Review of Harman Kardon GPS-810
Primarily known for high end automobile car audio products, Harman Kardon entered GPS navigation unit market with three navigation units GPS 310, GPS 510, and GPS 810. Like other GPS navigation unit makers, Harman Kardon has the basic, mainstream, and high end models. The GPS 810 represents the top end model that includes Bluetooth, text-to-speech, real-time traffic, and media playback function.
Screen
The GPS-810 comes with 4.3 inch touchscreen with native resolution of 480 x 272. The screen was legible in any light condition including bright day time driving condition. There were some glare problem but not to the point of having to shade the screen to read it properly. The 4.3 inch screen size provides more than enough room to display routes clearly without having to sacrifice details.
Ease of use
The GPS-810 has very intuitive interface. Equipped with auto complete feature, inputting destination address is fairly easy. When you start typing in the name of the street, it will display most likely street name you are looking for. The main menu is not cluttered with numerous items. You have four options to start with and you can return to main menu via home button. Harman Kardon has done a great job simplifying the user interface. The included wireless remote knob is nice little addition to the unit. It is very easy to use and very intuitive in the way it interacts with the unit.
Reliability
The most important aspect of any GPS navigation unit is its accuracy. Most GPS navigation units provide fairly accurate routes and directions. Harman Kardon is no different. Tested with three different address inputs, the GPS-810 provided accurate route and driving direction. The Points of Interest destination was no different. There were some problem with route recalculation when I missed some turns on purpose. Instead of rerouting via most logical path, it simply asked to make U turns. This is not big problem as long as you get to your destination. But, missing an exit or turn pike could lead to some trouble.
Battery Life
The stated battery life of 4 hours was no where near the real life usage of around 2 to 3 hours. This might not be an issue if you plan to use it with car charger at all times. However, the media player playback and internal battery might entice some people to double as media player or share it with another vehicle. Using it as a video player quickly drained the battery from full to empty in one hours or so.
Features
GPS-810 is a feature laden unit. The unit is capable of receiving live traffic update right out of the box via Traffic Message Channel. You need to make sure you are in the area that is covered by Traffic Message Channel to receive traffic updates. The built in FM transmitter allows you to use your car stereo to listen to music or navigation prompts. The voices came through clean without distortion in my vehicle. The text-to-speech was pretty accurate with the street name pronunciation. Some units have very unnatural pronunciation which can be source of confusion and irritation. As with most other premium GPS navigation units, GPS-810 comes with Bluetooth connectivity for hands free calling. The media playback feature is limited to the medias encoded in AAC, MP3, WMA, WMV, and MPEG-4. Make sure your files are converted to these formats for propel playback. As of this review, there were no updates available for map or software updates.
Good features
- Very intuitive user interface
- Useful control knob
- Solid build quality
- Good screen size and crisp display
- Media playback function
- Mostly reliable routing and direction
Bad features
- Horrendous battery life
- No updates available
- Bad reroute calculation
- Some video formats not supported
Want to compare this model to other H.K models? Click here to download Excel spreadsheet.
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This site contains the personal opinions of various authors and contributors to this website. The opinions in these articles and reviews are offered in good faith, but also come with no guarantees or warranties.
THERE IS NO MAP UPDATED FOR THE GPS 810NA. THE MAP AT LEAST FOR ME IS OUTDATED AND DOES NOT HAVE ALL ROADS AND CORRECT ROUTE NUMBERS. I THOUGHT I BOUGHT THE TOP OF THE LINE GPS BUT NO MORE SUPPORT FOR THIS GPS. VERY SAD.
I have 2 of these..but gettin ready to buy a Garmin! These are nice.but NO update are avalible..Dont need this.They do lock up alot,and have to use paperclip to reset GPS..Garmain has a better GPS,and has MPH on the GPS that is really great…This 810 works ok.
please, I and I need the official update for Harman Kardon GPS-510. on the official website no longer exists
or update of the original dvd
thanks
GPS-500NA-1.40U.exe
HORRIBLE
product stopped working after 3 weeks. harmon kardon will not replace it. i’ve had Garmin, Tomtom, mio, and magellin before and will stick with tomtom.
It is a fair GPS unit.
The unit is a fair unit. You cannot expect GPS to know every direction and location. GPS Navigation is a guide for the direction, not perfect. It is fair to say that it dos the job of the navigation possibly 85 to 90% accurate. I do not think none of GPS Navigation unit does the job for 100%. This units comes with the entertainment package as well as the remote. If you are looking for the GPS with Entertainment, this is it. Do not expect the unit is perfect. None of GPS unit is perfect.
Only Cons:
thicker than most GPS Unit (heavy as well)
Battery life is short
time lag for the positioning sometimes
Pros are more than cons. I recommend to the people who does not demand GPS Navigation system to be perfect. If your neighborhood streets are not listed, do not worry because you know the areas. It is workable with this unit for the directions. If you are not good at the directions, probably better off to buy Garmin, Tom Tom or Magellian. But this is still a good unit especially you can get it around $150 (I got it off ebay – remanufactured unit but same warranty).
Pretty sharp unit
I have owned this harman kardon gps for about 6 months, I had a couple of issues with the unit at first, but quickly overcame the problems with a couple of calls to customer support, They were very helpful and gave me the answers I was seeking. The unit at first would not interface with my verizon phone with the names for calls, numbers were no problem. I downloaded the update and now it works perfectly.I would recommend this gps to anyone looking for a unit with all of the extras.
Great when it works
Good Features:
1. Intuitive user interface.
2. Feature packed.
3. Quality Bluetooth (the best BT device in terms of call quality).
4. Excellent dashboard mount (small and sturdy).
Not So Good Features:
1. Battery life (~20 mins on a full charge).
2. Locks up often (learned to keep a paper clip in my key chain to reset it).
3. No way to call a number from the POI database using the Bluetooth connection (big miss).
4. Outdated maps (no new maps available as of this writing). The maps did not have my home address (built in 2001) so I use the address of a neighbor three houses down the street…
In a nutshell, I loved the unit but it frustrated me too many times when I really needed it to perform. I didn’t buy the unit for MP3 playback but it was an added bonus that served me well. Did not use the FM transmitter as I live in a `busy airwaves’ area. Occasionally, the directions made no sense and I ignored them when I knew better. I would have liked to know whether my destination was on the left or right to better prepare for my approach.
I used the 810 in Florida (extensively), South Dakota, California and Washington (extensively). It met my expectations for a GPS device and got me where I needed to go in unfamiliar territory. I have used a Magellan and a Garmin before and this unit was far more feature-rich. I will however retire it due to performance issues likely related to this particular unit. I have a new Garmin Nuvi coming in the mail…
Good but few improvements needed
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
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.
Absolutely Perfect GPS
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.
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
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!
Piece of Junk
Have 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.
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.
Nice but fair
I 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
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.
Works as described, but quirky…
Pros:
- My Motorola Razr V3 Phonebook was uploaded to the 810 without any problems, touch dialing is really nice.
- Navigation screen is large enough and the 3D view is handy, night mode is cool.
- Zooming while in 3D mode is nice to check out surrounding areas
- GPS startup is quick (~10 secs) and interface is intuitive.
- It is one of the nicest looking 4″-5″ GPS units, feels substantial and is finished in graphite.
- I have sync’d several MP3 playlists as described in the user manual using windows Media player. I am able to use the 810 instead of my iPod as needed.
- Navigation is on par with the Eclipse AVN-5510 in our other vehicle
- Many POI’s and map data is up to date within about one year
- I have received personal emails from customer support regarding the availability of the firmware upgraded and external microphone.
- You really can simultaneously have the 810 navigate, listen to music and make phone calls
Cons:
- I am hoping the external phone microphone will be available soon, some people thought I sounded like I was calling from inside a tunnel.
- My Bluetooth and remote issues fixed with firmware update
Overall, for $329 it works as promised and puts navigation in my car for significantly less than the OEM option.