Dash Diary: Testing Out New Features
July 17th, 2008 by Troy Dreier
Editor’s Note: One of the main features of the Dash Express GPS navigator, which we reviewed in March, is that it is the first plug-in navigator with an always-on cellular connection to the Internet. This lets you conduct live Yahoo searches for destinations, but, more importantly, it lets you receive live traffic data from other Dash-using drivers. Here is a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH9f2zUXct0) showing how it works.
One nice thing about being a Dash subscriber, besides getting current traffic conditions for most of the major roads in your area, is the free updates. The company recently released its first major software update for the Dash Express, so if you’re a subscriber and your Dash is connected to your home Wi-Fi network, you can get several important new features at no extra cost. I took the Dash on a weekend trip to New Hope, Pennsylvania, and here’s what I thought about the improvements:
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Hands-On With the Dash Express
March 26th, 2008 by Joanna Stern
For GPS fanatics or even just the average driver, March 27 is a big day. The rehearsals are over and Dash Navigation’s Dash Express is ready for showtime. The device—the first Internet-connected GPS unit designed to deliver the most up-to-date traffic data to consumers—begins shipping today on Amazon.com for $399. For this price, the Dash comes with a three-month trial, followed by a monthly cost as low as $9.99 for the cellular connections.
We’ve been waiting to try out the Dash since International CES 2007. GPS devices have been flooding the market since then. So what exactly have we been waiting for? The answer is that the Dash is unlike the Garmins and TomToms of the navigation world. Every Dash Express on the road connects to the Internet using a Wi-Fi or cellular connection.
When it has a Wi-Fi connection, the Dash searches for larger downloads, such as maps. When it has a cellular GPRS connection, the Dash gets traffic feeds and sends traffic reports back to the service (which Dash calls TruTraffic). The result is almost instantaneous: If you’re cruising down the highway and you suddenly hit a traffic jam, the Express will tell you how long your delay is expected to be, based on how quickly other cars with the Dash are moving through it.
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