The Mio Moov Spirit V735 is the first satellite navigation system to include a built-in Freeview TV tuner. The idea is an interesting one, there has certainly been convergence in the electronics industry of late, with devices serving multiple purposes. The V735 is another example of that.
You may also see this product described on various web sites as the Navman V735. This is a result of Mio acquiring Navman.
Specifications
The specifications can be summarised as follows:
- 7" colour touch screen
- Freeview TV tuner
- FM transmitter
- MP3 and video player
- 600MHz processor
- TMC: optional
- Width: 196mm, Height: 105mm, Depth: 16mm, Weight: 320g
- Micro SD slot
First Impressions
Opening the box we were surprised at the size of the V735, it is a beast compared to other sat nav systems we’ve reviewed. The 7’’ screen is certainly the biggest we’ve seen to date.
Despite the size it is relatively light at 320g. The V735 seems reasonably sturdy and looks well constructed.
On the left hand side of the device is a USB port. There is also a SD card slot, but disappointingly this is the micro SD variety, rather than the standard sized SD card you may use on other electronic devices.
On the right hand side of the device is a telescopic TV antenna. There is also an external antenna socket which can be used in areas with poor TV reception. Behind this external antenna socket is small plastic flap which hides the TV card. If you slide this flap back you can then slot in the TV card.
There is also a socket for connecting an TMC antenna and a DC In socket for charging the device from an optional AC charger (not included in box).
On the rear of the device is a small speaker which seemed to do an adequate job.
The following accessories are included in the box:
- Car mounting bracket
- Car charger
- External TV antenna
- USB cable
- Remote control
Installation
Installation wasn’t a straightforward process. We just found the V735 too big for our liking. It is not easy to find a location on your windscreen to attach a device measuring almost 20cm across. You may find it difficult to find a spot that allows you to view the device without obstructing your vision of the road.
The windscreen mounting bracket is a pretty large piece of kit too, and although it does a good job of holding the V735 in place, it lacks the simplicity and elegance of either the Garmin or TomTom suction cups.
User Interface
The user interface looks very similar to the Navman S100. This is not surprising since Mio now own Navman.
When we reviewed the Navman S100 we were not at all impressed with the GlideTouch interface. It was a pain to use and pretty much unusable.
Thankfully the V735 is an improvement. The screen is more responsive when gliding your finger over the screen, making it easier to move the screen up or down. It can still be fiddly at times though and there were times when the screen seemed unresponsive or lagged behind when we pressed the screen.
If you don’t like the glide interface then you can select button scrolling instead. When this option is selected a set of up and down arrow buttons appear on the right hand side of the screen
But we couldn’t understand why only a down arrow is provided on the main screen. This means if you move past the screen you intended, there is no button to move back to the previous screen. You have to cycle through all the remaining screens, get back to the beginning and start again. It does make you wonder how much usability testing is done with these devices prior to shipping.
Overall we still found the user Interface too fiddly to use and not as easy or intuitive to use compared to Garmin or TomTom systems we’ve reviewed. We’d like to see further improvements in this area.
Map Coverage
The following countries are covered.
Europe (23 countries): Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Great Britain, Italy, Ireland, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican.
Navigation
Although we found the screen too big from an installation viewpoint, it does offer you a lot of real estate when viewing the maps on screen. We found the maps clear and easy to read.
GPS acquisition after first use is very quick. We were impressed with how quickly it locked onto a satellite.
We were disappointed by the route selection. It is blighted with the same issues as the Navman S100. This is not surprising given that is probably uses the same mapping software.
We use the same routes for all our sat nav reviews so we can form a benchmark and compare how each system performs. The V735 focuses too heavily on motorways. In our tests this resulted in a route calculation over 40 miles longer than an equally fast alternative route chosen by other systems we’ve reviewed.
The V735 offers several routing profiles, but none of them made any difference.
The only routing profile that resembled those of other sat nav systems we’ve reviewed was the shortest route profile, but being a shortest route profile it navigated us through all the back roads and housing estates and was not very practical.
The V735 now includes lane assist and junction views. This was a necessary move to allow it to compete with similar functionality offered by its rivals. It also offers an economical routing profile designed to compete with Garmin’s ecoRoute.
The junction view on motorways worked well. The V735 can also display the speed limit for the road you’re currently on, handy for avoiding a possible speeding ticket on unfamiliar roads. In our tests it did a good job of showing the correct road speed. Pre-loaded safety camera data is also included.
TV
The V735 includes a built-in Freeview TV tuner. Unfortunately we are unable to provide any feedback on this side of the device since we could not get a TV signal. Apparently the TV will only work in areas where the analogue signal has switched over to digital.
Summary
The Mio Moov V735 is an interesting device with potential although it still lags behind Garmin and TomTom, both in terms of usability and routing performance. We also feel this device is too big to use on a day to day basis as a navigation device.
The user interface and routing performance will need to be improved further before it can mount a serious challenge to either Garmin or TomTom.
Prices
Get a price on the Mio Moov Spirit V735 from Lemon Digital.
Compare Mio Moov Spirit V735 prices on Amazon.
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3 responses so far ↓
1 juan // Sep 19, 2009 at 8:37 pm
I have tested Mio Moov Spirit V735TV during 2 days and at least I have decided to return and not to buy it. ¿Reasons?
2) I have tested DVB-T (digital TV) in my car in the city of Granada (SPAIN) with direct view to PARAPANDA and mio v735tv didn’t recieve any signal. I have conected mio v735tv at home and i recieved all digital channels but in street lost all signals. so DVB-T do not work properly.
3) Do not play DVIX, XVID, you have to convert all your movies to MP4, MPG, WMV or natural AVI and when i play any movie the mio v735TV do not work properly because when the car is running and jump the movie stop and close. when de car is running and you stop in trafic light the movie stop and close (you must to play it again)
4) JPG (pictures) i have several JPG pictures in my microSD card and Mio v735tv do not play JPG pictures.
5) 359€ for 7″ GPS es very expensive, today you have notebook 11″ for 400€ in spain.
6) I am very disapointed with mio enterprise because they have launched a product not tested!! It is not dificult to test the product. I think product manager should install the product in his car and test Digital TV, play movies, etc…and detect all this errors…
7) MioPocket 3.0 is not compatible with v735tv yet.
8 ) with the V735 you cannot install any maps, if they are missing please return the device to your retailer.
9) The touchscreen isn’t all that responsive
10 ) FM Transmiter do not work properly, I tested FM trasmiter output and my radio car audio did not sintonitized audio from mio.
2 James // Nov 21, 2010 at 7:34 am
The biggest feature of this device, and the one which distinguishes it from all of the others, is the digital TV. To write a review and simply say that the reviewer was unable to evaluate this feature is a poor excuse and makes the review essentially worthless.
3 paul bradford // Feb 17, 2011 at 9:17 pm
took delivery of my v735 today and within 20 minnutes was watching tv in my car simple to use and install previous reviwers fail to recognise that you should not use tv on the move for obvious reasons there is now a spaniard in a fiat punto wrapped around a tree some where unit offers globa map upgrades via mio website at a price with maps updated bi annually ahead of its time with digital tv inbuilt even people living in deliverance territory should now be able to watch jerry springer from the back seat of their pick up to catch up with the rest of their family no point mounting in a mini one will fill the screen but perfect for 7.5 tonne vehicles or your pimped out honda R chick magnet affordable MASSIVE and usefull go for it
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