by name. There are many categories listed (including casinos?), and results are populated as you type the name of the POI into the GPS.
The response time after interaction with the screen is a bit slower than I’d like. I can type the entire POI name “TECHWARELABS” and it will still be placing “TECH” on the screen. This is unfortunate, as a misspelled word takes longer to delete since it reads those letters slower too! Same goes for menu commands. There are times when responses are delayed, and times when it’s right on cue. I attribute this to a lack of memory needed for the unit to entirely comprehend the users wishes. Again, not a deal-breaker, but certainly annoying when you’re typing POIs.
The Mio™ Knight Rider™ GPS features the SiRFStar III receiver, which makes it quite accurate. When you’re driving and following the GPS’ directions, it may say “turn right in 100 feet,” but in 100ft, it literally says “turn left” when you’re ~5ft from the turn. Thus it is quite accurate in distance and easy to follow directions on.
The only complaint that I have is the GPS will not locate you if you’re sitting in a still place when you turn it on. This becomes an inconvenience when you want to plot a course sitting in your driveway, and forces you to move 5-10ft before the GPS will pick up your location. This is not necessarily a problem for finding an address as it updates once it finds you. The problem arises when you’re looking up POIs in relation to your location, which do not exist until the GPS locates you.
Conclusion:
When you step back and take a look at the Mio™ Knight Rider™ GPS, it really is an impressive GPS. The Black finish and K.I.T.T. lights make it look classy, and its petite size and light weight make it ideal. The software inside the Knight Rider™ GPS is done pretty well, except for the minor problems I’ve pointed out in the Testing section. If you’re looking for the most functional GPS in the price range of ~$225 (through a Google Shopping search), I’d suggest looking a bit more. If you’ve ever happily watched a Knight Rider™ episode, or just plain love having the coolest hardware out there, then the Mio™ Knight Rider™ GPS is a must have.
