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I have recently had the opportunity to spend some quality time with the Clarion MiND, a mobile Internet navigation device.  The MiND is a mixture of mobile Internet device (MID) and a standalone GPS unit. It was almost like having a standalone GPS device (think Navigon) and Internet Tablet (think Nokia N810) rolled into one.  The MiND offers a wide variety of features and for what it is, has a pretty decent set of specs.

Whats in the box:

• Clarion MiND
• Stylus
• 850 mAH Battery Pack
• AC Adapter with plug converter
• Car Adapter
• Standard Car Cradle with suction cup mount
• Film Screen Protector
• Quick Start Guide

Hardware Features

• 4.8-inch display with an 800 x 480 screen resolution
• 800MHz Intel Atom processor
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB Internal Storage
• SiRFstarIII GPS module with 20-channel GPS receiver
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
• Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR with DUN (dial-up network) profile
• External Speaker (on the back)
• microSD card slot
• USB port
• miniUSB port
• 3.5mm Headphone Jack
• Dock Connector

Software Features

Browser: A decent version of Firefox that supports tabbed browsing and also plays Flash.  When browsing you are presented with a full (regular) web page and then have to scroll up and down as well as left and right.  You can also zoom in and out.

E-Mail: A nice addition, but not a feature that I would use personally.  I did test it out and found it to be nice for a mobile client, but with the lack of cellular connection it seems a little unnecessary at times.  I would stick to getting my email on a laptop or cellphone while on the go.

RealPlayer: Though not my personal favorite.  Honestly RealPlayer seems a little dated now and it did perform well.  It plays audio, video and serves as a photo viewer.  The video was nice thanks to the large display.  One drawback with the media aspect is that (although the MiND does have an external speaker) you will feel the need to use headphones.

YouTube: What seems to be a “must have” for an Internet tablet.  The video playback seemed to work well when streaming over Wi-Fi.

MySpace: Any current MySpace users (or Clarion) can get angry at this comment, but this, simply put is a fail.  I do not use MySpace, nor would I just because of this icon.

Calculator: What can I say, it is a calculator.

Notepad: A nice way to jot down notes.

Files: Simple file manager, easy to use, but I found it was rarely needed.

Control Panel: Just like you would think, the Control Panel allows you to set-up your device.  Of course you can also do things like change (or download new) themes.

Connection: Setup, manage and maintain your connectivity.

Map: This was one feature that just did not seem to work.  I am not sure if it was me or the unit.  However, every time I launched the Maps I just saw a black screen.

Navigation (GPS): This is where the MiND really shines and deserves the most credit.  The GPS functionality offered a nice overall setup that was a breeze to use.  Everything from getting your route setup, to re-routing, to offering a nice amount of voice prompts to help make sure I do not miss my turn.  The GPS also has a nice selection of points of interest (POIs) which came in very handy when looking for places like gas stations.  It also offers multiple views, as well as give you speed limit information and road information.  Finally, and this is a bonus for me, the voice was not terrible to listen to.  I am not a huge fan of text-to-speech alerts, but this was rather good and surprised me a few times when pronouncing roads that I just assumed would have been butchered.

Performance

The Good:

• Overall ease of use for the entire unit.  I would feel good giving it to just about anyone to use.
• Great GPS functionality.  Again, this is where the unit really stood out for me.
• The large display was nice for both watching video and also using the Navigation.
• Internet browsing was great using this version of Firefox.

The Bad:

• Large overall size (6.7” x 3.78” x 1.05”).  I will note that it felt great in-hand, but seemed rather large when attached to your window using the included suction cup mount.
• The touchscreen at times was a bit hard to use requiring a few tries.  Again not bad in hand, but quickness when using a GPS device is key, especially when trying to make a quick adjustment at a stop light.
• Lack of customization of the software.  Getting back to those pre-set icons like MySpace.  It would be nice if I could either remove them, or even change them to launch a web page of my choosing.  Of course, this could likely be changed with a future software update.
• Battery life was disappointing.  It seemed like you can almost watch the battery drain in front of your eyes.  Granted, I would use this primarily in my car, and it does come with a car adapter, but you have to really pay attention when it is unplugged.

One other comment; although this is a small issue and is more of a personal issue I think it is important to mention.  At times it would have been nicer to get a little louder volume.  The built-in speaker sounded good, however between the car stereo (even turned down low) and the regular road noise it became hard to hear and caused me to have to glance down at the display more than I feel I should have to.

Final Thoughts

Bottom line here, the unit I received for testing was nice and overall it was very easy to use.  It did have some faults such as the quickly draining battery along with a fairly large overall size, but that said, I do feel it did a great job at what I would consider its main purpose—navigation.  This is where it gets a little touchy for me, the MiND is selling for $650, which seems a little high in my opinion.  Basically, I would say that the Clarion MiND was a good device to use, but I am not sure I could commit to a purchase.  Personally, I think I may opt for a less expensive “mobile internet device” such as an iPod touch or even a cheap netbook and use a standalone GPS unit for my navigation needs.

Product [Clarion MiND]

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