Review of the Popular Harman Kardon "Guide + Play" Model: GPS-300

Harman Kardon which can be found in the likes of BMW's and other luxury arenas are typically thought of as manufacturers of top of the line sound systems. Now they're expanding their brand into the mobile GPS market with their new series of handheld devices. Their "Guide + Play" GPS series has two offerings; one is what would be considered a budget entry and the other a more feature filled mid range entry. In this review I have my hands on the Harman Kardon GPS-300. This is their less expensive entry level model. I'm going to let you know what it can do and what type of consumer will get the most out of owning one of these devices.

They are marketing this as an all in one entertainment and on the go one touch navigation system. These devices come with preloaded US, and Canada maps, and uses USB to sync to your PC. It actually runs on a 300mhz dual core processor so it is a little more powerful than your typical GPS device. The first thing you notice is the 4" screen which runs at a resolution of 480x272 and is fairly crisp. The touch screen is accurate and the software is intuitive, you probably won't even need to crack the instruction booklet, if you do however it is well written and most importantly in English. The device is multilingual however with the ability to issue its turn by turn directions in Spanish, French, and English. The mapping options are standard with the ability to avoid toll roads, find the fastest route etc. It has a very quick route update if you miss the occasional turn. This device also comes preloaded with a number of points of interest ("POI"). I'm not sure how many they have preinstalled it's not published in their literature.

The GPS accepts SD cards and plays WMA's and MP3's which can be loaded via the USB connection or of course via the SD memory. It will display album art and you have the option to search via song title, artist, etc.

The size is great at just 7oz and dimensions of 4.6" x 3" x .75". Overall it is currently being offered at $179.99 and is a good deal at that price point. I have a feeling it will be going up after this sale though. I wouldn't want to pay much more than $200.00 for this device, aside from the MP3 abilities and the Harman Kardon name it really doesn't set itself aside from other devices for me. I do like how they've included the Canadian maps. That is a nice perk in my opinion.