Dash Express

Page 2

The Internet connectivity also allows for a couple of other features. One is called Send2Car, which lets you send addresses from your computer straight to the Dash Express. All you have to do is log onto the MyDash Web site where you can then enter an address, add notes about the trip, and then hit the "send to your car" button. If a family member or friend owns a Dash unit as well, you can share addresses with them by typing in their Dash ID. A pop-up window will appear on your Dash unit to let you know that a new address has arrived for you. There's a nifty "MyFeeds" function too that works like an RSS feed. Our demo included a feed to someone's favorite surf spots along the California coast with updated surf reports, which was very cool.

Finally, Dash can deliver system updates, including map updates, over the air. You don't have to connect to your PC or purchase any additional software; it's all done behind the scenes without much user involvement. You'll simply be notified when an update is available. Since there is this over-the-air capability, Dash can disable your device in case it gets stolen.

Another differentiating factor is the traffic capabilities. Dash Express uses a combination of historical data, information from traffic-flow provider Inrix, and other Dash owners to gather real-time updates and traffic patterns for your route. So right out of the box, the historical information gives you an idea of what kind of congestion you'll encounter along your route. Each Dash Express unit also automatically (and anonymously) sends data, such as position and speed, back to the Dash server, which can then update all other Dash units about current road speeds. Clearly, the more Dash users there are on the road, the more accurate and comprehensive the reports will be. If you're a little wary since there are only a limited number of Dash units (beta users, mostly) in use right now, you should know that everything is backed by Inrix, which collects data using road sensors, commercial fleets, and other sources.

The traffic information is also used in route calculations as the Dash Express is able provide up to three different routes with an estimated time of arrival for each based on road conditions. Like most GPS with traffic capabilities, Dash identifies heavy congestion with red lines, slow areas with yellow ones, and clear roads with green. The system goes one step further with solid lines to signify real-time reports from the Dash Network while dashed lines indicate historical data or Inrix sources. It all gives you a quick glance at what you're up against before hitting the streets. If an incident comes up while you're already traveling, there is a detour function. You also have the option to control how much traffic you want to see: all traffic, live traffic only, or just traffic along your route.

Some other things of note on the Dash Express: It comes preloaded with TeleAtlas maps of the United States and has a 2 million POI database, in addition to the connected search function. The system supports text-to-speech functionality and automatic route recalculations.

Performance
We tested the Dash Express in San Francisco, and from a cold start, it took the unit about three minutes to get a fix on our location under clear skies. Subsequent starts varied from just a few seconds to a couple of minutes. As we drove around the city, we noticed that the Dash was slightly off the mark with its tracking; most of the time it was behind by a block, but it could be as bad as up to three blocks off. We know that Dash wants to target the Express at commuters and users who pretty much know where they're going, but it's still a navigation device at its core, and there shouldn't be such a discrepancy.

Next, we entered our standard trip from the Marina District to CNET's downtown headquarters using the Send2Car function. The feature worked flawlessly; we simply entered the address on the MyDash Web site and the information arrived almost instantaneously on our review unit. The Dash Express took longer than other portable navigation systems to calculate a route, but we're not going to knock it for slow performance, since it is creating three different routes. We chose the itinerary that would take the shortest amount of time and checked out the list of turn-by-turn directions, which we found to be accurate. While on the road, once again, we found that the Dash's position tracking lagged behind us. On a couple of occasions, this caused us to miss a turn, since it didn't alert us until after we had already passed the street. Fortunately, route calculations are pretty swift. The text-to-speech voice directions were loud and clear, but it mangled some street pronunciations.

Connecting to Wi-Fi and cell networks was completely hands-off and painless; the Dash automatically connected as soon as we fired up the device. The search functionality was definitely a highlight. It was pretty powerful to be able to search for almost anything on the fly. That said, we did find that search results could be pretty wild. For example, a search for MP3 players brought up a car wash and detail shop. Still, these instances were few and far between, and we found much value in the search capabilities.

Last, but not least, the Dash Express is rated for only about two hours of battery life, and we found this to pretty much be true. The battery drained quickly after a couple hours of use outside the car, so keep a charger handy at all times.

See more CNET content tagged:

GPS

Compare prices for Dash Express

Please access this product from the vendor's Web site.