Kenwood DNX-5120 / DNX-7120 Product Review

Introducing the Kenwood DNX-5120, this in-dash navigation and multimedia receiver is both attractive and versatile in performance. It features a large double DIN 6.1" LCD touchscreen with a disc slot insert right above the monitor.
Display
Let's go over some of its features and I will ensure you that you will not think twice about getting one of these. The first advantage of the unit is the large 6.1" touchscreen. A typical portable navigation device features a screen that is 3.5" to as large as 4.3" touchscreen. The decisive advantage here is the 2" bigger screen than an ordinary portable GPS device. This will allow for greater visibility as well as a more enjoyable media playback, such as DVD playback or image viewing.

Compatibility
This receiver is compatible with most media files that you are probably accustomed to. It will play your favorite DVDs and of course CDs. However, it will also play MP3s and WMAs that you had recently downloaded, but not only that, it is also capable of playing Apple iTune's AAC file formats. The DNX-5120 could even play the much rarer DivX and VCD file formats as well as image viewing of JPEG files.

Audio Features
How would you like to experience home theater in your car? Well now you can! This multimedia receiver is capable of Dolby Digital playback, allowing you to enjoy a surround sound experience with support for a center channel and subwoofer channel outputs.

Expandability Options
Kenwood's DNX-5120 has virtually limitless expandability options as it is Satellite and HD Radio ready, iPod ready, and even Bluetooth ready. It also features a 3.5mm front auxiliary input, allowing users to plug in any device with a headphone jack output. In addition, it has a rear USB and additional RCA audio/video inputs, giving the unit plenty of options for media playback and source expansions.

Navigation Features
The built-in GPS navigation features 6 million points of interest. The internal software is actually Garmin designed, so you can be sure that your navigation will always be accurate and quick to respond.

With the amount of features that the unit has to offer, it would not be surprising to see this double DIN in-dash receiver to be one of the top competitors in its category this year. The bigger Kenwood DNX-7120, features similar functions and compatibility but has a 6.95" (virtually 7") screen rather than the 6.1" touchscreen. The DNX-7120 also fills up the entire face with its touchscreen and has its DVD insert slot hidden behind the screen. ready, iPod ready, and even Bluetooth ready. It also features a 3.5mm front auxiliary input, allowing users to plug in any device with a headphone jack output. In addition, it has a rear USB and additional RCA audio/video inputs, giving the unit plenty of options for media playback and source expansions.

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Harman Kardon GPS-810 Review

This is arguably the crown jewel of portable navigation. Of course, you can't really expect anything less from a top tier company like Harman Kardon. The Harman Kardon GPS-810 features an incredibly thin casing, with a width measuring no more than ¾" thick. With this kind of style, you'll definitely impress your friends with how good your dashboard will look after you mount one of these.

Display Features
It features a very bright and daylight-readable 4.3" LCD display, capable of down-scaling pictures as large as 4096 x 3072 pixels. The built-in GPS system is capable of displaying US, Puerto Rico, and Canada maps without additional mediums such as a disc or a flash card. In addition, it features a blazing fast 532 MHz i.MX31L processor. The combination of the two will give users quick response and calculations from starting point to destination. You can be sure that the unit will also have a fast refresh rate so that you won't see much lag at all when navigating through high speed freeways.

Navigation Features
Whereas typical GPS Navigation have 1 to 6 million points of interest, the GPS-810 features an internal memory that holds over 12 million points of interest. With the vast amount of locations stored internally, you are most likely to find the most current directional and address guides to your favorite landmarks, restaurants, and of course, gas stations. What is amazing is the unit's 16-channel GPS receiver (which is by the way capable of receiving traffic messages). The 16-channel receiver could lock on to 16 different orbital GPS satellites and makes sure that you won't lose reception where ever you are.

Compatibility
This portable unit is also capable of playing music files in AAC, MP3, WMA, WMV, and WMA with WM-DRM10 (Digital Rights Management) format. In addition, it will display album art and you could play music while you're navigating. I know what you may be thinking. You're thinking "why would I want to play music through the small built-in tin-can speakers?" But instead you could use its included FM modulator or its 3.5mm auxiliary output, and you would be able to hear digital quality music through your existing audio system. Moreover, if you insert an SD Card, the unit is capable of file transfers from your computer through the USB connection.

Bluetooth Features
The GPS-810 also features a built-in Bluetooth connection that displays caller ID and call status on the 4.3" LCD display. This will allow you to communicate through either its built-in audio or through your car's audio system with either the FM or auxiliary connection. It could even synchronize your cell phone's phonebook and will display any contact information on the screen for easy-to-navigation access.

Wireless Remote
To top it all off, the Harman Kardon GPS-810 includes a wireless remote. This is my favorite feature because it does not force me to lean over or reach forward to access the unit. Instead it's sensitive and easy-to-use remote is very familiar to use and could even be mounted anywhere it is convenient for you such as the center console or your door-side arm rest console.

With such great features, this Harman Kardon unit stands as one of the best GPS portable navigation unit as of first quarter 2008. It's going to be tough finding similarly featured as well as similarly performing competitors, especially with a price tag of less than $400, this premium quality navigation unit. It's worth every penny and you won't ever regret your purchase!

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