(Click here for a larger view of Mio's C523 V2)

Mio's Knight Rider GPS (Click image for further information)

GPS specialist Mio has released a wide variety of Windows-based PNDs, including last year's Knight Rider GPS, which targeted fans of the Knight Rider television series by announcing routings via voice synthesis and flashing LEDs. The company's new C523 V2 is much more conventional, but, according to Mio, is suitable for motoryclists as well as automobile drivers, thanks to a "rider mode" (below), in which multiple upcoming turns can be indicated by a series of simple-to-follow arrows.


Mio's "rider mode" for motorcyclists
Like the Knight Rider model, the C523 V2 uses a Samsung S3C2443 processor clocked at 400MHz, and supplied with 64MB of RAM. The device comes with 2GB of flash storage, expandable via an SD/MMC slot. GPS capabilities, meanwhile, are supplied via SiRF's popular starIII chipset, said to offer 20 channels and provide accurate navigation regardless of location.

The device has a 4.3-inch touchscreen display with 480 x 272 pixel resolution, an integrated media player, and a receiver capable of both viewing and recording television broadcasts using the Japanese 1seg system -- so-called because it uses the one segment of Japan's ISDB-T (integrated services digital broadcasting-terrestrial) system that is reserved for mobile devices. Meanwhile, the C523 V2's 2200mAh battery is said to operate the device for up to four hours.

Features and specifications listed by Mio for the C523 V2 include:

• Processor -- Samsung S3C2443 clocked at 400MHz
  
• Memory -- 64MB of RAM and 2GB of flash storage
  
• Display -- 4.3-inch touchscreen display with 480 x 272 pixel resolution
  
• Wireless:
  • GPS -- SiRF starIII GPS receiver
    
  • Bluetooth 2.0
• Other I/O -- Mini USB port
  
• Expansion -- SD/MMC slot
  
• Battery -- 2200mAh battery with four-hour life
  
• Dimensions -- 5.1 x 3.1 x 0.8 inches (131 x 81 x 21mm)
  
• Weight -- 8.7 ounces (240g)

Availability

According to Mio, the C523 V2 will be available this month in Japan for 44,800 yen (approximately $446).

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