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| Harman Kardon GPS-810 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator and Media Player | 
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| Brand: Harman Kardon
Category: CE
List Price: $599.99
Buy New: $479.99
You Save: $120.00 (20%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 20059
Color: Charcoal and Black
Media: Electronics
Native Resolution: 480 x 272
Display Size: 4.3
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 0.8 x 5 x 2.2
MPN: GPS-810NA
Model: GPS-810NA
UPC: 028292589348
EAN: 0028292589348
ASIN: B000XTOGJE
Release Date: November 19, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 22 | | NEXT » |
 Good but few improvements needed November 10, 2008
I've been using it for only week now and here are couple of initial comments -
Pros -
1. Not too big
2. Good design - asthetics, ability to jump from one application to another without quitting the current application
3. External volume control - you don't have to touch on screen repeatedly yo raise or lower the volume.
4. Auto-brightness - has a light sensor
5. GPS application color scheme - not too bright at night to make you want to turn it off.
6. Sensitive GPS chip
7. Fast processor - helps fast GPS refreshes and fast application response
8. Great Bluetooth - seeks and connect to your phone as soon as the unit is turned on
9. Ability to play a wide varitety of music and video
Cons -
1. Too thick or big to carry in your pocket
2. Battery time - again makes it more like a car GPS, not one you could carry in your pocket while walking around in NY City.
3. AVERAGE GPS application -
a. Does NOT show what street are you currently on!!!
b. Highway icons (including interstate and state) are all generic icons - you've to figure out 86 is I-86 and 17 is NY-17!!!
4. FM Transmitter - as with most GPSs, the FM transmitter is of no use!
My request to Harman Kardon -
I've many Harman Kardon products and this is the first which I'm not "Very" happy with
- please improve the GPS application in the next update.
- if you're going to charge more than $500 for this, why would one not buy the newer Garmin units with Lane-Assist? Please be quick to update your GPS application before Garmin outdoes you.
 Great concept - disasterous product September 12, 2008
I really wanted this to work, as I had been looking for a PMP/GPS combination with video capability. The 810 had all the features I wanted, but had to be hard reset literally every other time I tried to use it. Battery life, regardless of whether using GPS or video was less than 45 minutes after fully charging. Hoped first one was simply a single bad lemon, but purchased and returned three units (same issues) before I gave up.
Harmon Kardon GPS 810 Review August 31, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you are looking for something different in a GPS - and that would also include the single coolest interface in a GPS unit - look no further. I had no idea Harmon Kardon, maker of great Audio equipment, was in the GPS business, but after working with a demo in a local Best Buy, I simply had to have one!
Why this unit?
I travel extensively for work. A couple features I wanted in a GPS included the following:
- Simple and clean interface
- Audio announcement with street names
- Bluetooth mobile phone capability
- MP3 Player with FM tuner
- Rugged and flexible mount
- Traffic warnings
The HK GPS 810 delivers on all points - and more! - although not perfectly in every instance.
The interface is an especially clean design that looks suspiciously like Microsoft Windows. That's no accident. The unit is powered by Windows CE - an embedded version of the Windows operating system found on most PCs. To date, (I've been running this unit for 2 months now) the system has never crashed once and has been stable as a rock. A contributing factor to this might be the update I installed immediately after recieving the unit. Don't miss this, as reviews of this unit previous to this indicate significant problems with stability. The update was simple enough, and if you feel you might need assistance with it, you can call the manufacturer and they will walk you through it. All you need is your PC, the GPS and the supplied USB cable. The entire process took about an hour - most of it spent waiting for it to install the software on the unit itself.
This product also comes with a wireless remote-control knob that works great and is very simple to use. Although if you travel for a living like I do, it won't be much use ... but in my own vehicle, (a 2007 Ford F-150 STX) it works great mounted to the dash.
Once installed, the unit is very easy to use - much simpler and more powerful than the devices I've used in the past from Magellean and others. The map automatically changes perspective for you, depending upon the distance and speed you are travelling. Navigational directions are clearly posted on the left of the screen and are easy to see and understand.
The unit ships with two voices - one male, one female - both being pleasant and easy to hear over road noise. The unit announces street names as well as turn directions. One quirk of this unit (still waiting for response from HK) is that it occasionally announces a turn direction incorrectly. For example, you might be looking at the screen and see a Right Turn ahead - but the GPS voice will tell you to turn left. The behaviour is not consistent - doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's really annoying.
The Bluetooth feature is also a bit quirky. The first time I set it up it worked perfectly. The Phonebook was imported automatically without prompting - something that should probably change, since some customers might not want thier entire phonebook imported. Another feature that could be added would be a PC interface that would allow the user to select the addresses from Outlook. The unit "lost" my BT configuration after the first week for soeme reason and I wasn't able to re-establish the connection. Then a day or two later, after climbing into the car, all of a sudden the BT feature began to work again - however, without the phone book being populated.
MP3 Player with FM tuner - I hate bringing music CDs with me on the road, so the integrated Media Player with FM tuner seemed a great idea. Additionally, the unit has an SD card interface, so now I can load the DDC card with whatever music I want and I'm done. Climb into the rental car, install the GPS unit, tune the car's radio to whatever frequency I want (I use 88.8 MHz) and tool on down the road. Unfortunately, the transmitted signal is not very strong (Blame the FCC) and the fidelity isn't the best. Playing with the unit's location helps a bit, since the key to good reception is the proximity of the transmitter to the radio's antenna. I keep two 4 GB SD cards with me and change them up as desired. In addition to the FM transmitter, the unit also has an audio output jack that you can plug into the car's AUX input for higher-quality audio. If you happen to be driving one of the new Ford-manufactured vehicles with Microsoft Sync, it's as easy as just plugging it in - the car's audio system will walk you through the adjustments.
The unit's mount is exceptional. It is small, light, and rugged - and integrates power and audio signals into the mount. It can also be adjusted to the most complex positions and has never fallen off a windshield yet (a statement I'd never have been able to make with the Magellean and TomTom units). The friction of the ball mount can also be easily adjusted with a cross-point screwdriver. The mount comes as a complete kit for those who want a more permanent mount on thier dashboard. included is a smooth, black disk that can be affixed to your dash to ensure the unit can be mounted there as well. I placed this item on my truck's dashboard and it is great. The unit is easily reachable and hasn't come "unglued" once.
HK offers a "Total Traffic Network" option from the Traffic Message Channel. This feature warns you of construction and accidents along your path and is very up-to-date. I have to admit it works very well - and although I was used to the MSN traffic updates I used to get with the Magellean unit, I have to say that TTN is at least as good as the MSN version.
As with all GPS units - the maps themselves are actually purchased from one of a handful of mapping companies. All of them have thier own foibles and this one is no different. On occasion it simply gets a street wrong (in my case, one right next to my house that doesn't exist). The method for providing feedback about wrong information isn't clear and should be made easier for more accurate updates. There is also no clear way to know when updated maps are available - you simply must check the website periodically. One great feature of this unit is that it is not restricted to North America as many of the competitor's units are.
All-in-all, it's a great unit, has every feature I wanted - plus some - and is going to be with me for awhile.
Buy it!
 Absolutely Perfect GPS August 4, 2008
This device is GREAT. I drive big trucks at work and the 5 button remote makes using this device easy to use without stretching over the dashboard to touch the screen. I also have an Apple iPhone and it works great with the new North American software update available on the website:
http://www.harmandesign.com/download/upgrade/downloads/GPS-810NAupgrade.exe
Many of my friends at work have GPS devices from Garmin. When they drive in my Suburban they are supprised to see that the obscure -- and usually unmapped -- oilfield roads are on the GPS-810. They also comment on how fast my device updates while driving and how detailed the maps are shown in several display types on the screen.
I received the GPS-810 as a gift on Dec 25, 2007. Before that time I had a Harman Kardon GPS that was a $500 add-on to my Harley Davidson Ultra Classic Electra Glide existing Harman Kardon radio system. It works great becuase it was simple and safe. The engineers at Harman Kardon think of everything. On my Harman Kardon motorcycle GPS, the sound mutes when I need to look down at the dash to see where to drive.
 Harman Kardon 810 (HK810) More like a PMP with a GPS built in. July 17, 2008
The Harman Kardon 810 is definitely a good GPS system. It is one of the smoothes navigation units that I have ever seen. It is well built, sleek and beautiful. The voice prompts are clear and precise. It will get you to where you need to go but with a few extra turns.
I would recommend this system to people that want more than just a GPS System. I would recommend it to people that want a PMP with a good GPS built in. The screen is big and beautiful just like screen of the PSP. It plays videos with great clarity and plays your mp3 without any problems. Just load your 8GB SD card and your good to go.
I love using the HK810 more as a movie player and a MP3 player more than a GPS system. Since I know my way around town most of the times I get to use my MP3s and built in radio transmitter and I'm jamming my way down to Costco.
The HK-810 is not a perfect GPS system but it will do the job.
Pros:
Very Portable and easy to use.
A lot of useful functions - Video, MP3, Phone, FM Transmitter
Beautiful Screen and nice clear speaker
Can hold 8GB SDHC card possibly 16Gb. (16Gb not tested yet)
Nice mounting bracket.
Remote Control
Traffic Report
Windows CE 5 Operating System
Cons:
Battery drain is fast if not plugged into power.
Maps are not updated. (Uses Navigon 2006)
Can not alter route to add shortcuts and make most direct route.
FM transmitter is kind of weak.
Sometimes freezes
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