0ur opinion:

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portable GPS satellite navigation unit with built-in antenna * includes car power adapter, USB cable, carrying case, and rechargeable battery with up to 5 hours of life * 4' color (480 x 272 pixels) touchscreen control * 12 million points of interest * SD card slot (supports SDHC cards) *

, December 12, 2007:
High-end audio equipment manufacturer Harman Kardon's continues to combine solid navigation with truly superb media player function in its GPS products, creating a bar for navigator/personal entertainment system convergence devices. They've improved their models this year with a fuller feature set.

This Year's Models
With their first line of GPS navigators released last year, H-K wisely stuck to the basics with their navigation. Perhaps that was the reason navigation worked so much better on Harman Kardon's devices than on some other navigators produced by manufactuer's whose core business was not GPS.

With basic nav nailed down however, Harman Kardon added a full feature set into this year's models. All of the new models -- the GPS-310, GPS-510, and GPS-810, -- come with text-to-speech for spoken directions with real street names, a photo viewer and MP3 player. The GPS-510 adds a video player and traffic data capability (from TMC Clear Channel). The GPS-810 has the same features you'd get on the top-end model from any manufacturer, and some you may not expect, including Bluetooth connectivity, traffic data, an FM transmitter that will deliver both directions and music through an open channel on your car's stereo system, and a nifty little Bluetooth remote.

4-inch WQVGA 480px x 272px high-resolution widescreen touch screen (actual size)

Navigation
The main purpose of any car GPS device is to take you reliably from point A to B. Here the GPS-310 performs nicely indeed, providing several options for finding your destination. To get going you can select either a street address, a specific point of interest such as a gas station or restaurant, a recent or saved destination, a postal code, or an intersection (if you're not sure of the exact address). To speed up text entry, the unit employs an intelligent auto-completion feature that displays only the letters that spell an item in its database. This greatly reduces the letters from which you have to choose to tell it where you want to go.

0nce it knows where you are headed, the device offers you the choice of shortest distance or most use of freeways or other high-speed arterials. You'll also find a trip planner that lets you lay out and save multiple destinations, as well as avoidance choices for routing your trip away from borders, toll roads, unpaved roads, ferries, and more. lf you take a wrong turn or need to use a detour, the GPS-310 will automatically re-route you and get you back on your way.



And how did the GPS-310 perform out on the road? ln a word, admirably. The responsiveness of the device and excellent user interface make it a joy to use. The GPS-310 also has an extremely fast and accurate GPS signal processor, so it locks, calculates and recalculates routes, and responds to commands quickly. 0ne of the hardest things for a manufacturer without a long history in building GPS navigators is getting the routing algorithms correct, so it was nice to see that Harman Kardon seems to have gotten this right. ln most cases, the device decided on logical and efficient routes, too--something that can't be said of all GPS devices out there.

lntuitive interface is easy to operate. See route planning details.

Setup and lnterface Setup is as easy as turning the device on, since it comes loaded with maps of the U.S. and Canada. 0n first bootup, choose from English, Spanish, or French language options for the spoken directions and interface menus. lnteracting with the GPS-310's touchscreen is delightfully intuitive and reliable; there's really no need for a stylus or navigation buttons, which simplifies things on the road. The division of the main interface into four main quadrants is a helpful touch, and it's refreshing to see manufacturers moving away from awkward icon-based menus. lnstead of drilling down through lists of icons, all of the GPS-310's options are presented on simple, color-coded shapes. That said, we were a little puzzled by the use of the 'Source' menu key, which takes the user back to the main menu from any point in the interface. lt's a useful feature, but why not call this the 'Home' button instead? The screen itself is sharp and clear, offering great resolution and clarity in all driving conditions. The map screen is a sight to behold, offering delightfully crisp 3D images, as well as excellent responsiveness when zoomed and panned. Likewise, the interface for music playback ispleasantly uncluttered, responsive, and well thought-out. 0ne problem in our unit, though, was the lack of a sleep mode. The device's screen will stay on at full illumination when it's left idle--even when running on battery power. There's also no sleep button on the device.

Accurate, detailed 3D navigation, and turn-by-turn directions. Use the unit's touch screen to enter address locations. An intuitive menu lets you switch quickly between music, video, and navigation options.

Multimedia
The GPS-310 strives to be much more than just another GPS device in a crowded market, and that's likely why Harman Kardon has polished the multimedia features of the device so well. With support for MP3 and WMA music files, the music player has a refreshingly intuitive user interface and good sound quality. lt's a cinch to browse music on your SD card by artist, album, genre, playlist, and song. Another nice touch is that you can keep the music playing while the unit is in navigation mode.


Design
The GPS-310 is solidly built--something we expect from Harman Kardon--and it instills a sense of confidence that it can survive the bumps of bruises that come with the mobile lifestyle. Measuring approximately 4.5 inches wide by 3.5 inches high, and a little over half an inch thick, the device is only a little chunkier than your average PDA or Smartphone. The clean lines of the GPS-310 are enhanced by a complete lack of buttons; all interaction with the device happens between the touchscreen and your finger. ln the interest of simplicity, there is not even a stylus that can fall to the floor and roll under the seat of your car.

The only button you'll find on the device is the recessed power button on the top, right next to the SD card slot. The slot accepts cards with up to 4 GB of capacity. There's also a small jog wheel on the right side for volume and display brightness control. Below this dial you'll also find a mini-USB port that serves double duty for both charging and PC-to-device data transfers, as well as a standard 3.5-millimeter headphone jack. Meanwhile, you'll find a pinhole reset button on the bottom, as well as a hold switch on the left side for deactivating the touchscreen. Lastly, the back of the unit sports a small audio speaker and a port for an optional GPS signal booster antenna.




Pros
Excellent user interface
Fast, accurate GPS performance; good mapping capabilities
Polished, user-friendly music playback

Cons
Minor lag during some operations
No sleep or low power standby function

What's in the Box
GPS-310NA portable navigator, 5-hour lithium-polymer battery, USB 2.0 cable, carrying case, fold-flat windshield/dashboard mounting bracket, car charger, quick-start guide









Piece Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

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Buyer's feedback: - * GPS ...
The GPS was delivered in a timely matter, I'm fairly happy with the unit, although didn't have some of the potions I was expecting

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Buyer's feedback: - The product is awesome but I would never trust amazon or the seller
The product is amazing and i am using it now. But i bought it from Crutchfield and not amazon. I placed the order on amazon as they had it in stock and i also opted for expedited shipping. This was done on a Thursday and i expected it to arrive to me by the week after that wednesday. I hadn't heard anything from them until tuesday evening and so i just thought of calling them to check what the status of the order was and there i get a answer saying that THE ITEM IS NOT IN STOCK and we are waiting on it to come in stock. I was like why did you guys not think of informing me by email or phone that this was the case. So the guy said I DON'T KNOW AND WE WERE JUST GOING TO WAIT UNTIL WE GOT IT AND SEND IT TO YOU WHENEVER WE GOT IT. Jesus christ!!! I WOULD NEVER TRUST AMAZON ON ITS WORDS OF "IN STOCK" AND DELIVERY TIMES.

Sorry but my first time shopping at amazon and this is what i get....nah i ain't shopping here again dude...i shopped at crutchfield and i absolutely loved their response and i ordered it on a wednesday and i got it on friday.....NO CHARGE FOR A TWO DAY DELIVERY TOO....cudn't get any better!!!

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Buyer's feedback: - * Harman Kardon GPS-310 ...
I bought it December 16, 2007 and Its already been replaced by the manufacturer because it can't get a GPS signal.

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Buyer's feedback: - Very Satisfied
After doing much research on GPS device's I decided to take the plunge. I had a hard time making up my mind but finally decided on the HK 310 and I'm glad I did. I tested it around my area and was very happy with it. I have turned the GPS on in at least six different areas over a fifty mile radius and haven't had to wait more than one to two minutes to pick up a signal. It was easy to program and the graphics were top notch. I purposely took wrong turns to see how the unit rerouted me and it was perfect. The unit is very well made it seems and in my opinion is the best looking unit that I saw. The only issue I may have is that the sound/speaker could be a little better especially considering that Harmon Kardon is in the audio bussiness. But other than that I am very happy and satisfied with this unit.

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Buyer's feedback: - * 4.3\" widescreen display w/TTS for $300 ...
Pros:
. 4.3" (480x272) screen with text-to-speech for $300.
. Integrated antenna
. Clean, uncluttered, and mostly intuitive interface
. Destinations easy to enter - more on this feature below
. Large "buttons"
. Touch screen requires only a light touch
. Nicely contoured case with a high quality feel
. Suction cup mount nicely designed
. Unit clips in and removes from the mount very easily
. Charges via the USB cable (undocumented)
. Boots instantly
. Volume dial
. Bright screen
. Built-in MP3 player
. A nice compact slipcover is included

Cons:
. It takes awhile to lock on to the satellites. I haven't timed it, but it's much slower than my Garmin Street Pilot 2720.
. I haven't figured out how to save the "current location" to a favorite. Please tell me how to do this as this could be a deal breaker!
. Screen brightness doesn't automatically adjust to the conditions. It switches between Day and Night modes automatically, but not the brightness. Fortunately changing the brightness requires only a few touches.
. Screen can be hard to read in bright daylight.
. Only one choice of female voice. I like the Australian English voice on my Garmin.
. The spoken directions are not as concise as my Garmin, and the unit tends to repeat itself, which is either helpful or annoying depending on my mood.
. No option to prompt the unit to repeat itself, such as if you don't hear the directions over a loud stereo. In fairness, I don't know of any portable GPS units that offer this feature.
. The map is missing some streets vs. my Garmin
. A few options are non-intuitive to reach. This isn't a major problem since there aren't that many options vs. some of the more high-end GPS units, but that makes these few occasions all the more vexing.
. Does not display speed. I like this feature of my Garmin. There also is no "trip computer" although I don't use this feature much.

Top three features:

1. Large high resolution wide screen.

2. Text-to-Speech.

3. Destination entry feature:

As you enter letters in a city or street name, any letters that aren't possible are grayed out. For example, maybe you enter a city name beginning with H. You might then see all letters except A,E,I,O,U,Y grayed out because there are no cities with any other character following the H. This makes entry easier because (A) the next key is easier to find because there are fewer letters to choose from, and (B) touching the wrong key is less likely.

If I were buying a new GPS for myself, it would probably be a Garmin 750 for half again the price, but at the $300 price-point, the mostly minor compromises are acceptable.