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Turn-by-turn
graphics with all vital information is
displayed and Maps of U.S. and Canada are
built-in along with full point of interest
database. The full blown MP3 player offers
browsing by artist, album, genre, song or
play list will display ID3 tags for Artist,
title and album along with album artwork.
MP3 / AAC/WMA audio formats are supported.
In video player mode, the 4" high resolution
WQVGA wide screen plays back hours of video
and supports MPEG4 and WMV9 video formats.
Creating a device
that does more than one or two things well
has proved elusive for device manufacturers.
So-called "convergence" devices--devices
that provide multimedia, communication, and
navigation functions, for instance--are just
beginning to mature into products worth
buying. One such product is the Harman
Kardon GPS-500, which pulls an admirable hat
trick by combining above average music and
video playback with a top notch GPS
navigation experience.
Navigation, Music
and Movies on One Device
Granted, you don't
get some top shelf features like Bluetooth
integration, text-to-speech address
announcements, or wireless traffic reports,
but Harman Kardon has wisely stuck with
basics and polished them into an experience
that, apart from a few software problems we
encountered on our pre-production model,
doesn't fail to disappoint.
Navigation
The main purpose
of any car GPS device is to take you
reliably from point A to B. Here the GPS-500
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.
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Use the unit's touch
screen to enter address
locations.
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Once 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.
If you take a wrong
turn or need to use
a detour, the
GPS-500 will
automatically
re-route you and get
you back on your
way.
And how did the
GPS-500 perform out on the road? In a word,
admirably. Apart from a few lags and
interface hiccups that (we hope) can be
attributed to our pre-production software,
the responsiveness of the device, combined
with the excellent user interface, are what
make it a joy to use. Add that to extremely
fast and accurate GPS signal processing, and
you've got a recipe for navigation nirvana.
In most cases, the device decided on logical
and efficient routes, too--something that
can't be said of all GPS devices out there.
This is likely the result of using accurate
and up-to-date mapping data.
Multimedia
The
GPS-500
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. It'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 AVI 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
AVI file encoded in the DIVX format.
Attempting to play the file freaked the
GPS-500 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 DIVX-encoded
AVI instead of an MPEG-4 AVI. 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-500,
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-500.
Lastly, battery life when playing back
videos was surprisingly good. After a
two-hour movie the GPS-500 was only down to
a 40 percent charge.
Design
The GPS-500 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-500 are enhanced
by a complete lack of buttons; all
interaction with the device happens between
the touchscreen and your finger. In 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.
 Setup
and Interface
Setup is as easy as turning the device on,
since it comes loaded with maps of the U.S.
and Canada. On first bootup, choose from
English, Spanish, or French language options
for the spoken directions and interface
menus
Interacting with the GPS-500'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. Instead of drilling down
through lists of icons, all of the GPS-500'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. It'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. One
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.
The GPS-500 provides audible commands for
turns, which is very useful for anticipating
upcoming maneuvers. As mentioned, though,
the device does not provide text-to-speech
capabilities for reading the names of
locations or upcoming addresses.
What's in the Box
GPS-500, car charger, wall charger, USB
cable, fold-flat mounting bracket, plastic
disc for dash mount, adhesive pad for
plastic disc, alcohol cleaning pad for dash
surface, quick-start guide, and carrying
case.
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