Dash Express Two-Way Internet-Connected Portable GPS Navigator

Dash Express Two-Way Internet-Connected Portable GPS Navigator
List Price: $299.99
Our Price: $254.49
Your Save: $ 45.50 ( 15% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Dash
Average Customer Rating: Average rating of 3.5/5Average rating of 3.5/5Average rating of 3.5/5Average rating of 3.5/5Average rating of 3.5/5

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Binding: Electronics
Brand: Dash
Color: Black
EAN: 0892437002012
Feature: Get true up-to-the-minute traffic data from the most reliable source--other Dash devices
Includes Mp3 Player: 0
Label: Dash
Manufacturer: Dash
Model: 99-1000-001
Native Resolution: 480 x 272
Publisher: Dash
Studio: Dash

Features
Get true up-to-the-minute traffic data from the most reliable source--other Dash devices
Find anything you need right from the driver's seat using Yahoo! Local Search
Automatically and wirelessly receive updated software and new features
Send addresses straight to your device from any computer via your Internet browser or Microsoft Outlook
Interact with your device and other Dash users on my.dash.net

Accessories
Dash Express 94-1002-001 Mounting Arm and Cradle
Dash Express 94-5000-001 Car Kit (Includes Mounting Arm and Cradle, 12v Car Charger and Dashboard Mounting Disk)
Dash Express 94-1002-001 12v Auto Power Charger

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Editorial Reviews:

Stuck in traffic and want to know if you are going to make that meeting on time, or need to call and warn someone? Will you make it to your kid's recital, or be home in time for dinner? Wouldn't it be nice to know which route to work is going to be faster today before leaving your driveway, and be automatically updated if traffic changes once you're under way? Knowledge isn't just power, it's a time-saver, too. And Dash Express has the smartest, most advanced traffic solution available?the innovative Dash Driver Network. Combined with comprehensive historical and sensor-based traffic information, the Dash Driver Network provides Dash users with the most detailed, accurate and current traffic picture available today.

Dash approaches traffic in an entirely different way - by collecting it from other people driving real commute routes, during real commute times. Each Dash Express anonymously and automatically sends its position and speed back to servers at the Dash Network Operations Center. The Dash servers then update all other Dash devices in the area with current road speeds. That way, members of the Dash Driver Network always have the best, most up-to-date traffic information available. It's a growing network for better information. However, even the first Dash devices in an area get traffic data that's superior to other GPS devices. That's because Dash devices receive traffic info from road sensors, commercial fleets and other sources through our partnership with Inrix, the premier traffic data provider in the U.S. Starting with the first devices in each market, Dash adds further value by using these initial cars to calibrate the sensor data. This lets Dash assign it a high (straight line) or medium (dotted line) confidence rating, giving you all the information you need at a glance. The Dash Driver Network provides coverage on nearly 2 million miles of US road, and provides the only source of live traf


Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: LOVE my Dash Express
Comment: I can not speak highly enough about this product! I simply love the device and all its features. Being able to add additional services and "applications" to it only makes it that much sweeter. Even when driving around town, I feel naked if I don't have my Dash with me to find new places to eat, drink, or be merry.

There have been complaints about routing problems- I have only experienced an inability to find a route from Manchester, NH to a small town in Vermont that borders Canada. These issues are being addressed by Dash developers, and each map and software update shows significant improvements.

One of the biggest strengths of this device is the fact that the software is updated regularly. If there is a feature that a Garmin or TomTom has that isn't present on this device, it can be added by Dash. This is a huge plus in my book! In addition, you do not have to connect the device to your computer for updates- they download automatically over WiFi!

If you are in the market for a GPS device, I can not suggest this unit strong enough. Though it does not come with the bluetooth or contact-management features that other GPS units have, it is made up for with strong navigational features. After all, a GPS that doesn't navigate well isn't worth anything.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5
Summary: Fantastic Connected features
Comment: Overall, this device is merely average. If you're looking for a basic GPS, move along--you'll find an inexpensive Garmin unit much, much more to your liking.

However, if you like gadgets, this is the GPS for you.

I waited until after the first software update to purchase one, and it's still not ready for mainstream, sadly. There are a few interface quirks and bugs to work out. However, the connectivity features of this unit are totally worth the price. Again, this is if you're an early-adopter gadget freak type (like me!).

My biggest love of the device really is the connectivity--the best part of which is *not* the traffic (although it's wonderful), but the "search along my route" feature. Want to stop for ice cream along your route coming home from work? No problem! Just input your destination, and perform a connected search--voila!

My biggest complaint is that the routing engine consistently guides me along routes where it knows traffic information, rather then more direct routes. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it often doesn't even offer me the "direct" route as one of the options, of which it will offer you up to four. However, I've used the "report problem" button in the settings menu, and the support staff has always gotten right back to me within the day--a pretty amazing feat, if you ask me. It is obvious that they really care about improving the device, and taking advantage of the connectedness they have by performing updates--it's almost like GPS as a Service (GaaS!).



Customer Rating: Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5
Summary: beware the refurb units
Comment: If you get one of the refurbs from Amazon (ie: warehouse deals), do be aware that you won't get the full 90 day trial of the wireless service. Instead, you'll get whatever was left when the last person returned it. In my case, it was 52 days, around 40 hours less than what would come with a new one ($12.99 value).

Here is what customer service said "Thanks for your reply. We currently do not have a policy on this as we do not sell used devices. As Amazon is selling open-boxed devices, these are treated as such, and do not include the 3-months of free service in which the new devices do. Whatever free service is left on the device from the previous user (if any) is carried over, but usually isn't more than a month or so."

Some other reasons this will be going back to Amazon:

This is for sure a 1.0 product.

- The white line on beige for your navigation is very hard to read, low visual contrast
- Parks and other natural features are not shown as you are driving, it just looks like thin lines on a background. Not as well done visually as the garmins. My guess is that this is to reserve the colors off the screen for the traffic updates, but this should be an option, especially if someone isn't using the traffic
- Road names are not very clear, instead of angling to match the roads, they are represented by a dot and then the name of the road. On a busy screen, it's very non-intuitive and hard to tell what roads are what
- No options to change what the "car" looks like. I don't have a blue sedan. That's the only choice. If you have a blue sedan then you are in luck!
- No options at all to set GPS resolution, number of roads visible, thickness of roads, font size for street names
- No signal strength indicators on main screen. You never know how strong your gps, wifi or cellular signals are. So you never know if you are connected (besides checking in the menu system) and getting or sending traffic updates.
- The voice isn't great. It says "stree" instead of "street". You'd think with the word most common to be said by this unit, that it would have been enhanced some.
- The "menu" button on the top of the unit is cumbersome. It would be better as a soft button
- This unit is MUCH SLOWER than a 4 year old garmin to recognize and draw turns in the road (ie: the car turning to a new road) and when you miss a turn
- Speaking of missing a turn, it doesn't tell you when you missed a turn. (my garmin says "recalculating" aloud. If you're not paying attention, you could keep driving in the wrong direction, especially if on a freeway

Granted many of these issues could be changed via a software update. Stay tuned!

And finally, here's a winning suggestion for the dash team. It seems like a lot of areas don't have coverage because people don't have dashes. A chicken and egg kind of problem. How about the first 3 people in a zip code (or group of zip codes) who buy this get a free year of service? You'd get amazing press, and people in areas would be falling over each other to be one of the first 3. You could even have a map on your website that showed what areas still were up for grabs. You need a bigger headstart on garmin, magellan and tomtom. Or do you plan to sell your tech to them??? ;-)

Customer Rating: Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5
Summary: Good idea, bad GPS.
Comment: I had the product for roughly 2 weeks, and used it on a daily basis to get from point A to point B. This product was purchased with hopes of escaping the dreadful Los Angeles traffic. To test the product, I tried driving from Santa Monica to Los Angeles during peak period, and was appalled when the GPS showed no alternative route to LA, except through the 10E. I personally think, the GPS system could use some massive upgrades. In another occasion, the GPS got lost when I was driving under the highway... one minute it shows me as driving on a local street, the next I would have somehow miraculously appear to be driving on the freeway right above my head!

Overall, good idea.. but I would not get the product until it has been throughly tested!

Customer Rating: Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5
Summary: Commuter Gadget
Comment: Good for knowing traffic conditions on familiar routes. Confuses me out of town (missed turns) and few stored points (must connect to Yahoo). Prefer my old Garmin Streetpilot out of town. Garmin should buy this company and use their technology, but I much prefer the Garmin user interface. The subscription fee needs to come down.


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