In the technology world, there’s always a “next big thing.” Only a couple of years ago it was Wi-Fi, closely followed by Bluetooth. At first these were offered as add-on accessories. Then they became special built-in features on a select few high-end devices. Now almost every new Pocket PC has one or the other, or both, built-in and ready to use.

Today’s next big thing is GPS. Global Positioning System receivers tell you where you are and, coupled with mapping software, show you how to get where you want to go. While GPS has been commonplace in aircraft, boats, and luxury cars for a little while now, it hasn’t really made it as a popular consumer device. There have been GPS solutions for Pocket PCs, but to date users have had to put up with expensive and bulky adapters. The Mio Digiwalker 168 might change all that!

The bulge on the back

The Mio 168 is a fairly standard, low-end Pocket PC. It’s powered by an Intel PXA 255 processor running at 300 MHz, and comes with 64 MB of RAM and 32 MB of flash ROM (none of which is available as a user-accessible file store). These are not the sort of hardware specs that make your heart beat fast. However, when you flip the Digiwalker over and notice the hinged bulge on the back, you begin to realize that there’s something special about this Pocket PC.

The Mio Digiwalker 168 is manufactured by MiTAC, a Taiwanese company with considerable experience in designing and manufacturing Pocket PCs for NEC and others. That experience is obvious when you look at the 168. The device is well put together and doesn’t feel flimsy or weak. When I first started using it there was some concern that the hinge on the flip-up GPS antenna might be a little fragile. However, a couple of weeks of solid use have laid that concern to rest.

Bright screen and plenty of battery power

Other than the GPS, the Mio 168 sports a rather typical hardware configuration for a Pocket PC. The power button is on the left side of the device, just above a record button. I found that when the 168 was in a slipcase I kept accidentally activating this record button as I grabbed the device. The front is dominated by the 3.5-inch transflective screen that can display up to 64,000 colors at the current Pocket PC standard of 240 by 320 QVGA resolution. Hopefully, an updated device capable of VGA will become available when Windows Mobile introduces official support for full VGA. The screen is very bright, which is important considering that the GPS features are only useful when you’re out traveling. By running the screen at maximum brightness, you’ll be able to see your maps and other geographic information while in sunlight. The screen is substantially brighter than that of the iPAQ 2210.

Below the display are the small joystick and four application buttons (Fig. 1). As with all Windows Mobile devices, these buttons can be easily configured to launch whatever applications you’d like. I immediately reassigned a button to launch a mapping application. The hardware buttons are responsive and the small joystick is a real treat—far easier to use and more accurate than the larger navigation pad found on the iPAQs.

Fig. 1: The application launch buttons and a small but responsive joystick are located below the Mio 168 display.

In order to be able to use the 168 in the car as a navigation device you’ll want to mount it where it’s easy to see. And since you want to keep the screen brightness turned up, you should have an external power source. Fortunately, the 168 ships with a portable car mounting kit and a cigarette-lighter power cable (Fig. 2). The car mount attaches to a smooth surface with a powerful suction cup, with a lever to lock or release it. It attached firmly to the windshield of my car, and I could not remove it without releasing the lever. Once in place the 168 was very secure and did not fall out, even on bumpy roads. The cigarette-lighter adapter worked well, allowing me to keep the Digiwalker fully charged all the time with the screen brightness set to high.

Fig. 2: The automobile mount accessory attaches firmly to your windshield and holds the Mio 168 securely while you drive.

Although it is not user-replaceable, the built-in lithium-ion polymer battery has a substantial 1350 mAh capacity. The 168 lasted well over four hours using Spb Benchmark’s battery run-down test. This test runs a series of applications with the screen at maximum brightness. In comparison, the iPAQ h2210 could only manage just over a couple of hours on the same test. In real life, using the 168 as a PDA with minimal GPS, I was able to use it for a couple of days without recharging.

Despite having a 300 MHz processor, the 168 performed well and did not feel sluggish. However, a faster CPU, while probably reducing the impressive battery life, would lead to faster rendering of maps. The Spb Benchmark test for this device delivered some interesting results. The benchmark score for the CPU was comparable to some 400 MHz PXA 255 devices, but quite a bit lower than the results for the Intel PXA 263 CPU found in the newer iPAQ h4150 Pocket PC. The graphical system, while not blazingly fast, was satisfactory and ran about 10% faster than that of an iPAQ h2210. For comparison, we’ve provided the benchmark scores for the iPAQ h2210 and for the iPAQ h4150, one of the fastest on the market, in the results on next page.

Like most Pocket PCs, the Mio 168 comes equipped with an SDIO card slot and an infrared port. This IR port is consumer standard with a four-meter range, so you could use it as a remote control unit. However, you’d need to shell out some extra money for remote control software. A 2.5 mm stereo headphone jack is located on the lower left edge of the device.

Using the built-in GPS capability

The Mio 168 ships with different software bundles in different parts of the world. I live in Australia and here it ships without any GPS software. However, I tested it with a number of different GPS applications, including Vito Navigator (http://vitotechnology.com/products/navigator.html) and Virtual Map (http://www.virtualmap.com.au). It worked well with all of them. Mounted in a car in an spot reasonably clear of obstructions, the GPS receiver was able to acquire the necessary number of satellites and get a positional fix (latitude, longitude and altitude) in less than two minutes. This was done without using the optional external antenna.

In order for GPS to work, the receiver needs to receive a signal from at least three GPS satellites. There are 24 of these satellites orbiting the earth, 12 of which are above the horizon at all times. By measuring the time it takes for signals to pass from four of these satellites to your GPS receiver, the software component of a GPS system can work out the distances between you and the satellites and then calculate your exact position from this information.

The GPS receiver needs to have a direct line of sight to at least three of the satellites orbiting overhead. This means that GPS does not work indoors, in tunnels, or in the “urban canyons” between tall buildings.

Standard and add-on software

The Digiwalker 168 comes with the full Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Premium Edition built into flash ROM. This includes Pocket Outlook, Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Microsoft Reader, MSN Messenger, and more. A full description of this software is on Microsoft’s Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/prod...).

In addition, the 168 has its own funky-looking MP3 player, and “E-Viewer” (Fig. 3), an application which lets you display and annotate digital pictures with sound and/or text, and create slideshows. The only other built-in extra is Mio Utility, which is accessed from the System folder. This configuration utility lets you adjust the CPU speed to maximize battery life or processor performance. You also use this utility to set which hardware buttons activate the device. Not many other manufacturers offer this capability, but they all should!

Fig. 3: The Mio 168 comes with the E-Viewer image-viewer application built in.

The North American version of the 168 ships with the Mio Map GPS application built into the device, along with CDs containing maps for Canada and the U.S. (Alaska not included). The CD also has a desktop PC application called Mio Map Console, which is used to install maps from the CD onto the Pocket PC. Both of these applications are virtually identical to another GPS solution marketed by Destinator (http://www.destinator1.com). It will be up to international distributors to bundle localized GPS software with the device.

Figs. 4 and 5: The North American version of the Mio 168 comes with the desktop PC Mio Map Console (top) and the Mio Map GPS application for the Pocket PC (left).

Finally, the Mio 168 ships with a companion CD that includes the desktop PC applications ActiveSync 3.7, Outlook 2002, and a link to the latest version of Windows Media Player. Unfortunately, other than the GPS software on the U.S. version, it includes few extra programs. Even some free demo-ware would be an improvement.

The documentation that ships with the 168 gives a thorough overview of how to use the Windows Mobile 2003 software, but only limited information specifically about the device itself. For example, other than a simple diagram and brief reference to the GPS features in the beginning, there is no other mention of GPS in the manual.

Best value for a PDA/GPS combo

The only other PDA with integrated GPS is the Palm OS-based Garmin Que3600, which looks a bit like and functions somewhat similarly to the Mio 168, but is priced at around $590—almost $100 more than the American version of the 168. You can add GPS receivers and software to regular Pocket PCs, but that will cost you $300-$450 in addition to the price of your Pocket PC. At $499 the Mio Digiwalker 168 is the best value available for a combined PDA/GPS solution.

The Mio Digiwalker 168 isn’t the most feature-rich Pocket PC nor is it the best GPS solution. But it is a respectable balance between the two. MiTAC could improve the 168 by integrating Bluetooth capability, allowing you to use it with a cell phone to connect to the Internet. I’d also appreciate a faster CPU. But as is, it’s a very capable device, especially suitable for travelers. They can keep their schedule and contacts handy, play a few games when they get bored, relax with their favorite music, and more. Most importantly, they can travel to unfamiliar territory and never get lost again!