Harman Multimedia Harman Kardon GPS810 Portable Navigation Car GPS Receiver

Pros: - Price/functionality - Display - Separate control knob
Cons: - Location of standby/off switch - Battery life is OK but not great

I purchased this product on impulse at Costco for $300 knowing they have an outstanding returns policy. The build quality is excellent, the display bright and clear and there are numerous user-configurable options like language, voice, brightness etc. ...

Pros: Excellent support located in NY, NOT outsourced over seas! Problem resolution is quick.
Cons: Wireless FM transmitter is useless due to FCC power restrictions.

I purchased the Harman Kardon 810 back in January knowing that HK is the provider of many on board navigation systems in high end cars. This unit was also recommended by a friend who has tried them all and claimed that this unit was the only GPS that would keep up with his driving habits.

I took the 810 on a trip to Key West, FL from NJ. I had no problems with the functionality of the unit at all. My son was able to watch movies and listen to music on the unit. Directions and map functionality were dead on.

Technical Support is provided from Long Island, NY and telephone response time is excellent as is service.

UPDATE:

A new firmware version is available from HK. It was easily downloaded and installed via USB cable. I took this opportunity to perform some of my own modifications to the unit by removing their preloaded sample music and videos and loading it up with some of my own stuff. This can be done very easily in windows explorer with regular mp3 and avi files, no crazy tricks or code. I will explore other modification possibilities to see what's possible.