The GPS fiends over at Mio plan to release the A501, a Windows Mobile 5-based Pocket PC that features the highly sensitive SiRF Star III GPS chip. (If only GPS reliably worked in Manhattan... damn buildings.) Putting aside the fact that it's not running the surprisingly good looking Windows Mobile 6, the A501 doesn't stray too far from the year-old A701, though that's not necessarily a bad thing. Key differences include an improved camera (2 megapixels vs. 1.3 megapixels) and processor. Even though it's not as big (read: bulky) as the A701, Mio still has the same size screen in there, complete with an iffy 240 x 320 resolution.

The A501 should hit stores (in Europe initially it seems) in March. As it turns out, integrating GPS into cellphones was all the rage at this year's 3GSM. And since many of those phone run WiMo6, Mio may have to play catch up sooner rather than later. – Nicholas Deleon

Mitac Mio A501 [NaviGadget]

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