Dash Express
Get ready for the next generation of GPS. Thanks to strong demand and vigorous competition, GPS devices have become standard accessories in cars across the nation. But they’re all looking a little less useful today now that the Dash Express (see our hands-on video) is here, offering something none of them do: a permanent, always-on Internet connection that brings the information superhighway straight to your car. Just as Web 2.0 was all about social networking, GPS 2.0 uses the same principle; by gathering and sharing real-time traffic data between all Dash Express units, it makes each one more useful than any GPS device that came before it.
Take a look at the Dash Express and you’ll first notice its large size. It measures 4.8 x 4.1 x 2.8 inches and weighs 13.3 ounces, and has a curved, upside-down “L” shape, as the top extends back from the device. The reason for the extra weight and the odd shape is that the Dash doesn’t contain just a GPS receiver, like other navigators; it has a SIRFstarIII GPS chip, a Wi-Fi antenna, and a cellular GPRS antenna. And it comes with a mount that makes it easy to attach.
Those extra connections ensure that the Dash is always connected to the Internet wherever you drive. Connect the Dash to your home or office Wi-Fi network to download free software updates quickly (we found three waiting for us when we first powered the device on). The Dash initiates its own cellular connection when you power it on (using data-only service with Jasper Wireless), so that it can download current traffic information and enable Yahoo searches. Users get three months of free service. After that, a cellular connection costs $9.99 per month with a two-year contract, $10.99 per month with a one-year contract, or $12.99 month-to-month. Plan on signing up, because an active connection is essential to get the Dash’s benefits.
Lots of GPS navigators can receive traffic information from signals broadcast over FM radio, but the Dash is the only one that pulls data from other Dash-equipped cars on the road. That’s because the Dash doesn’t just receive traffic information, it also sends information. As you drive with the Dash, it uploads information so that your data can help other users. The more Dash units are sold, the more users benefit with better traffic data.
Simple Controls
The Dash Express offers a simplified interface that’s easy to use on the road. There are two touch buttons above the 4.3-inch screen, one for volume and one that toggles between the menu and the map view. Read the slim manual for usage tips, such as tapping the volume button twice to mute the sound. A power button on the right side puts the unit in standby or shuts it off, depending on how long you hold it. The screen offers poor glare protection. We had to turn the brightness all the way up to see it clearly in sunny conditions.
On the left side of the Express GPS is a USB port and a USB switch. A power switch is located on the right. Most GPS devices place their speaker on the back of the device, facing away from the driver but perhaps getting some “bounce” from the windshield. On the Dash Express the speaker is located on the top, and was loud enough in our noisy car environment.
There are also two buttons on the top, one for volume and the other for a “menu” key. The buttons have great “action” to them with a feel more like a laptop’s touch screen. Tapping the volume button brings up the volume setting on the display, from there you can tap up or down, as well as muting. You can also double-tap on the volume button to automatically mute the device. Dash has always seemed “a bit different” (in a good way) and some of that cute quirkiness appears in the volume numbers which curiously go to a volume of “11″. The “menu” button at the top of the display cycles you between the map display and the menu system.
Most people buy GPS devices because they make driving on unfamiliar roads easier. The Dash, however, is different: It aims to help you get to places you drive to all the time, only faster. It’s all about avoiding traffic.
If you know the physical address you are going to, the Dash Express works much like other GPS devices. From the Menu, select ‘choose a destination’ -> ‘type an address’ -> and then select the stae (if different), city, house number, and street name.
Enter an address on the Dash and it generates two or three possible routes to get there. You view them on one map, tapping buttons on the right side of the screen to view the first, second, or third route. The driving time and distance is written next to each route. When you select one, the map shows you the traffic along that route, so you know where cars are moving and where they aren’t. Compare the two or three routes, pick the one you want to use, and the device begins navigating.
The Dash shows traffic conditions by coloring roads green, yellow, orange, or red. Green routes are clear of traffic, yellow slightly congested, orange moderately congested, and red heavily congested. If roads are gray or white, there’s no data available.
If the colored traffic lines are dashed, that means the data is coming from a third party. This data can be either estimated based on historical traffic patters (what the traffic is like on that day of week and that time historically) or based on current conditions. The current conditions come from fleet companies, road sensors, etc.
When the traffic data on the map is in a solid line, this is data being augmented from other drivers in the Dash network. Either another driver with a Dash device just recently drove that road segment, or it is historical traffic data that Dash themselves have constructed for the road segment, day of week, and time of day.
Dash GPS Traffic DelayIf you are driving towards your destination and the traffic conditions changed against your favor, a male voice will announce that the traffic conditions have changed. (The regular navigation voice is female.) A yellow box will appear on the GPS showing the estimated time of the delay.
Our most serious problem with the Dash came when driving on unfamiliar roads. If you’re using the Dash to find the quickest route to the office or to the kids’ soccer match—places you already know—you’ll want to use the 2D view, which shows color-coded traffic for your entire area. If you’re on unfamiliar roads, however, you’ll want the 3D view, which shows turn information more clearly—but makes everything else more difficult.
For starters, toggling between the two views takes 5 seconds, which is too long when you’re unsure about a turn. Also, the 3D view shows multi-lane highways as single lanes, so we were often unsure about the correct lane to be in. We missed a turn off the NJ Turnpike because we were in the wrong lane. Since the Dash already uses multicolored lines to show traffic data, it shows the current route in the 3D view as a white line with occasional blue arrows. However, the white line was just too hard to see.
The device also frequently calls exits by names that don’t match the existing signs: the Dash told us to take the “Highway 81 South Ramp,” when the road sign simply said “NJ Turnpike.” It also called one exit “Bright St.” when it should have said “Centre Street.”Company representatives told us that they were working to improve toggling speed; however, because this device is intended for people who already know where they’re going and simply want to get there faster, these other issues would receive lower priority in being addressed.
Users create a free MyDash account at my.dash.net that allows them to send addresses easily to their Dash navigators. It’s a great way to build up your onboard address book: Just enter addresses into the Web page’s text box and click to send it to your device. In our testing, the Dash received addresses in less than a second, thanks to its always-on connection.
Users can also download plug-ins for Microsoft Outlook 2003 and Web browsers (Firefox, IE6 and 7, and Safari) that let them send addresses from those apps by highlighting and right-clicking. Doing so opens a new Web page with the formatted address, which you can then send to your device. In testing, the Dash formatted the address correctly most of the time but occasionally couldn’t understand abbreviations. It also couldn’t understand addresses in which the phone number was listed before the address.
The online account also lets you save your favorite Yahoo searches to your Dash, create grouped lists of favorite locations, or create lists from RSS or GeoRSS feeds. For example, you can run an apartment search on Craigslist.org, copy the RSS link at the bottom of the results page, and use that to create a feed that displays on your Dash.
While creating searches and lists is simple, the site doesn’t do enough to explain the steps to users. GeoRSS feeds, which encode location as part of an RSS feed and are used by sites like Platial, will be foreign to most users, and more guidance would be appreciated. When you’ve created a list, you can opt to save it with the Dash community. That doesn’t do much, unfortunately, as there’s not yet an option to view other people’s lists.
The Dash Express has a few other helpful tricks for staying connected on the road. The gas-station search pulls in and sorts current gas prices, so you can find the cheapest station near you. This feature proved highly accurate in our testing, listing the ten closest stations to our location. The movie-theater search lets you know what’s playing at your local theaters and provides movie times.
Routing to the built-in POIs is pretty simple. From the menu select ‘choose a destination’ -> ‘browse places to go’ -> and select a category. All of the built in categories (that don’t need two way connectivity) show up with Blue icons. While I’d normally complain that the ‘Food’ category isn’t broken down into sub-categories, the ‘connected search’ feature we will discuss later largely addresses the issue. Just like routing to an address, you will be presented with up to three routes to pick from.
While the Dash offers impressive live data features, don’t expect extras common on other devices. There’s only one voice (which pronounces street names), no multimedia playback options, and no Bluetooth.
While the Dash Express’ 3D navigation experience needs to be improved, the ability to send out updates to connected Dash units means that users should get software improvements regularly and not have to update hardware anytime soon. The Dash’s traffic data is a major improvement over current GPS devices. Not only will it earn an army of admirers who are sick of traffic jams, but it will change the navigation industry for good. However, if you live in a more rural area and are simply prone to getting lost, you’ll do better with a less expensive model from the likes of Garmin or TomTom. The Dash Express is best for metro users or daily commuters who know where they’re going and for whom avoiding major traffic jams would be well worth the monthly fee.
Tags: active connection, antenna, cellular connection, fm radio, free software updates, GPS Device, GPS Maps, gps navigators, gps receiver, internet connection, social networking, time traffic, traffic data, traffic information, yahoo searchesRelated posts
Posted on July 18th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: GPS Maps
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