Harmon Kardon Guide + Play GPS-500

The appeal of the Harmon Kardon Guide + Play GPS-500 is that it comes from a venerable audio products manufacturer and boasts a unique set of multimedia features. No reviewer attempted to explain the value of video playback on a handheld unit, but whether you should use that feature when driving is a dubious proposition. This unit uses Tele Atlas maps, which is a disadvantage, according to the best comparative reviews of Tele Atlas and NAVTEQ map services. Professional and user reviews agree that the Harmon Kardon GPS-500 doesn't provide the best routes, even for short trips. This is a specialty product for people who want a handheld video player, car audio server, and GPS receiver in one package, but we found better reviews for the Garmin n?vi 350 (*est. $300), which costs the same and uses NAVTEQ maps.

The Harmon Kardon Guide + Play GPS-500 is from a company not known for its GPS units, and it has not yet received any thorough reviews. Still, the cumulative information from all the reviews we found paints a consistent picture of this multifunction GPS model. The CNet.com review suggests a couple of similarly priced models with better routing. IGN.com contributes the best navigation testing. The Register Hardware.co.uk review and score add up to the best buying advice. User reviews at Amazon.com are not conclusive.