Dash Express
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)Dash, which makes the very cool Dash Express GPS gizmo for cars (review), has opened up an API so developers can build new apps for the unit. On announcement, according to a company press release, several apps will be available: a homes-for-sale app from Coldwell Banker, a calendar app that can read appointments from Outlook, Google and automatically route you to them, a weather app from WeatherBug, a speed trap app from Trapster, and Mediaguide, which can display the songs that just played on local radio stations.
I want the Trapster app. Not only is this the most useful of the apps, I believe, it's also the one that leverages the Dash's two-way capability the best: You can add to the Trapster database when you drive through a speed trap yourself. There may even be a button that says, "Yo, I am getting pulled over right now." (I haven't tried the service yet; I don't know.)
Even cooler would be: Let me connect my Valentine One to the Dash device to update the database automatically.
The Dash API program faces two small problems, though: First, there's the chicken-and-egg issue for a non-market-leading platform. Dash is hardly the best-selling GPS product, even if it is the coolest. Developer interest will wane unless consumers start to get behind this product.
Second: Safety. I don't know how Dash is going to ensure that developers don't build distracting or confusing apps that get their users into trouble when they're driving. Building for the "60-m.p.h. user interface" is not something many developers have experience with. Hopefully this will be addressed is Dash's presentation at the Where 2.0 conference Wednesday morning.
Current Dash Express users can go to the MyDash site for apps.
Dash Express
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)It's been almost two years since Dash Navigation first announced its Dash Express portable navigation system, and we're happy to say that you can now finally get your hands on this device. The Dash Express is unlike any other portable navigation system on the market today because it offers two-way connectivity (cellular and Wi-Fi), giving drivers access to a whole new world of information via the Internet and the network of other Dash-connected users. You can conduct live (and more relevant) Web searches via Yahoo Local search; get real-time traffic data; wirelessly send addresses to the system; and much more. It really adds value to portable navigation devices, and it's the type of innovation that we think will take GPS to the next level--so much so that we even gave it a Best of CES 2007 award. So did it deliver? Was it worth the wait? Well now, you'll just have to read our full review to find out, won't ya?
Dash Navigation is building the GPS gizmo that everyone in the CNET reviews department is waiting for. See this video from 2006. Today at the Web 2.0 Summit, the company is announcing more features for its delayed product.
Dash now plans to ship its GPS product for cars, the Dash Express, in early 2008. Its key differentiator from other GPS units is that it will always be connected to the Internet, which will enable cool features like peer-to-peer (with other Dash devices) traffic reporting, and the capability to program routes on to your device from your Web browser.
Dash Express
(Credit: Dash Navigation)The new news is that the Dash will have an open platform, so people can build interesting apps for it. The Dash team will demo the platform with its own apps, including one that links into a Zillow API, presumably so you can drive down the street and see on your device just how much the houses you're passing by are worth (see also: Realius).
The product will also read in RSS and KML (Google's geo-markup language) data from the Web to do things like display events from Upcoming, open house data from Craigslist, and landmark and path data from all those geo mashups out there like Platial. For all I know it will also tie into crime databases and flash a warning when you drive into a dangerous neighborhood.
Dash claims its platform represents a "huge business opportunity" for companies that make geo-coded content. That will be true if Dash units become ubiquitous, but the company is competing with Garmin and other well-established consumer brands. Furthermore, future cars themselves will likely be Internet-addressable; Mercedes is already demoing this.
Dash needs to ship its cool gizmo soon.
Your Dash device will have its own dashboard in your computer's browser.
(Credit: Dash Navigation)
The Kenwood DDX8019 is yet another contender for your all-in-one in-car device dollar. The in-dash system plays CDs, DVDs (audio and video), MP3 discs, WMA discs, and USB audio sources out of the box. With add-on modules, it can be used to play satellite and HD radio and as a Bluetooth hands-free calling interface. Despite all this, however, its touch screen interface leaves something to be desired for playing media. Check our slide show and full review to see what we liked and what we didn't with this system.
Sign up to be a tester!
(Credit: Dash Navigation)Do you drive a lot? Thinking of buying an in-car GPS device? Or do you just love tech and have always dreamed of being a part of the product testing process? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might be interested in a new program that Dash Navigation announced today. The company is recruiting 2,000 drivers to road test its innovative portable navigation system, the Dash Express, before the product is officially launched later in the fall. Just as a quick refresher, the Dash Express is the first Internet-connected car GPS system and offers Yahoo Local search, traffic information based on historical data and input from other Dash users, dynamic destination information (latest gas prices, movie times, and so on), a send-to-car feature, and automatic updates that are practically invisible to the owner. You can see the Express in action from our CES 2007 video below.
To sign up for the Dash road test, visit www.dash.net to fill out an application, and you'll then be notified by e-mail if you're one of the lucky chosen. Once you get the device, all you have to do is drive around and provide feedback on your likes and dislikes, rants and wishes. There will also be some weekly "homework assignments." About 200 drivers have already participated in early testing here in California, but according Dash CEO Paul Lego, in order to deliver the best product at launch, the company wanted to open up the program to everyone. Hey, sounds like a good deal to me.
On Sale Now: $499.00
View the latest prices for Dash Express
(Credit:
Dash Navigation)
One of the most eagerly anticipated aftermarket car tech gadgets at this year's CES is the Dash Express from Dash Navigation. Dash Express is the first portable navigation system to have built-in two-way connectivity (cellular and Wi-Fi), giving drivers access to a whole new world of information via the Internet and the network of other Dash-connected users. The system display real-time traffic data, which comes from the network of other Dash drivers, while Web connectivity gives drivers a points-of-interest database served up by Yahoo Local, with whom Dash announced a partnership last week. Here are some of the major functions of the Dash Express:
Dash Network Traffic: The Dash Express takes a two-pronged approach to traffic information. First, the system comes preprogrammed with historical traffic flow data for all major roads, so it has an idea of what the road conditions are like in the area during all times. The real-time traffic data comes from the network of other Dash drivers out there who anonymously report their traffic conditions to other devices in the area. With this information, Dash Express can select the best of three recommended routes.
Destination Search: Sure, all in-car GPS navigation devices today have a points-of-interest (POI) database, but the advantage of the Dash Express system is that you have access to all the resources of the World Wide Web. You're not limited to just what's preloaded on the device, so you can input a generic or specific term such as "surfboards," and you'll get a list of shops in the area that sell surfboards. Plus, the Dash service will also be able return up-to-date information, such as movie times or the gas prices at all the gas stations.
Send to Car: With this feature, you can send an address from your computer's Web browser or Microsoft Outlook, eliminating the need to manually enter addresses on the device.
In addition to these functions, you get all the standard navigation features, such as turn-by-turn directions including text and voice guidance (no text-to-speech functionality in the first iteration), and as a bonus, all map and POI updates are done automatically and over the air, so you don't have to do a thing. Dash Express will be available in March, and we hear that it will be priced "competitively with other high-end navigation systems," which means that it will likely be in the $600 to $800 range.
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