Great value, but not perfect...

I was introduced to the Mio brand by my friend who showed me his C320 and I loved its looks. I was able to purchase the C520 for just a few dollars more for what I could get the C320 so it was a no brainer for the upgrades of Bluetooth and Text To Speech (TTS).

However the unit locks up when I try to make a connection with my RAZR V3i even though it is on the list of approved Bluetooth phones. This appears to be a common problem from the other reviews I have read.

Another issue is an "eye candy" feature that is supposed to show the sun rising/setting in the horizon when the map is displayed in 3D mode. I have yet to see the sun set. Which brings up another problem: the automatic switch from daytime to nighttime mode is about 30 mins late. My friends Garmin changes much earlier and is easier on the eye.

However, my friend also decided to return the Garmin and bought the C520 after seeing how it lists ALL the street names where his Garmin would leave some streets unnamed... and his Bluetooth phone even connects properly! But, he says it is hard to hear the other party even at max volume.

Those are all my complaints! If not for those I would give the C520 a 10!

Battery life is so-so at around 4 hours. I think the screen looks fine but the Garmin my friend had definitely looks sharper at least in day-time mode. Night-time mode looks perfect! I find the accuracy of the maps top shelf and the routes surprisingly accurate. It does have a tendency to route you to major highways.

This CAN be a complicated unit. The basic navigation is fairly easy to figure out but there is a lot more underneath the surface. If you want something simple then this probably isn't for you but if you have some time to to spend learning all the neat features (and if they work) you will be very satisfied.

Overall I think this unit is a GREAT value for the price you can purchase it for. While the extra features can be hit and miss the core navigation functionality is great!