Harmon Kardon Guide + Play GPS-500 Review

What the reviewers like:
The versatility of the Harmon Kardon Guide + Play GPS-500 is its major asset: It is the first GPS unit to play all types of audio files as well as video files. You can play media from an SD card (not included). The display is easy on the eyes. Some reviewers think navigation is good, or at least satisfactory. Sound quality is good if you don’t use the built-in speakers. Battery life is good and the unit is easy to use (but some say the manual is inadequate).

What the reviewers don't like:
Routing is criticized in reviews. Even the reviewers who conducted minimal road testing found that the Harmon Kardon Guide + Play GPS-500 failed to provide the fastest routes. Critics say that video quality is OK, but sound quality is disappointing in context of Harmon Kardon’s reputation --other GPS/audio players have better sound. MP3s occasionally stalled during playback, too. The GPS-500 doesn't have text-to-speech functionality. When first turned on, the Harmon Kardon takes a long time to receive a GPS lock. Reviewers say the price is out of line with performance.

Harmon Kardon Guide + Play GPS-500 review highlights

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.

Also see full report: Auto GPS

*In order of credibility (see our Ratings Criteria).

1. CNet.com
Harman Kardon Guide Play GPS-500
Bonnie Cha
12-Jul-07

CNet’s testing methodology is brief and normally inconclusive. Yet, in this case it was sufficient to tell Bonnie Cha that a couple of competing products provide better routing. Cha says that headphones are required for decent audio. For a car unit, even the suggestion of headphone use is a safety problem.

2. RegHardware.co.uk (The Register)
Harman Kardon Guide+Play GPS-500
Will Head
11-Jul-07

Register Hardware provides an adequate review of the Harman Kardon Guide + Play GPS-500, but testing and documentation are limited. The review also makes no comparisons. This is odd, because Register Hardware regularly reviews multifunction GPS devices, and shouldn’t consider this model unique. However, the fact that the Harman Kardon Guide+Play GPS-500 earns the lowest score of any GPS unit reviewed by Register Hardware may be all you need to know.

3. IGN.com
Review: Harmon/Kardon GPS-500
Justin Kaehler
26-Jul-07

This review offers an entertaining description of the Harman Kardon Guide + Play GPS-500’s routing, then dismisses the unit’s failure to provide the best routing as an annoyance because “the GPS-500 will get you where you want to go, and that does count for something.” If the reviewer had familiarity with other car GPS units, he would know better.

4. PC World
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Harman/Kardon Guide + Play GPS-500 Review
Dennis O'Reilly
19-Jun-07

PC World contributes a cursory review of the Harman Kardon Guide + Play GPS-500. Testing is not described and only a paragraph is devoted to navigation. The review makes a couple of valuable criticisms, but has little else to offer. PC World awards this model a very good score, but readers can only guess how much of the score derives from media features and performance.

5. The Guardian
Harman Kardon GPS-500 Review
Ashley Norris
Aug. 23 2007

U.K. newspaper The Guardian provides a very brief review of the Harman Kardon Guide + Play GPS-500. Testing is not mentioned and performance is not described. Evaluation may have been limited to playing with the unit in The Guardian’s office.

6. Amazon.com
Harmon Kardon Guide + Play GPS-500 Reviews
Contributors to Amazon.com

Amazon.com is the best place to read user reviews of auto GPS units, but there are far fewer comments here for the Harmon Kardon auto GPS than for other models. Only about two dozen owners contribute to its middling score.

Also see full report: Auto GPS

Harmon Kardon Guide + Play GPS-500 Review