While there are a lot—too many, in our opinion—of portable GPS devices out there to help you reach your location assignment, they're still more difficult to use than they should be. That's gradually changing, however, and the new Mio Moov S501 is a good example of a well-thought-out yet inexpensive portable navigation device.

With an easy-to-read, 4.7-inch display and a slim body— Mio's thinnest model yet at 0.63-inches—the Moov S501 is attractive, svelte, and rugged. It features a rubberized, non-skid frame so it won't slip out of your hands when you're transporting it to your car and an anti-glare touchscreen with a dedicated Home Button for quickly getting to the main menu.

Mio's new Spirit navigation software is the real leap forward, though. It features a "Magic Search" tool which works similarly to a Google search, letting you input keywords, partial words or even combinations of words (i.e., St. Joseph's Church, Chicago) to find your destination with fewer clicks.

The S501 comes preloaded with 12 Million Points-of-Interest (POIs) and maps of the U.S. and Canada. Once you find the POI icon you're looking for, you can discover what else is in the area with one click, including local restaurants, camera stores or coffee shops. If you already have photos of an area, the NavPix Photo Navigation software lets you add GPS coordinates to your images so you can have them pop up on the S501's screen as you drive toward them. Text-to-Speech (spoken street names) makes it easy to follow directions without taking your eyes off the road.

In a nod to these budget-conscious times, the S501 also has a handy local fuel price search, letting you find the cheapest gas stations around. Meanwhile, the Economical Routing function gives you the most fuel-efficient route to your destination with fewer turns and stops.

Cost: $199 Further Information: www.mio.com