Comments on: Review of Harman Kardon GPS-810

By: CHUCK

CHUCK — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:12:53 +0000

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 THE MAP AT LEAST FOR ME IS OUTDATED AND DOES NOT HAVE ALL ROADS AND CORRECT ROUTE NUMBERS.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.

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:53:15 +0000

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.

By: alexvirgil

alexvirgil — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:02:26 +0000

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

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 23:25:45 +0000

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.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 18:01:20 +0000

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).

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:29:05 +0000

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.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:17:17 +0000

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...

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:24:56 +0000

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.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:54:28 +0000

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.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 05:34:41 +0000

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.