0ur opinion:

, 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

:
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) *


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Some more accessories for this product for you:

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• Scosche CL3 adapter Converts a cigarette lighter into two power plugs
• Panasonic 1GB SD Memory Card with SD Speed Class 2 performance
• Transcend SD Memory Card 1GB

Piece Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

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Buyer's feedback: - * Not Realy good As Its Name ...
Take time for intial set up and hard to use.
Not really as good as it brand name

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Buyer's feedback: - Low quality product
I don't like the product mainly because of two reasons:
- It takes a very long time (1-5 min) till it finds the satellite connection.
- It cannot really pronounce street names. It's not helpful to hear street names, but it's more trouble.

Also, it does not function if it gets sunshine for a while or is left in the car when the temperature is around 60s.

I do not recommend this product.

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Buyer's feedback: - * Disapointing product ...
I had been pricing gps's on Amazon with text-to-speach in which the actual street name was announced. I came across this Harmon Kardon model with a very reasonable price point. The delivery was prompt and right on the money. As per the instructions I charged up the battery, opened the locking device outside, and received the gps signal. I entered a destination and was on my way. The gps worked like a charm with turns and actual street names being announced. The second time I tried it the gps read waiting for gps signal. I'm still waiting. The so-called manual or operator's guide that comes with the gps has only the basic start up instrictions. It is vague and does not supply enough enfo. I could not find a support site for Harmon Kardon on the web. I'm extremely dissapointed in this product and hope that Amazon investigates these short comings for me. Amazon once again has backed up their return policy and has aloud me to return the gps for a full refund.

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Buyer's feedback: - harmon kardon gps 310
Well satisfied with the instrument so far EXCEPT that though the voiced turns are geographically correct the naming of NUMBERED streets is at times way off. E.g. a left turn onto 84th street might be VOICED as a left turn onto 144th street. Can be confusing if one is completely unfamiliar with the area in play.
Have asked the company for their comment but received no reply.

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Buyer's feedback: - * Piece of junk ...
DO NOT BUY THIS JUNK!!! THERE IS NO SIGNAL AT ALL!!! AND U RISK "RESTOCKING" FEE AS WELL.