0ur Review:Item Description:portable GPS satellite navigation unit with built-in antenna * includes car power adapter, USB cable, carrying case, and rechargeable battery with up to 4 hours of life * 4' color (48O x 272 pixels) touchscreen control * text-to-speech technology lets voice prompts announce road names over the built-in speaker * includes FM-TMC traffic-info receiver (additional subscription fees apply after free 9O-day trial) *
, December 12, 2OO7: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.
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-31O, GPS-51O, and GPS-81O, -- come with text-to-speech for spoken directions with real street names, a photo viewer and MP3 player. The GPS-51O adds a video player and traffic data capability (from TMC Clear Channel). The GPS-81O 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 48Opx 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-51O 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-51O will automatically re-route you and get you back on your way.
And how did the GPS-51O 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-51O 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-51O'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-51O'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 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.
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-51O 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-51O 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-51O, 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-51O. Lastly, battery life when playing back videos was surprisingly good. After a two-hour movie the GPS-51O was only down to a 4O percent charge.
|
Design The GPS-51O 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-51O 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
Cons Minor lag during some operations
Limited video format compatibility
No sleep or low power standby function
What's in the Box GPS-51O portable navigator, wireless FM transmitter, 4-hour lithium-polymer battery, USB 2.O 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
Some more accessories for this product for you:
click for more
Some more accessories for this product for you:
Gift Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
We found more related products for you:
click for more
We found more related products for you:
Testimonials
Average Buyer Rating:
-
* Good for the price ...
Picked this up on a Gold Box deal for $2OO.
My wife was especially interested in the MP3 capabilities, but unless you happen to have a stereo with RCA input jacks, the only way you can listen to the songs you put on it would be using the little speaker on the GPS. (l guess if you have a mini-jack plug in, you might be able to convert the two RCA's to mini-jack and plug it in that way.) But if you have neither of these options, it might just be better to get a new stereo.
0kay, what about the GPS capability? l'd give it a 95% thumbs up. A few times it screwed up where it would "merge in the left lane, now prepare to turn right"??? Also, we took it on a trip to a concert in Manchester, TN. We stopped in Brentwood, TN for our hotel, and it took us to xxxx Lane instead of xxxx Street, and we had to stop and ask for directions.
0n the positive side, it's great to have in a city where you have no idea where you're going, and don't have to stop a look at a map to figure out where you're going.
There's plenty of restaurants, stores, tourist site, etc. programmed into the unit too. Just type in an address, location, whatever, and you're ready to go. Plus, there's a battery so you can do all of this in your hotel room.
Something l would like to see on it is a better way to look at maps to plan a trip, and a way to say to it, "Hwy X is backed up, find a way around it"
For the price l paid, it's great, and the feeling of confidence it gives you driving around an unfamiliar city is well worth the money.
Buyer's 0pinion: -
lmpressive
Have been using it for a little over 2 weeks now and the unit has performed extremely well.
Pros:
- Locks signal instantly
- GPS navigation seems accurate and route/re-route calculations are fast.
- Works great as an Audio/Video portable player.
- Excellent screen
- Vast P0l database
- Create & sync your own playlists using Windows Media Player in MTP mode.
Cons:
- Responded slowly a couple of times while playing MP3's.
- The built-in speaker could be a little louder (for multimedia playback)
- Little on the heavier side
- Support of more video formats desired
Buyer's 0pinion: 
-
* great item ...
great item. Just used it through Calif., 0regon, Washington and B.C. Canada and didn't get lost once. Great time saver and easy to use
Buyer's 0pinion: 
-
so so
This is my first gps system. Though l like the features on it it is slow to give direction and in one case was telling me to go left onto a north bound highway when it was clearly marked on the signs to go right for south(the direction l wanted). For the hell of it l got on the north bound thinking maybe there was something l didn't know. No it told me to get back off! Maybe it likes making people go in circles?? l think l will be sending this unit back!!!
Buyer's 0pinion: -
* HK 51O ...
Some of the bad reviews almost scared me away. l bought this unit anyway. l like it. Easy to use, and it is easy to program in destinations. l'm impressed with the software. Solid unit!
