Audio manufacturer Harman Kardon is expanding its line of car electronics with the GPS-300 Guide + Play. Much like Mio’s recently introduced C520, Harman Kardon’s GPS-300 finds its niche by offering both GPS navigation and digital media playback in one device.
Harman Kardon introduced the GPS-300 as a budget-conscious alternative to its big brother, the GPS-500. “Early response to our recently-introduced Harman Kardon GPS-500, the first portable navigation device to incorporate a consumer-friendly digital audio and video player, has been very enthusiastic,” the company’s press release states. “With the GPS-300, customers who want full-coverage GPS navigation without a full-fledged video player can now get the high-speed performance, superior ease-of-use, and four-inch widescreen graphic display of the GPS-500 at the breakthrough price of $299.99.”
The GPS-300 features a 4” WQVGA (480 x 272-pixel) LCD touch screen to make maps clear and easy to navigate, and includes a ball and socket mount to put the device within view of the driver. All the standard GPS features are present, including spoken turn-by-turn directions, and built-in points of interest like restaurants, coffee shops and bookstores.
Users can add media to the device’s 2GB of internal memory via a USB 2.0 connection, or expand its capacity by an additional 4GB with the external mini SD card slot. Playing music won’t interrupt the navigation system, and if spoken directions are turned on, they will receive volume priority over the tunes. Battery life should be five hours, according to Harmon Kardon, and users can recharge it via USB or with an included cigarette-lighter cable.
The GPS-300 will hit stores in June, while the pricier GPS-500 is already available.
