The Mio A710 is small, slender and impressive. GPS comes via the new SiRF Star III chipset and this means that for the most part you can pick up a signal in doors before you start you journey.

The maps themselves are very easy to use and the mapping software considerably faster in this version than the last Mio we tried.

Based on the Intel PXA270 processor running at 520MHz the Mio A701 has a 2.7-inch screen, which is capable of displaying a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels.

But the GPS is only a third of the story. The Tri-band GSM phone runs on Microsoft’s new Windows Mobile 5 OS and that means Business users can take advantage of the OS's new Push Email features to make it work just like a BlackBerry, as well as giving you access to a plethora of applications like Word and Powerpoint to Go.
For multimedia buffs there is even a 1.3 megapixel camera that offers a 2x,4x, and 8x digital zoom included and overall in our tests we found the A701 fast and easy to use.

Compared to other smartphones appearing on the market it would have also been nice to have included wifi in the package, so you could collect your mail or surf the web when you find yourself in a hotspot.

The Mio A701 is great for those looking for more than just a phone with a supped up address book, but not looking to go the whole hog with a PDA QWERTY keyboard styled device.