$99.95 Harman Kardon GPS 300 Portable Automotive GPS with Autorouting and MP3 Player

[Kamloops]

Seems like a good deal.
http://www.gpscity.ca/item-harman-kardon-gps-300-and-mp3-player/gps300hk.html

$99.95
List Price: $200.00
You Save: $100.05 (50%)
Price shown in CAD currency

Pre-Order!
Availability: Not Yet Released
Expected: 3 to 5 days
Pre-order Now! Orders will be filled in the order received. You can cancel at anytime before your order ships.

This item is Factory New, and has a 1 Year Warranty

http://www.gpscity.ca/g/gps/l/g/gps300hk.jpg

[Amuse]

Is this gps any good? reviews?
this site any good?

[T3rry]

http://www.gpsreview.net/harman-kardon-gps-300/

No TTS, big turn off for me :/

uses teleatlas, that's tomtom maps... kinda a bit of a negative there, navteq is better for N/A, that;'s what garmin uses.

[felixdd]

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/GPS_City

Reviews on the unit are mixed and not sparkling. I think I'll pass

[daffod]

well i wont go on brand name here i have tested atleast 40 gps so far and this cant be 41st for sure.

[mong]

I didn't know harman kardon made gps systems. I wonder if their product is any good...

[Kamloops]

I have ordered from this company before and all good. I dont know anything about this GPS. I just figured since it is a harman-kardon it would be decent.

[sk1nnywallet]

What do you guys want for $99?
It has a 4" screen and plays mp3s

Reviews
http://www.gpsreview.net/harman-kardon-gps-300/

These guys say it is SirfStar III
http://www.clubic.com/shopping-234622-0-harman-kardon-gps-300-europe.html

[marcopolo85]

for $99 bucks i think its a pretty good fathers day gift which will be comming up soon.

[microserf]

Anyone knows what is the operating system on this unit. Is it WinCE or WinMobile 5? If it is either ones it can be hacked by using other kind of GPS program such IG4, IGO8...etc. Thanks

[SKIDS]

This seems like a pretty good deal to me. The reviews have MSRP's of 199 and up.

[xpat]

I didn't know harman kardon made gps systems. I wonder if their product is any good...
It's probably not built by HK, just rebranded and tweaked a little as per their request... example, the HK universal remotes are actually made by Logitech Harmony.

[BoxsterS]

PRODUCT FEATURES

* 4'' Widescreen (480x272) Touch Screen Display
* High-speed 2D/3D Navigation
* MP3/WMA Audio Format Compatible
* Features Turn-by-turn Maps & Spoken Driving Directions
* Specifies Quickest Highway or Non-toll Routes
* Fast Route Recalculation in the Event of Detours or Wrong Turns
* Secure Digital Card card Slot Supports Up To 4 GB
* Preloaded Maps Of Us & Canada, Featuring Restaurants, Gas Stations
* Includes Battery, Carry Case, Windshield Mounting Bracket & Car Charger
* Paper foldout map of North America (just in case)

[artekds]

Thanks OP Ordered

[jtcb]

How is this compared to the Garmin brand?

[BinaryJay]

I don't know why they bother rebranding stuff like this.

For sure, it's some cheap chinese brand with a Harman name on it. Since when were they known for GPS?

[scholar]

anyone wanna help me make a decision? to buy or not to buy?

[TeriyakiJack]

anyone wanna help me make a decision? to buy or not to buy?

I flipped a coin for you. The verdict is to buy. :D

[hpidc2]

I don't know why they bother rebranding stuff like this.

For sure, it's some cheap chinese brand with a Harman name on it. Since when were they known for GPS?

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-bftOR8l0Lqd/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?a=&s=0&cc=07&i=108TPROR

[Deckard]

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-bftOR8l0Lqd/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?a=&s=0&cc=07&i=108TPROR

What is the significance of this post?

[[H]ackerK]

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-bftOR8l0Lqd/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?a=&s=0&cc=07&i=108TPROR

http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2002/108/h108TPROR-fp.jpg

WTH?! OK. HK does carry GPS of some sort, but I am not getting this ugly POC.

[junglistic]

few searches and couldnt find this info.

does this have an "audio out" port, ie: headphone jack. I understand it has a speaker, but my car has an aux in, and it would be nice to have the voice come thru the speakers.

also, does it support playing music while driving? like can you minimize the music dialog, and continue the navigation

EDIT:

Found the info, yes to both questions.

[optimum]

I need an mp3 player, is this good?

[torontodragon]

From Harman Kardon (http://www.harmankardon.com/product_detail.aspx?Region=EUROPE&Country=UA&Language=ENG&cat=&prod=GPS-300WE&sType=C)

http://www.harmanaudio.com/images/products/GPS-300WE.jpg

[Aske001]

I didn't know harman kardon made gps systems. I wonder if their product is any good...

Of course HK doesn't make GPS systems. Nor does Pioneer, Alpine etc.

These are commodity items. You take a generic PDA chassis with an ARM microprocessor running WinCE, add a SiRFStar III GPS chipset, an OEM nav program from an outfit like iGo, and a map database from Navteq or TeleAtlas, and presto! one custom-branded GPS. The challenge is only to figure out which nav program they are running, and what vintage of map database they are using. This one looks like iGo 2006 Plus from what's showing on the screen, which probably means TeleAtlas maps - no clue what vintage though. You also need to ask what HK's map update policy is - nobody should buy a GPS nav system without knowing that.

[sallydog]

Good price, just ordered one. I don't think it has a picture viewer, maybe there is a hack for that. Here is the link to look at the owners manual.

http://manuals.harman.com/HK/CAR/Owner%27s%20Manual/om_gps200_300_english.pdf

KR:)

[Aske001]

HK Support: http://www.harmankardon.com/product_support/support_detail.aspx?Region=USA&Country=US&Language=ENG&cat=&prod=GPS-500&sjump=&#active

HK has stopped selling GPS products according to their web site, and the reports from past customers regarding map updates are not good: they got vague promises from HK, but no delivery. There's a software update listed on the above web site, but no details. Looks like the product is likely to be abandoned with no future map updates.

Also it has a 324 MHz ARM processor, which is slower than the 400 MHz processor in competing models even though it has a higher screen resolution to deal with, so screen response is likely to be a bit sluggish.

[sallydog]

Hi, here is the link for the software update. I don't know if it is maps or software as I just ordered the gps and have not received it yet...

http://www.harmankardon.com/product_support/ProductUpgrades.aspx?prod=GPS-300NA&prodname=GPS-300NA&Country=CA&Language=ENG&Region=USA#

[climacus]

Depends on what you use the GPS for. If you want up to date maps and business database, Garmin and TomTom are a much safer bet. My Garmin came with an old 2005 database that was missing a whole bunch of new Tim Hortons locations. The 2008 database update fixed the problem.

[Deckard]

Thanks OP, I ordered one, you really can't beat it for the price and it looks so damn good! :D

[AndrewRFD]

Posted, thanks.

[FacistCop]

Thanks OP, ordered.

BTW, you can do local pickup in Calgary (no shipping charge).

[stevethewheel]

Depends on what you use the GPS for. My Garmin came with an old 2005 database that was missing a whole bunch of new Tim Hortons locations.

Best reason I've ever heard for getting a GPS.

[laptop-tech]

already soldout...

[spong]

Ordered last night. Can't wait to receive it. Thanks OPS

[theshowman]

I ordered on the 12th and the order status still says backordered. Anyone else has a more promising status?

[leseuldaniel]

No, same here. Backordered. I hope they will eventually ship.

[FacistCop]

Also backordered. I ordered on the 13th.

Hopefully what they mean by "backordered" is that they are waiting for it as part of the shipment that they were expecting 3-5 days from when we ordered.

[innacana]

the deal is back again @ gpscity, but its a pre-order

[innacana]

is there any Tech-gig, who can compare this Harman Kardon gps with the other Megallan 3210 gps, which is on deal at TSCC? Both are $99 and available now. If one can compare and mention pros/cons, would help all the RFDers..thanks in advance

[Bastich]

Thanks for the update. Anyone have a coupon code?
:cool:

[awais]

has anyone received the gps yet?

[wanton007]

My friend has the HK GPS and I have the Magellan from TSCC.

The HK has a nice wide screen and a built in media player. The Magellan foot print is smaller and can be hacked for media player.

Both don't have TTS, but I've read that the Magellan can also be hacked for TTS. Not sure about the HK.

Stock UI wise, I'd say that HK has a better UI. The Magellan one requires me to know the actual municipality of the street I'm looking for. For example, if I'm looking for an address in Saanich (municipilaty in Victoria BC), I need to type the city as Saanich and NOT Victoria. From what I remember of the HK, this isn't required. You can type in Victoria as the city name and still be able type in the address and it will find it. Could be a big deal if you go to a large US city and don't know the actual city of the address (ie. Pasadena vs Los Angeles).

The HK needs a firmware update (which I believe is available now). There were times when we were using it and it would show our position driving in the field completely parallel to the road that we were actually on. Not a biggie as it does fix itself in a period of time but annoying nonetheless.

I found the HK to be able track satellites quicker than the Magellan. Magellan from cold takes me roughly 5-6 minutes to track. Fortunately, it does give you turn by turn instructions in a different screen until it's tracked the satellite and can give actual voice directions. Re-calcs on both are pretty good but I'd give the edge to Magellan.

My friend said that the HK mount is weak and requires it to be permanently mounted to a vehicle (I can't confirm this). Magellan mount is movable from vehicle to vehicle. I have a suspicion that the HK one is movable from vehicle to vehicle as well. He shares his with his sister, and I have a feeling she used the double sided tape to secure it to her vehicle so when she lent it to us, she just gave us the unit and the cables.


After using both, I'd stick with the Magellan because of the following:
- smaller footprint (easy to store in vehicle)
- hackable for media and TTS
- Navteq maps (can't remember what HK uses)
- map update coming out this year :)
- AAA reviews on a lot of restuarants and hotels on the GPS unit.

But for $99 for both, they're both going to be pretty decent devices...

[theshowman]

The order status for mine still says:
Date Ordered: 2008-05-12 18:40:14
Current Status: BACKORDER
Comment: Waiting on: 1-gps300hk

has anyone received the gps yet?

[kleptodathief]

haha another 100 gps unit! i think that is the hot price where everyone jumps in on it.... EVEN sony has gps units now...looks good from the magz


anyone know if this harmon unit is hackable to puton other software?

im sure its running either winCE 4.0 or 5.0 o/s

[bug]

Sold out

[pham]

still backordered.

[theshowman]

I think this baby is hackable.
Googling around didn't lead to anything, but maybe because there are not that many units sold.
I have looked at the firmware upgrade that HK has and I think I can find a way into it. If GPSCity.ca does actually ship the unit, then I'll know for sure ;)





anyone know if this harmon unit is hackable to puton other software?

im sure its running either winCE 4.0 or 5.0 o/s

[theshowman]

Wow, just checked the status again and it seems to be shipping soon:

Current Status: PICKING
Comment: Credit card charge approved - released to shipping

[FacistCop]

Mine still says back ordered, but on the product page (http://www.gpscity.ca/item-harman-kardon-gps-300-and-mp3-player/gps300hk.html) it says they are in stock and shipping next business day. Probably they are working their way through the orders.

They also increased the price to $130.

[spong]

Just got an email saying that my GPS is on the way using Snail Mail (Canada Post)

[Deckard]

My order still shows BACKORDERED

[pham]

Thank you for your GPS City Canada order #xxxxxxxxx, dated 2008-05-12 23:31:28.

We would like to advise you that we have shipped your order on 2008-05-22.

The order was shipped using Purolator service.

Finally!

[awais]

mines still backordered as well..

[stevehume]

Email reply I got today. They are shipping ALL the backordered units today and tomorrow.


Dear Steve Hume:
Thank you for your email. We will be shipping these units today and tomorrow.
Thank you for your patience!
Best Regards, George, Customer Service Rep
GPSCITY.CA The Original Canadian Online GPS Superstore!
Phone: 403.735.0780Fax: 403.735.0785
Website: http://www.gpscity.caOrder Status:

[Deckard]

Left Calgary via Purolator yesterday night, Excellent! :cheesygri

[awais]

mines been shipped as well..

[FacistCop]

I got mine (local pickup). I used it to navigate my way back from the gps store :) . It seems to work fine.

I'm installing the firmware update now.

[stevehume]

Anyone else have a problem with the firmware? i tried to download and it was only 122bytes in a zip file and wouldnt open.
???

[FacistCop]

Anyone else have a problem with the firmware? i tried to download and it was only 122bytes in a zip file and wouldnt open.
???

Looks like something is wrong with their website. Luckily, I downloaded the update last week in preparation. I uploaded it here (http://www.mediafire.com/?dknnbynssjz)for anyone who needs it.

[stevehume]

thank you... much appreciated!

[hotnsmoken]

I think this baby is hackable.
Googling around didn't lead to anything, but maybe because there are not that many units sold.
I have looked at the firmware upgrade that HK has and I think I can find a way into it. If GPSCity.ca does actually ship the unit, then I'll know for sure ;)

Please update us if you find a hack. I've been looking non-stop for days but to no avail.

[awais]

mine shoudl be here today.. it says item out for delivery!! FINALLY!

[Deckard]

Mine was on the truck, they attempted delivery at 11 am, no one home, damn! :mad:

[sallydog]

Well, I thought it came with a AC adapter, buy I must have missed that point. Just charging it up now, though have to use the cig plug...
Let you know...

[pham]

finally got it today!
update went fine. maps kinda outdated... my address doesn't exist on this unit (8y/o subdivision).
hope someone is able to find a hack, yea its windows ce 5.0

[sallydog]

Tried the update on my vista machine, would not do it. Tried it on my xp notebook and worked fine. I only difference i see is the sound menu item. :|

[awais]

how long did it take u guys to get a signal from this thing?

[Deckard]

Picked up mine up from the Purolator depot last night.

Update worked fine on my vista PC.

My serial number is all ZEROS after the update not sure what it was before the update, anyone else notice this?

Signal was actually quite fast and it still works inside my house. My older Blue Tooth wireless GPS unit never received a signal in the house.

[awais]

mines a bit weird.. it doesnt catch the signal until i physically place my finger on top of the antenna.. and as soon as i let go it looses the signal? it doesnt make sense.. im gonna return mine..

[pham]

mine is able to pick up a signal quickly outdoors. Indoors takes time especially when this unit is turned on from inside the house (iam in the basement).

updated on XP bootcamp on my mbp.
followed instructions meticulously, serial number shows correctly and all.

[spong]

I received my shippment yesterday. I will try that on Saturday. Thanks for all the good tips posting on this thread

[hotnsmoken]

I was a bit disappointed. When I entered my home address it showed my house on the opposite side of the street! I tried the update in Vista and crapped out. In XP the update worked fine.

It’s a bit handicapped not being able to fluently add POI’s. It has the ability to give you address just by touching the screen in map mode but you can’t save it in the system! I guess the round about way is to then enter the address in navigation mode. Cancel the navigation, then look at your recently selected choices and then save to favourites…very silly. I have read it is possible to add POI databases such as Red Light Cameras etc.

I really liked the way you chose an address. It automatically reduces the letters left to type when entering a city or street by comparing what you have typed so far to the database of possibilities. This makes typing much faster. This was the only feature to beat my Garmin C320 in usability. My Garmin smoked it in every other way minus the larger Screen.

I played around a bit with the MP3 functions and it looked rather basic but competent.

The weakest part of the GPS is the old map datum. What good is a GPS when you have old Maps, even worse, old maps you can’t update!

Harmon Kardon’s horrid website for their GPS systems doesn’t leave me with much confidence that they will be releasing any new Maps soon, or anything slightly resembling Support.

Having said all that, I think I’m going to keep it in hopes that Harman Kardon provides a future map update. Best of all, someone figures out a hack to change Map providers. This unit has a lot of potential.

[awais]

maybe i just got a defective unit.. the only wait it works is if i place my finger on top of the antenna.. :S.. otherwise it never catches a signal and as soon as i move my finger it looses the signal.. yea im gonna return this crap for sure.. not worth even 100 bucks.. atleast for me.. i cant drive around with my finger on the antenna.. :S

[marketb]

Got my unit today! Plugged in and everything worked. Got a signal within 5 secs, a lot faster than TomTom.

Why dont they ship a wall charger just sucks.

Oh well, anyhow it turned on by itself when I plugged in and turned on my car.

http://www.harmankardon.com/product_...NG&Region=USA#

[sallydog]

Fully charged it for the second time on thurs. Used it for 1/2 on Friday. Would not start on return trip Sunday morning, with dead battery, and yes I turned it off when not using it. Can these be returned? Is there a restocking fee?
>:(

[FacistCop]

Fully charged it for the second time on thurs. Used it for 1/2 on Friday. Would not start on return trip Sunday morning, with dead battery, and yes I turned it off when not using it. Can these be returned? Is there a restocking fee?
>:(I'm sure you can return it if it's defective... But are you sure it is? The battery is only rated at 5 hours (I don't know if you used it for 1/2 a day or 1/2 an hour). Also, does it work with the car adapter plugged in?

[sallydog]

Yes I meant 1/2 hour on Friday.

[awais]

Yea some of these units are defective.. mine was defective as well.. i called them up for an exchange.. if ur exchanging it than they dont charge u a restocking fee.. but i think if you are returning it, they will charge the fee as they think you are returning it just cuz u didnt like it.. but if its an excahnge cuz its defective than they dont charge you but .. they still make you pay for shipping it to them.. they dont cover that.. even though that doesnt make sense.. if they send me 10 defective units one after another.. ill pretty much spend another 110 bux to ship each one back?? which is gay.. its their fault that they send a defective unit so i think theys hould cover the shipping charges but they dont ..

[spong]

I'm sure you can return it if it's defective... But are you sure it is? The battery is only rated at 5 hours (I don't know if you used it for 1/2 a day or 1/2 an hour). Also, does it work with the car adapter plugged in?

Also the brightness of the screen will have a lot to do with the battery life. I don't know whether their 5-hour rating is tested under the beightest condition (doubful) or the dimest condition (very likely). If you are concern about the battery consumption, try to reduce the brightness of the screen and see whether that extends your battery life

[awais]

either way it should be more than half an hour regardless

[bug]

This unit is on sale for $99.99 from Tigerdirect.ca today only as the deal of the day.

[bargain man]

i ordered it from tigerdirect.ca for $100
hope it will cum fast:cheesygri

[bargain man]

ordered on mon got on wed. gps is nice but some parts of the city are out of date hop they release map updates

[FacistCop]

If anyone is interested, this gps runs windows ce 5 and can be fully unlocked to run whatever software you want.

See here:
http://maxromblog.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!3FE9A9309C32CFA4!127.entry?sa=970657057

[Bastich]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but does anyone know where to get a replacement windshield mount for this unit? Or maybe a quality universal mount that works well with this specific model?

Thanks!
:cool: