Taiwan’s Mio shows off smart phone with GPS

Taiwan’s Mio Technology Ltd. this week unveiled several new products at the Cebit show, including a smart phone with a GPS (global positioning system) function.

The Mio A701 combines the functions of a PDA (personal digital assistant) and a mobile phone. The handset runs Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Mobile 5 software and boasts a 520MHz Intel Corp. Xscale processor. Other features include a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and a slot for MMC (MultiMedia Card) and SD (Secure Digital) flash memory cards.

Pricing and availability of Mio’s new lineup was not immediately available.

For those in search of a simple PDA with GPS capabilities, Mio is offering the P550 and P350. Both PDAs run Window Mobile and have a 400MHz Xscale processor inside. The P550 adds Bluetooth support and Wi-Fi wireless LAN connectivity.

For users wanting tunes while they find their way around, the company showed the H610, a GPS device that includes maps provided by Tele Atlas NV, a city guide function, an MP3 music player that goes for 17 hours on a single charge. Mio is adding Tele Atlas maps of Europe and North America to some of its products as part of a deal between the two companies that was announced at Cebit.

Other Mio devices on display at the show included the C710, C210 and C510E are GPS systems that include road maps provided by Tele Star NV and a built-in speed camera detector. The C710 and C510E also offer Bluetooth support.

Cebit, which is being held in Hanover, Germany, runs through March 15.