
On paper, the
Mio A701 smartphone sounds like
almost the perfect convergence device, sporting a Windows Mobile 5.0-powered 520MHz Xscale processor, SiRF III GPS
receiver, tri-band GSM radio, Bluetooth, and a 1.3 megapixel camera. Sadly, at least according to Reg Hardware, the
A701 has so many little faults that the device is often barely usable, and sounds like a skip except for those folks
who absolutely must have GPS and aren't into the square-screened iPaq
hw6xxx series from HP. Some of the Reg's gripes with this model include
its crappy camera (one of the worst they've ever seen, apparently), GPRS-only data connection, flimsy telescoping
stylus, lack of dedicated buttons for WM5 softkey control, and buggy navigation software (luckily it's optional).
Besides the full suite of accessories that come included in the box, there doesn't seem to be much good to say about
the $660 to $790 A701, which is no doubt a big disappointment to those who may have been looking to import what
appeared to be such a hot phone.