Another new entry at this year’s CES was the Harman Kardon Guide + Play(TM) GPS-500. I may be a bit biased over this since Harman Kardon is one of my favorite brands but this looks like a strong entry in the GPS market. Obviously the Guide + Play as the name suggests is not just a plain GPS unit but also has multimedia capabilities (like almost all the latest GPS units). According to the announcement the GPS-500 will integrate seamlessly these two functions (Navigation and Multimedia) so that the user will be able to hear important navigational instructions even when the device plays music. The interface as you can see (click the thumbnail for a larger view) is touchscreen driven. The unit features a 4-inch widescreen WQVGA LCD with a resolution of 480 x 272-pixels. Other features of the GPS-500 include, support for multiple multimedia formats including MP3, MP4, WMA, ASF, WAV and OGG, 2GB of internal flash memory, up to 4GB optional external SD card flash memory, and a USB 2.0 high-speed interface. It is expected to start shipping this March with a suggested price of $499.95.

Press Release