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| Harman Kardon GPS-500 Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator, MP3 Player, and Video Player | 
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| Brand: Harman Kardon
Category: CE
List Price: $499.99
Buy New: $138.99
You Save: $361.00 (72%)
New (3) Used (2) from $127.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  30 reviews
Sales Rank: 7321
Color: Silver and Black
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Native Resolution: 480 x 272
Display Size: 4.3
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 52
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 3.8 x 5.4
MPN: GPS-500
Model: GPS-500
UPC: 028292504686
EAN: 0028292504686
ASIN: B000NNASK6
Release Date: April 1, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 NO GPS SiGNAL FOUND December 20, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I tried hard to like it. Because I Like Harman Kardon and because it looked nice. And the MP3 player and DVD player.
But I wanted a GPS and in 3 days testing and trying I got 1 out of 10 times a signal, the rest of the time this thing was searching!
And there are so many roads that don't exist on the map! Old material!
I use gps with my laptop since 4 years and never had a problem. So this one goes back and I am buying the Garmin Nuvi 360.
Sorry harman, but you have to get better then that!
 Buyer beware December 14, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have returned 2 now...the first one just quite working and the second one couldn't receive a signal. The first one was not an out of the box failure, but the second was. The maps are at least 2 years out of date. You will definately double, triple or even quadruple your U-Turns with this device.
Would not buy again November 4, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I was generally pleased with this GPS system--my first--when it worked. I liked the big screen and it was pretty user-friendly. Occasionally it would lose signal in a weird spot, but it wasn't a big problem. About 2 weeks after we bought the thing it died--would not turn on at all. So we took it back and they gave us another one. It worked fine for about 3 months, then when I tried to turn it on today it was dead as a doornail once again. My husband is a systems analyst and electronics whiz, so I'm pretty sure it's nothing we're doing wrong. Back to the store it goes tomorrow, and we're getting a Garmin or Magellan. This was my first and last experience with Harman Kardon.
 What you need to know October 31, 2007
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
Accuracy within a few blocks. I am sad to say that I have had some terrible experiences where the unit failed to locate an address, completely failed to give proper directions to an address, and on another occasion completely flipped out (must have lost the GPS signal) and went crazy I had to pull off the highway and reboot the thing inorder to get my location correct (and that not counting another time it just flat out lead me down the wrong road). This product has the best and the worst qualities. It has the best screen and menu system, but the actual navigation function falls short.
I picked up a TomTom 3rd ED, and although only 3" screen, its navigational functions absolutly blows HK away. I eally liked the slick/coolness factor of the HK, but after experiencing poor navigation, I could not stand it. This TomTom 3rd ED for half, and although smaller screen, still looks great!
*****
HK500 uses TeleAtlas maps, same as TomTom, Nuvi uses Navteq. HK500 battery lasts 4hrs, TomTom only 2hrs, Nuvi supposedly last for 6hrs!
HK500 on occasion is NOT as responsive going through the menus (Windows CE is to blame), while the others are very responsive. HK500 does NOT easily allow to save points on the screen where as TomTom and Nuvi readily allow GPS positioning to be saved or mark "waypoints".
*****
This unit is pretty much idiot proof as far as how to go through the menu system. Very nicly done. And the "realestate" screen/map layout is perhaps the best. Being new to these GPS I weary of all the talk about the U-TURN behavior, such as when you miss your turn and go off route. Reason why is because these GPS do not readily allow for customized routes, so some of us smarter than the machine will want to go slightly a different way. And thus we want these GPS units to reroute the next best way, and not keep telling us to make a U-turn to resume the original route. Anyways, it is not too bad, some times it would prompt multiple times but it really is not a big deal. Navteq is suppose to have the advantage but if my experience was as bad as it gets then its a non issue.
One particular note is how the unit handles a multiple interchanges, here in south florida, the roads can be very crazy, multiple roads spliting off and joining all within 100 feet or so, and thus if your traveling with fast traffic or in a traffic jam, you have little to no advance warning to be in the right spot! Not a problem if your familar, but a freindly reminder to preview the road trip to identify possible tricky situations. An example is on a part of highway there are split offs in the left hand lane immediatly right after each other, and you need to take the second left, well for me it advised to stay in the right hand lane untill i was passing the first left and then it advised me to get in the left lane, with only a split second to react, if I did not know better I could have missed my exit. HOWEVER it does flash the next approaching "turn" so using that info (street/road/exit) and at least in this instance you can see the exit sign and prepare to be in the proper lane ahead of time to be in the right spot at the right time. Miami is the worst for street/ramp/exit sign placment.
In comparison, the Nuvi/TomTom seems to respond faster to commands and ability to tap a point on the map and immediatrly get direction not needing to input a address/place (the HK CAN do the same but the compition has the edge). The Nuvi/TomTom has the ability to speak street names. I was really wanting to get the text to speach but using the simple right/left turns, I do not feel I am missing much. The most important thing are the prompts alerting you to prepare for a turn and when to actually make a turn. Besides hearing the street names are pointless when you can not see the street names untill its to late.
Pile of Junk October 17, 2007
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
I am extremely disappointed in the performance of this product. We purchased it before a 2 month vacation so we could get around unfamiliar places more easily. Once we had our hotels booked I tried locating them on the GPS-500. Almost none of our hotels were in it's list. And these weren't new hotels in remote locations. They were near Yellowstone park! I ended up having to look up the address and punch it in and was finally able to get the locations we needed. I wish I would have known the maps were not updatable. What actually exists in it's maps will be outdated within a couple years. I e-mailed Harmon Kardon and asked about map updates and got no reply. I tried finding locations around home to see if it's routing was accurate and usually it's not. It'll take you through residential neighborhoods for miles instead of the freeway you should be on. It constantly tells you "prepare to stay left (or right)" going down a road that there really isn't any option but to keep going straight. My home address was not in it's list either and it doesn't allow you to enter a point. The software locks up on a regular basis. I've had to use the reset button many times. The only good things I can say is that if you have an address or are lucky enough that the location you're looking for is in it, it'll get you there eventually. It's rerouting works pretty well too if you miss a turn. If I could send it back for a refund I would.I know there are quirks to any electronic instrument such as this one but this one just has too many to make it acceptable. Buy yourself a Garmin or something else that's more proven.
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