| Accessories & Supplies |
| Audio & Video |
| Camera & Photo |
| Car Electronics |
| Computers & Add-Ons |
| GPS & Navigation |
| Marine Electronics |
| Office Electronics |
| Security & Surveillance |
| Service & Replacement Plans |
|
|
Harman Kardon GPS-810 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator and Media Player
from: Harman Kardon
Click Larger Image
Average Buyer Rating: 
Sales Rank: 20904
Sales Rank: 20904
Binding: Electronics
Product Brand: Harman Kardon
Color: Charcoal and Black
Display Size: 4.3 inches
EAN: 0028292589348
Includes Mp3 Player: 1
Label: Harman Kardon
Product Manufacturer: Harman Kardon
Model: GPS-810NA
Native Resolution: 480 x 272
Publisher: Harman Kardon
Release Date: November 19, 2007
Ranking: 20904
Studio: Harman Kardon
Variation Description: Charcoal and Black
Piece facts:- Text-to-Speech in English announces the next manuever by name such as the street name or highway. The GPS-810's translation from Text-to-Speech is very easy to understand and natural sounding.
- Bluetooth is built in offering the ability to pair with Bluetooth enabled cell phones for handsfree communication.
- The GPS-810 also includes a breakthrough wireless remote control that can control all functions of the unit independently or in combination with the 4.3" touchscreen.
- 4.3" WQVGA 480 x 272 High resolution widescreen.The unit is preloaded with maps of the U.S. including Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico as well as Canada are included.
- Full-featured digital audio & video player is included to make it a great personal media player in addition to an incredible portable navigation unit. The audio player allows you to search by artist, album, genre, song or playlist and displays album art.
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 and a nifty little remote.
Feature Set
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. The GPS-810 has the same features you'd get on the top-end model from any manufacturer, including , bluetooth connectivity, traffic data capability (from TMC Clear Channel), and an FM transmitter that will deliver both directions and music through an open channel on your car's stereo system.
 4-inch WQVGA 480px x 272px high-resolution widescreen touch screen (actual size) |
The main purpose of any car GPS device is to take you reliably from point A to B. Here the GPS-810 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-810 will automatically re-route you and get you back on your way.
And how did the GPS-810 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-810 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. |  Easy to understand traffic data |  |
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-810'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-810'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?
 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. |
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 interfaces for music and video playback are pleasantly 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.
Hands Free Phone That Really Works!
Using Bluetooth wireless capability to allow GPS navigators to function as hands-free phone kits is becoming more popular, especially as more states pass laws that prohibit in-car cell phone use without a hands-free kit, so lots of navigators are sporting the feature these days. However, this is an area in which the GPS-810 really shines, primarily because of the dual microphone and Harman Kardon's patented noise-cancelling technology.
Most GPS navigators have a single microphone located in the center of the device, which can make you sound garbled on the other end. The GPS-810 has two microphones, one on each side of the device, so both passenger and driver can use the hands-free phone kit and come through clearly. Also, Harman Kardon has installed the same kind of noise-canceling system they use in their high-end audio products, to further enhance intelligibility.
 |  |  |
Multimedia
The GPS-810 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.
 |  |  |
 | Video playback is equally straightforward. The device recognizes WMV9 or MPEG-4 AVl video files and presents them in a scrolling list. Press a title and you're off in movie land, complete with smooth framerates and minimal jitters during high-action sequences. We did encounter a format incompatibility with an AVl file encoded in the DlVX format. Attempting to play the file freaked the GPS-810 out, and a hard reset was required. Harman Kardon is very clear about which file formats are supported, but many folks might inadvertantly attempt to play a DlVX-encoded AVl instead of an MPEG-4 AVl. Broader format support would be a welcome addition. To ease some of the pain of getting your movies and TV shows into the right format for the GPS-810, Harman Kardon provides a brief guide for Windows Media Player users. Mac users will have to use third-party media encoders to prepare their videos for the GPS-810. Lastly, battery life when playing back videos was surprisingly good. After a two-hour movie the GPS-810 was only down to a 40 percent charge. | |
 |
The GPS-810 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-810 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 and video playback
Minor lag during some operations
Limited video format compatibility
No sleep or low power standby function
GPS-810 portable navigator, wireless control knob, wireless FM transmitter, 4-hour lithium-polymer battery, USB 2.0 Hi-Speed computer interface with cable, fold-flat windshield/dashboard mounting bracket, dashboard mounting disk, car charger, wall charger, traffic antenna, carrying case, quick-start guide
Average Buyer Rating:
Buyer's feedback:
- * Made the Right Choice!! ... I am a first time GPS user. I read all the reviews here plus at other websites and I was very hesitant in purchasing this unit due to the system locking up issue that most people has mentioned. But for me I was looking for a unit that had it all! And for right now, this is the only unit with GPS, MP3, Video, Pictures, and Bluetooth Phone connectivity..... I searched for a comparable unit with the same features in all the major electronic stores and only found ones with only GPS/MP3. Well anyways, I'm sure you figured it out....I crossed my fingers and purchased this unit..... It's been one month now and I could be jinxing myself for writing this review, but here goes:
PROS:
* The unit has not locked up on me yet... WOOHOO!!
* The GPS is great! I live in Austin, TX and already made a trip to Dallas and to North Oklahoma. And the GPS was accurate. I only had one instance when the unit had erratic recalculations (lots of U-turns!) But for the most part the map and voice navigation is accurate.
* The MP3 sounds awesome! Simple to use menu and I use a SD card reader to drag-n-drop my music into my 8G SD card
* The Video also plays and sounds fantastic!! I played a couple of movies and plays beautifully as most portable DVD players
* I have some pictures, but haven't used this much...But what I do have, looks great!!
* The Phone connectivity is awesome!! I have a Nokia 6085 and it had no issues finding it. Address book downloaded perfectly. The mic and speaker on the unit is crystal clear and I use it quite often. This is an excellent feature for handsfree phone conversation while you're driving!!
* The dash and windshield mounting accessories are very good
* The best feature I love is the remote control knob!! You can have this conveniently anywhere in the vehicle and go thru all the menus with ease!!
CONS:
* I have to agree with everyone about the battery. The battery life sucks and this will not be a good unit if relying on battery life. For me, the HK810 is only for my car, so mine is always plugged in and this con doesn't really pertain to me.
* I have seen the new firmware at HK website, but haven't uploaded it to my unit since it's working fine. (I always say, why fix it if it's not broken!)
* No current map updates
* Did not come with a full manual
For me, I think I made a good decision for my first GPS!! But like I said, I might have jinx myself and you might hear from me again!
Buyer's feedback:
- Piece of JunkHave to reset it every time I needed it to use it. Have your paper clip ready it shuts off every time it goes into standby. FM transmitter sucks, it berly works, the bluetooth sucks too, it takes forever to sink up to your phone. I'm returning the product and go with a name brand instead.
Buyer's feedback:
- * A firmware update is available. ... The firmwear update is up. I see alot of people giving the battery a con. At 3.5 hours for movies (that look and sound great) it beats alot of DVD players when on the plane. Longer time and fits in my pocket. I'm having difficulty getting my Samsung SGH-D307 to pair up. I got it once then it dropped within a couple minutes and haven't got it to work yet. My phone works with the Uconnect in my van so I think it just I missing something. Otherwise so far I really like the unit. Haven't had any route errors that others are talking about. That may have been fixed when I loaded the new firmwear.
Buyer's feedback:
- Nice but fairI bought my Harman Kardon GPS-810 a couple of months ago, I was very excited because I love the brand and have a loyal HK product consumer but I am very disapointed with this gadget.
Bad:
1.- Maps and places not updated
2.- Sometimes makes you go in circles
3.- Battery last 12 mins. on mine
4.- When car is stopped gps may loose direction and start spinning
5.- Doesn't update on PC
6.- Makes errors while taking you to POI
7.- Confusing when trying to change on freeways
Good
1.- Good looking
2.- Remote cpntroled
Buyer's feedback:
- * Good buy ... This may sound a little silly, but I was sold this GPS on my first visit to a store. The sales guy really sold me on it based on my criteria. I brought it home and began feeling as if I was bamboozled. So, I returned it (with a restocking fee) and decided that I needed to do some homework. I looked at every possible types of GPS devices. I purchased a Navigon because I liked the graphics. Even the graphics turned out to be a disappointment. So, I returned that one. Every single review suggested a Garmin 660 or along those lines. I tried them out and wasn't happy with the menu or it's functions. I went back to the H/K. I've had it for about a month now and I am very happy with my purchase (the second time). I haven't used the music or video part of the device, but the navigation and bluetooth works well. With the navigation, it doesn't give me exactly what I'm looking for all the time, but it does get me where I want to go, especially when I get lost. I travel around LA alot. the streets are very confusing. this has gotten me out of many hours of driving around lost. I like the touch pad. It is sensitive, and feels solid. I like the looks and feel of the H/K. The mounting bracket is good. The biggest bonus of this device is it lets me do title searches (or keyword) searches for business. I really use that alot. I can find the nearest "home depot" or "best buy" or whatever store I need at my location. This has become such an asset to my business. I returned the Navigon because I couldn't do that. I couldn't do that with the Garmin either. So, i really like this H/K. I'm very happy with it and use it almost everyday.
We have more similar products, listed by their category for you:
