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If you are on the look out for a connected PDA, then there is an argument for going the whole hog and getting one that not only supports a SIM card but also has a GPS antenna built in.

The benefits of having a GPS antenna built into your PDA rather than using an external one are significant: no need to charge two devices, no need to set up (battery draining) Bluetooth or tangle-liable wired connections, no need to remember to carry yet another piece of kit.

Even if you don’t intend to use navigation software from the very start, having a GPS antenna handy in case you’ll want this feature later is going to be a plus.

First generation PDAs with built in GPS antennae have relied on housing the antenna in flip-out sections, with the antenna activating as you pull it away from the main body. This has tended to add bulk to hardware. As component parts have shrunk in size, it has become possible to built antennae into the main body of PDAs creating a much more seamless look.

Recently two Windows Mobile Pocket PCs came along with GPS antennae hidden inside the main casing plus SIM support – Mio’s A701 and the E-TEN G500.

The E-TEN G500 comes without any navigation software. You have two options with the Mio A701, to buy it with no software, or to opt for Mio’s own MioMap. I took the software free version, and got hold of a couple of copies of the new version of ALK’s CoPilot Live, running that on each of the devices.

Mio A701

The A701 is the latest in a long line of Windows Mobile devices with navigation support from Mio. It is not the first to have a GPS antenna built in, but it is the first to abandon the flip out design and completely bury the antenna inside the casing and the first from the company to integrate SIM support.

The built in SiRFStar III antenna makes the A701 a little taller than is ideal, though overall at 107 x 57 x 18.8mm it is not too large. The antenna lives in the top edge of the casing, and this edge is slightly off square adding a little distinction to the overall look of the hardware. At 148g the Mio A701 is heavier than a mobile phone and than many PDAs, but lighter than carrying both phone and PDA. With tri-band support you should be able to use it as a voice and data handset on your travels.

The black and silver styling is rather attractive, and below the 2.7 inch, 320 x 240 pixel screen sit four shortcut buttons and a small navigation wheel. The upper two buttons are for making and ending phone calls, with the End button doubling as a power switch. The left-most of the lower two buttons starts the Windows Media Player running, the right one runs whatever navigation software you have installed.

Various additional buttons and connectors are found around the edges of the hardware. On the left edge is a volume rocker, on the right edge an SD card slot covered with a rubber protector which feels pretty solidly attached, a 2.5mm headset connector and a button for using the built-in 1.3 megapixel camera, the lens of which sits on the back of the casing alongside a self portrait mirror. There is no flash.

Your SIM card sits under the battery cover and the battery needs to be removed to get at it. There is no Wi-Fi, so VoIP isn’t an option.

The stylus is housed at the back right edge of the casing. It extends automatically as it is removed from its housing to a maximum of 96mm, which is great, but it’s thin and lightweight and not the best I’ve used.

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