Dash Express Two-Way Internet-Connected Portable GPS Navigator Reviews

• Great device if you are lost

  
  By A1C354KAEK9WSM on 2008-03-29
  I can't believe all of the "over-the-top" reviews for this device. They look more like an orchestrated PR campaign than actual users.
  
  I was a beta tester for the dash and I returned it after a two months - even though I had the option to keep it for free - and bought a Magellan 4250.
  
  #1 - Way too big and bulky. I hope you park in a very safe area and can leave this device on the windsheild. Forget about slipping it in your coat pocket or briefcase.
  
  #2 - Focussed on major roads - pt 1. The major roads and streets are well defined and emphasized, while secondary roads are muted and very hard to read. This is a problem if you are commuter or are just stuck in traffic and are looking for a way around it. The device doesn't do a good job of rerouting you to side roads and if you try to find one using the map view on the device it is very difficult to see the muted roads. It was very frustrating and I almost had an accident doing it (more than once).
  
  #3 - Focussed on major roads - pt 2. If you are driving on a side road, the navigation tries to force you back to a major road as quickly as possible - even if it takes you out of your way or into traffic. The Dash won't naturally navigate you through side roads to get to your destination. Maybe I missed a setting, but if so, it is buried and isn't convenient for navigating while driving. The device I have now gives you the option for main roads/ fastest time/shorted trip on the navigation screen. It seems to have no trouble navigating side roads.
  
  #4 - Navigation is too slow. One of the nice things about the Dash is that it provides multiple routes (unfortunately, all major highways) to your detination and allows you to chose which one to take. However, the navigation takes a vew long time - sometimes minutes. Unless you are in an unknown area, you are all ready on your way well before your options comes up.
  
  #5 - Make a U-turn. One of the side effects of the device's affinity for main roads is that when you decide to take a side road, rather than immediately update the its navigation plan, the device repeatedly tells you to "Take a U-turn." It can take several minutes (until you get close to another main road) before updating the plan.
  
  #6 - The device frequently routed me into traffic and failed to avoid it. I tested it between my house and work (42 miles, with multiple routes). Every day, the device's best navigation plan tried to send me into the worst traffic in the area, while the other plans with far less traffic but were 1 or 2 miles longer. The mini-routes around the traffic (which I've found on my own over the years) were never presented.
  
  I noticed that Mossberg (WSJ) gave this device a pretty good rating. I was a bit surprised, but then realized that he'd tested it's peer-to-peer capability. This may be a revolutionary feature, but to be effective, several units needs to be in use in your area while you are driving. In order to get full use, you also need to pay $12.99 / month. I don't get it. It costs an extra $156 a year on top of the initial cost of $400 to make this minimally adequate GPS effective? Is this additional feature so powerful, it minimizes the major problems I found while using this devices? Sorry, but my "rip-off" sense is tingling. I think the Dash team needs to go back to the drawing board. Maybe version 2 will be better.
  
  The joke at my house was that this is a good device if you are lost. If you were unfamilar with an area it can definitely get you to your destination and if you were lost, it will quickly get you to a main road. If you know your area well and use the GPS to refine your drive, the dash will frustrate you to no end. The cool features - like wifi upgrades or being able to send a route from inside your house directly to your car are definitely next generation, but in my opinion are not worth the cost and inconvenience. I had the option to keep the beta version for free and I sent it back. I would wait for the company's next attempt.
  
  
  

• Good product but can be much better.....

  
  By A1PSUCCVBA3PJT on 2008-04-03
  Updated April 17th, 2008. Unfortunately Amazon will not allow me to change the star rating but as of today, I am officially downgrading the product rating to 3 stars. From very good/great to just good. Please see Cons sections (7) for details.
  
  Let me start this off by saying that I have used all major brands of GPS.
  
  Magellan (1st Gen + 2nd Gen [Maestro]), Garmin (1st Gen + 2nd Gen [Nuvi]), and Mio 230. Sadly, of all the above, my favorite was the 1st gen Magellan.
  
  A summary of what I think of the other devices:
  
  1) Magellan Maestro: Good GPS hampered by a mule of a cpu and horrible software stability. The sucker is slow and crashes like no other. It could've been good but instead became a liability.
  
  2) Garmin Nuvi: Better than Magellan, very stable but has no predictive type-ahead addressing. Garmin need to pull their head out of their thighs and add this feature. Very little faults but also nothing to shout about and not to mention the most expensive. Way over-priced.
  
  3) Mio: Best screen contrast/resolution out of the 3. Very smooth resolution and gps update. It's way too chatty. I do not need to be alerted of every bend in the highway. Suffers from usability problems and just plain to hard to use. No left or right street announcement for destination.
  
  Now the initial review for Dash Express
  ---------------------------------------
  
  Pros:
  
  1) Excellent screen resolution and brightness. More on the brightness later.
  
  2) Traffic flow is magical. Has to be seen to appreciate. Extremely accurate traffic data. Based on recent events I believe there is a 5-10 minute lag between real-world traffic and sigalert/push to dash.
  
  3) Usability is top notch. Simply the easiest GPS I have used to date.
  
  4) Minimalism. Have you seen GPS where there are so many stuff on screen that you can't even see the map? Dash is smart for presenting a beautiful and minimalistic layout where the emphasis is given to the map, as a GPS should. Finally!
  
  5) Automatic Re-routing is both fast and accurate.
  
  6) Routing so far has been excellent.
  
  7) Very responsive. Touch operations are responsive and consistent.
  
  8) Wifi supports WPA/WPA2.
  
  9) Left/Right side of street is spoken for destination. Mio does not do this.
  
  10) The only device to give me the route I actually take from my home to my parents' house. Not sure if it's luck or based on traffic info.
  
  Cons:
  
  1) Screen is too bright for night operation, even when tuned to lowest brightness. Hopefully they fix this. It appears they are using a very dark gray of blue for the night background when they should use pure-black for better contrast.
  
  2) Cannot accurately judge car direction when coming from stand still to very slow motion. Think turning on the car in a parking lot.
  
  3) Text to Speech quality on street names is bad. The spoken content is concise and excellent but the street names voice renders are just bad. Has a lot of trouble with Spanish street names. Half the streets in Los Angeles are Spanish based. For example, Cordova St is pronounced as Cord-"ee"-va Ave. Even worse, Virginia Road is spoken as Virgi-"ne" Road. Other systems don't have this problem. Dash needs to license a higher quality speech engine.
  
  4) When you select a destination, it will give you 1-3 routing options to choose from. This process is a bit slower than I would like.
  
  5) GPS re-acquisition after park/shutdown is slow.
  
  6) No auto-zoom in when initial setting is zoomed way out or auto-zoom out when on highway to see more distance.
  
  7) Noticed 2 cases which broke Dash. A) Driving past a destination in a straight line for several blocks made Dash to perform never-ending "recalculating" when a "u-turn" redirect should be used. B) When going to the LAX airport via route of I10W -> I101S -> I105W, on the ramp from I10 to I101, it first said to get on ramp on left to 101 which is correct but then it starts changing the name of 101 ramp to 105 ramp before correcting itself after I got on to 101.
  
  *April 17* Was on highway CA-22 south/east bound and I missed the "beach st/blvd" exit. The unit did not start to recalculate until nearly 2 miles after the intended exit. Worst to come. Recalculation goes into an infinite loop/stalls and by now I was about 4 miles off the Beach exit and on a local street heading north on Brookhurst. The unit crashed and rebooted itself shortly after. During this whole time, the map shows me still on CA-22. It is unforgivable for the unit to have this problem. Having a GPS is supposed to save you from the huge problem of missing or taking the wrong exits when traveling on freeways. Due to this problem, I have downgraded my product rating from 4 to 3 stars.
  
  8) In 3D mode, did not test this in 2D mode, vehicle position on map is approximately 2-3 seconds behind real-life for local traffic speed. For example, once you past lets say Garvey Ave in real-life, your virtual car on map will pass the virtual intersection about 2.5 seconds later. This is very annoying and they need to calibrate the firmware to compensate for this "lag". Further test show there is a ~100ft lag between car on screen and actual location, at least in the Los Angeles area. This is beginning to annoy me quite a bit. Other gps systems do not exhibit this problem.
  
  ---------------------------------------
  Overall:
  
  Good new GPS with exciting future but the company must make fixes as soon as possible. If they do not fix the critical problems I have mentioned here, re-routing issue, night-time visibility, and speech quality, within the next 4-8 weeks, this product will become obsolete by more rounded competition such as Nuvi despite the ground-breaking traffic-view feature.
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Best thing to happen to GPS, could not live without it now

  
  By AT19Y9ONI1LFK on 2008-03-27
  I have also been a beta tester since day 1. As it is now, this is the best GPS device available. I can't stress enough how convenient the WIFI search is. If you need to know how to get somewhere, you just type in ANYTHING and search Yahoo! In the mood for a type of food? Just type it in. Meeting friends at a club you have not been to? Type in the name only, it will find it. Need to find a Target, any chain? Just type in the name of that Chain and pick any of tons of listings it will display in order of closest to farthest. This is sooooooo nice to have I would never have a GPS without it.
  
  Also the send to car feature is another I love. Install a Firefox plugin, highlight any address, off Google Maps, Yahoo! Local, the place you want to go's address of their main page, anything, then just right click and select send to car. Thats it. Next time you drive, VERY QUICKLY a message will pop up with the place you sent. You don't have to type anything, that's it.
  
  Traffic is real time and dead on in the Washington DC area. Countless times I get a TRAFFIC AHEAD and just press routes and it will give you alternative routes around it. It is dead on most of the time also, if there are a bunch of cars in line making a left turn, that little bit of the road on the map will be red, if after the turn its no traffic, it will be green. Almost scary accurate.
  
  Basically, best GPS ever. For the price you are getting so much more it's really a no brainer.
  
  Rsplatpc
  
  

• Don't belive the bad reviews here

  
  By A16IMOPYXSLNSK on 2008-03-27
  Don't believe the negative reviewers here. They have never even seen the device and what it can do. Notice all the positive reviews have come from those who have actually used this device, and nowhere do the negitive reviews say they have used it. This device is a little large, but it is very manageable. Also, I have never had a problem with the Dash saying I was blocks away from my location. My experience has been once it has a lock, It even knows what lane I am in on the freeway (I believe I read that it will even route you through carpool lanes on the freeway if it senses you are already in one).
  
  I beta tested the very first units, and have been using this newly released unit for about 2 months now. While it does have a few quirks, I will never go to a non-connected GPS unit again. They have truly revolutionized the way that the GPS device functions. I love being able to recieve updates (including maps) for the fee of being connected. Essentially you have an always up to date unit for about $100 a year. I have an in-dash pioneer Avic D3 and it is about $400 just for the updated maps! I love having very up-to-date traffic information on freeways and streets. That will only get better as more people purchase it,
  
  

• My Dash Review

  
  By A2W123LAQ7KKBR on 2008-03-27
  First off I want to state that I am not a paid employee of Dash nor have they paid me to make the following statements. I have however been allowed to test drive this device before the general public was able to purchase one.
  After having my dash unit for almost 1 year now I can't imagine being without it. Contrary to some other reviews that I have read the GPS is acurate. It also allows me a direct connection to information on the internet as well as it is portable, and it has never let me down. The fact that it is updatable via periodic downloads from dash means it will never be out of date like the other thousands of dollars worth of paperweights sitting on my shelf from Garmin, Tom Tom and Magellan is an added plus.
  I have had numerous people in my travels stop me and talk to me about "that thing on my dash" almost every day. But for me that thing was more than a GPS...It's a dream come true. The conversation usually starts "Is that a GPS on your windshield?" I tell them that it is, but it is also the next level of the future of information delivery in their car and they need "Dash Express." I have even invited them to take a look at it first hand and show them the numerous bells and whistles like movie times, gas prices and the local weather and Weather Alert rss feed I created myself.. This usually gets them thinking of something they would like to spontaneously look up from the internet while out on the road. like the nearest (Starbucks) I just respond "With a Dash you are only limited to your imagination." I honestly can't wait to see what new functions and featurs Dash comes up with next.
  I can think of many times Dash has helped me while on the road but the following is an example of one of my favorite Dash moments that stands out.
  For several years I have always kept a laptop in my car with me for emergencies and had a access card for the Internet. This was very difficult to use in the car, internet searches and responses were slow and these requests did not take into count my current location. And this was after waiting 10-20 minutes for it to start-up. Along comes Dash... I have always been impressed with the Internet search ability of "Yahoo local" and Dash, but on one particular day. My family and I were driving to dinner at a brand new restaurant in town . we had decided to leave around 4 to beat the dinner rush when we encountered a bad accident that had just happened right in front of us and were forced to stop on the Highway and wait for the emergency crews to clear the road. We had invited friends to join us and they were in a car right behind us. To make matters worse it was now 4:30pm on a Friday and we knew that by the time we got to the restaurant so would the rest of the working world and it would be at least another hour wait to get a table. My wife and I tried calling information on our cellphones to locate this new restaurant's number but since the restaurant was so new there was no listing yet. Just for giggles I checked Dash. typing in the restaurants name... Bam there it was and a phone # as well. I called the restaurant and made a reservation for 45 minutes from then. When we arrived there the line outside the door was huge. I heard several people complaining that the wait was going to be 2 hours. I walked up to the receptionist and said I am 5 minutes early , gave my name and asked if they were running on time with reservations. she replied "Right this way I have your table ready" THANKS DASH!!!
  
  
  
• Lives up to the hype
  By A1T0NSAC44K3VK on 2008-04-02
  I received the Dash Express yesterday and have spent time confirming the pro's, finding some cons, and figuring out how it's going to change how I drive.
  
  Pros:
  Traffic seems accurate so far. Considering it was released yesterday, I was happy to see some traffic data from other Dash users in Austin. The traffic data on side streets is sparse, but I expect this to improve.
  
  The unit is AMPS mount compatible, which means you can mount it to virtually any third party mount. I'm in a convertible with a small windshield so was able to mount it near my stereo instead.
  
  When plugged in the unit automatically turns on when you start the car and off after you stop the car. I love this. Simple, but functional.
  
  The interface is very intuitive. This isn't a GPS with overly complicated menus. It's the closest thing to an Apple-like GPS device on the market. I can do without the features it's missing and expect a few to appear as search updates.
  
  Love the GPRS functionality. I made lists of my favorite restaurants and sent it to my Dash. Now, when I'm out in search of a good happy hour, I hit my happy hour list and it shows me the closest locations. The possibilities are exciting.
  
  The screen is bright and easy to read. No problem viewing from angles.
  
  The device is smaller than I expected after reading the other reviews. I was expecting a massive brick, but it's about the same size as my old TomTom.
  
  Attaching and removing the unit from the mount is very easy.
  
  Street updates are delivered for free for the life of the device. If you live in a city with a lot of growth and construction, your GPS won't become extinct in a few years. Keep this in mind when considering the subscription price. When paired with GPRS, it's pretty economical.
  
  Cons:
  It takes too long to find a satellite...sometimes minutes. I found my old TomTom to be significantly faster. It's bearable, but I'm surprised. It connects to the GPRS or WiFi quickly.
  
  There are very few GeoRSS feeds available. I'm unsure why it doesn't accept Geo information in an RSS feed. Many Web site's easily parse out this information. Imagine the possibilities of being able to take a feed from Trulia when you're house hunting and map out the best route. There's some untapped potential here.
  
  The voice quality is OK. You only have the choice of one female voice and the pronunciation is mediocre. I'm not sure how many devices accomplish this better. Fortunately, the street name is clearly displayed and easily read on the screen. I set mine on mute.
  
  Whenever a search update is delivered to your car, it notifies you. It happens often and is completely useless and an utter distraction. The device should update without distracting the driver.
  
  I want to see Yahoo reviews. It only shows stars and very little information about the business.
  
  From a usability perspective, I like that I'm able to make a list of my favorite restaurants, send it to the Dash, and then search this list based on what's "nearby". The problem is that after you push the button to show you "nearby" listings, it doesn't sort by distance. The time it takes to push extra buttons is valuable and I think Dash can do better.
  
  I expected more Internet functionality. I understand that they don't want you driving and browsing the Internet, but since the GPS detects motion there are ways to prevent this without killing what could possibly be the coolest feature of the device. I'm asking for Kindle like Internet quality...nothing special, but enough to get you out of a bind when you need some information. The dash is very limited in what it can do.
  
  I'm not sure why they partnered with Yahoo. Google's the obvious leader with maps, data, and search. The search is OK, but I'm a bit more impressed with the map functionality on my iphone.
  
  My.dash.net is extremely, painfully slow. Maybe because they just launched to the public recently, but they need to upgrade quickly before more users get online. That said, I think it's a brilliant idea and executed better than it needed to be. I expect only good things from the future plans rumored for the site.
  
  Conclusion:
  Despite the minor con's, I love the dash. All of my complaints can be addressed through software updates, which are delivered free. I only wish Austin had a bit more traffic to make it more useful. It's already changing the way I drive. In my pursuit of technology that saves me more time than it costs me, I think Dash is a winner.
  
  
• Dash Express - a winner
  By A34YMSGGD3FJ39 on 2008-04-01
  First of all, I am neither a beta tester nor do I have any connection with the Dash Corporation. I ordered my unit based on the fact that: my Garmin was getting a little old; and I was intrigued with the connectivity, not just for traffic, but also for web searches for information. I paid for it the old-fashioned way - myself!
  
  Admittedly, I have had my unit only for about 30 hours (it arrived on the 31st), but I am pleased with almost every aspect of it so far.
  
  To comment on some of the complaints:
  
  Size: it is not as small as a nuvi, but appears to be about the same size as my Garmin c330, although more elegantly designed. I personally don't find the size to be a problem since I don't plan to walk around with a GPS - I use my iPhone Maps to determine my location outside of the car if I get lost. Someone commented that the power connection was on the cradle and not directly into the unit. I don't see that as a problem, I see that as a feature and have the same feature with my old Garmin. There is a power connection on the unit when you want to power up inside, but popping the unit from the cradle is a snap and the power connection stays connected on the cradle.
  
  Graphics: Someone complained they looked "elementary." I find them to be clean and crisp. The white line that outlines the route took a bit of getting used to since I was used to the highlighted pink of the Garmin, but now that I have gotten used to it (in this short period of time), I like it. I do agree that zooming in on the three D mode when approaching an intersection would be helpful. The screen is bright and easy to read.
  
  Routing: I've been pleased with the speed of routing and the "recalculating" function. There is no verbal indication that the recalculating is occurring, but it does happen quickly (and the word "recalculating" appears on the top of the screen. I like having the several choices of routes (from 1 - 3) and have found them to be the exact routes that my Garmin has recommended (again only a day of use). I appreciate the ability to upload address from my computer to be accessible on my Dash when I get into my car. I had never thought I'd appreciate the traffic function, but so far have found it to be great. Living in Atlanta, there are obviously a number of other units in the area and I'm finding that not only the interstates, but also the main surface streets in the areas I traveled thus far have up-to-date traffic information.
  
  And I've already saved 20 cents a gallon on gas. That's going to continue to be a great pay off..
  
  Although I've only used a Garmin up through yesterday, I have observed Tom-Toms and Magellans and dealer-installed units in friends cars and I realize that each one has a different look and feel to the way things are handled and processed. I must admit, however, that so far I'm pleased with the look and feel of the Dash and would find it difficult to go back.
  
  The Dash truly is the iPhone of GPS units (if not in design elegance, at least in functionality) and is an amazing first generation product. The learning curve is not great. The unit and the way it operates is elegant. And I look forward to any upgrades that might make it even better.
  
  
• Not Your Father's GPS
  By A2OKU055JKLULW on 2008-03-27
  I've been testing with Dash for just under a year. The Dash Express is not your father's GPS unit -- Dash is changing the game.
  
  The live traffic is great. I'm in the Bay Area and have been lucky enough to have quite a few other Dash testers in the area. The accuracy of the traffic colors and ETAs have been very good -- I've found that traffic colors are updated more quickly than in Google Maps on my Blackberry or 511.org. It even shows traffic on side streets (both historical and live), great for avoiding nasty intersections and backups in parts of town you don't know.
  
  I've long been frustrated by GPS units. Great potential, but firmware and POIs and maps get out of date and updating isn't cheap, or easy. This is something you simply don't have to worry about with the Dash. I get home, it hooks up to my WiFi network from the garage and downloads any new updates. (WiFi performance is especially impressive.)
  
  It contains plenty of hooks for the technical user to dig into. For example, you can take an RSS feed and 'geo-encode' it using Yahoo Pipes and save it as a search on the Dash. You could make your own geo-RSS feed if you wanted, or input a KML file.
  
  http://my.dash.net/developer/feed_formats?layout=popup
  
  There's also an API in development.
  
  The online search has already saved me many times. A few months ago my parents were visiting and we were running errands in a part of town I don't know well at all. It's 2PM, we missed lunch, we're hungry and grumpy, and we're in one of those industrial parks where restaurants aren't common and we haven't seen anything, never mind anything appealing. I enter 'mexican' into the Dash and via Yahoo Local it pops up a five-star taqueria a few blocks away. It didn't look like much from the outside, but the rating was well deserved. I never would have found it without the Dash Express. Happy and full, we were able to pick the route home with the least traffic.
  
  This is just release 1.0. While there are a lot of things I want to see added (defining custom routes, etc) the good news is the people at Dash listen to feature requests and with the Dash Express' WiFi software updates, I might actually see them.
  
  
• Revolutionary in some areas, good in others.
  By A1GRE84WPHGV14 on 2008-04-08
  I've owned a few different units over the years and it seems everyone does certain things very well and in other areas could use some improvement. This unit is no exception but a few of the things that it does VERY well are features that I love. I travel a lot of long distance traveling, 5-12 hours typically 2-3 times a month. I don't use my GPS as a media device nor for bluetooth so these functions are not important to me.
  
  My history with GPS units include the Garmin 2610, Garmin Nuvi 680 and the Magellen Maestro 3250. I'll run through a few pros and cons of each unit.
  
  Garmin 2610
  Pros
  -best routing preferences I've seen, you can rank major hwys, secondary roads and local roads on a scale between 1-10 for routing preferences.
  -has ability to find POI's along your current route
  
  Cons
  -no traffic
  -big and bulky
  -$150 annual map upgrades (I believe this price has come down).
  -long time to boot up
  -lose reception and directions are gone
  
  Garmin Nuvi 680
  Pros
  -small in size, packs a lot of features, easy to use
  -quick to map and has ability to find POI's on your current route
  
  Cons
  -Limited routing preferences (no-uturn, avoid tolls, avoid highways and avoid unpaved roads) You can pick shortest or fastest or off road
  -MSN connectivity not ready for prime time, I commute 30 miles to work and work right at the Lincoln tunnel. MSN does not pick up a signal until I am 2-3 miles outside of NYC, WAY too late to help me with traffic. The traffic is pretty useless as a result even within 10 miles of the largest city in the US.(returned it as a result after 9 months)
  -even when MSN works you can only see regular fuel prices (I drive a diesel truck so it doesn't help me locate diesel fuel stations)
  -can't use zip codes
  
  Magellan Maestro 3250
  Pros
  -if you don't like the route you can click on a specific turn in the navigation to eliminate that portion of the route and the unit will recalculate the route with the exclusion (very cool feature)
  -has 3 options Nuvi has for routing, plus use most highway
  -when highway traveling you can search upcoming exits for food, fuel and lodging (very cool feature)
  
  Cons
  -NAVIGATION IS HORRIBLE!!!! I can't stress this enough, this unit CONSTANTLY tries to reroute you around ghost traffic. Traveling from the NC boarder to Morristown NJ, the unit read 16 hours with traffic for an 8 hour trip. At one point the unit tried to reroute us 45 miles south on I-95 while we were traveling north. When we arrived at the trafficed area there wasn't anything there and it was 11:30pm when it would be VERY unlikely a traffic issue would exisit. Traffic is very important to me and if for no other reason this is the worst unit I've ever owned(I bought it for traffic)
  
  The Dash unit does a few things very well.
  Pros-
  -Traffic is amazing, even with the unit just being launched last week. I travel home during some serious traffic times and the unit does a fantastic job of keeping me up to the minute on traffic.
  -Connectivity works very well, a world of difference from the Garmin
  -Send to Car makes life very easy to send addresses and searches right to the unit
  -Yahoo Search is also a fantastic feature, many many POI's on the other units I've owned are not still in busines Dash does a great job in this area and is second to none.
  -Yahoo tells me the prices on each grade of fuel and diesel also!
  -gives up to 3 routing choices
  
  Cons
  -when coming to a turn there isn't a split screen or any beep or any type of indication of when to turn.
  -location of the car isn't 100 percent accurate like the other units
  -no "along current route" searches you can search in your area or in a city but not along your current route
  -does not offer routing preferences
  
  Overall I think the yahoo and traffic capabilities are great features and make up for any minor shortcomings of the product as others have mentioned. The fact that dash has promised at least two upgrades a year at no additional cost, makes this unit with the 10 dollar a month service charge pay for itself. With that in mind, there are some improvements I'd like to see to make this unit the best in every category. No unit I've used is the best at everything, but Dash is so good at some of the things that are important to me, the things it doesn't do well are only an afterthought for improvement.
  
  
  
  
• Unfortunately DASH is not quite ready for "Prime Time"
  By A13VKWDIQWTZHR on 2008-04-03
  I love GPS technology and have four GPS units including the original "Never Lost" based system that required lots of wring and vehicle mounting. (The portable version weighed five pounds).
  
  I just purchased my DASH unit on Monday and like it, but unfortunately do not "love" it. The bottom line is that this unit is not quite ready for "prime time". Yes it has some cutting edge features. However it also lacks features that have been on other models for many years.
  
  First of all let me address the issue of the service fee. Most all of us (especially me) hate monthly or annual service fees. However it is important to note that it is cheaper to own than comparable units from other vendors. Most charge $100-$200 for an annual map updates (if they even get around to providing one). Owners of some models have not had any options to update their units. DASH has committed to providing two updates per years. In addition they will also seamlessly provide firmware updates. This is a huge benefit and easily outweighs the monthly subscription fee.
  
  Pros:
  
  1. Ability to send addresses to your unit via computer within seconds is a great feature and truly a time saver.
  
  2. You can also send address information to a friend's DASH unit.
  
  3. The ability to find gas stations and display prices as well as find movie theaters and display movie times is a great feature.
  
  4. I have also set up custom searches from MY Dash and transmitted them to my DASH unit.
  
  5. The traffic feature is a nice, however has not been of much use in my first few days of use. I do think it is a terrific use of technology and will increase in benefit as there are more DASH units in the field.
  
  6. Top notch customer service. I have communicated with DASH support both by phone and email and have been impressed by their knowledge and responsiveness. Other GPS companies (i.e. Magellan should be paying attention).
  
  
  CONS:
  
  1. No tone/chime just prior to the time a driver should implement a procedure similar to the Magellan?
  
  The tone/chime is very reassuring and provides the necessary warning just prior to implementing a maneuver. With the DASH I have to spend too much time looking at the display to make sure I do not miss a maneuver. This negates much of the safety benefit of having a GPS unit in your vehicle.
  
  With the DASH it is too easy to miss a turn.
  
  2. Lack of an automatic split screen with a zoom (also similar to the Magellan) as the next maneuver approaches?
  
  This is another great feature to insure a driver does not miss a maneuver. Plus the zoomed screen only requires a slight glance instead of having to stare at the smaller graphic on the DASH unit.
  
  3. It does not display the name of the "CURRENT" street/road in addition to displaying the upcoming street/road?
  
  I realize screen space in limited. But there is a real comfort in knowing you are on the correct street and its name. Other units have this feature.
  
  4. As stated in a previous review the map graphics on the DASH are not up to a par of those from Magellan and Garmin. One reviewer remarked it looked as though they were designed by a high school graphics class. That may be an insult to high school students as I think they may have been able to do a better job. Hopefully this will be addressed by DASH in a future update.
  
  Any of my four other GPS units (even those with smaller screens) do a much better job of allowing me to glance at a screen to determine my location and upcoming maneuvers.
  
  5. Lack of choices to include (exclude) interstates, toll roads, etc. This was also noted in the USA Today review along with issues of the unit freezing and being slow to pick up the satellites. Their reviewer gave it 2 ½ out of 4 stars).
  
  I believe the DASH offers several big improvements in GPS technology. The DASH is an innovative unit and will have other companies scrambling. However like most any newly released product it does need to tweaking to live up to the "hype" and expectations of customers. Hopefully the graphics and other issues will be addressed in an upcoming firmware update.
  
  Unfortunately DASH responded to an email yesterday and indicated there are no immediate plans to address these issues. This makes it likely I will be returning my DASH unit.
  
  Hopefully in the future they will have a more complete package.
  
  
  
• Reviews or Campaign?
  By A1DQS8PI0726D2 on 2008-03-29
  Whenever I see a product with so many 5-star ratings, I get a little suspicious. It's always a good idea to take a close look at the reviewers to see what kind of history they have. If a significant number of 5-star reviews come from first-time reviewers, that's an indication that you MIGHT be looking at an orchestrated campaign. Just an indication, mind you.
  
  As of this writing, there are 19 5-star reviews for this product. Here is how those break down:
  
  13 of 19 (68%) are from reviewers who have not reviewed ANY OTHER product. (One of the 13 is a non-review).
  
  2 of 19 reviewers have rated ONE other product.
  
  2 of 19 reviewers have rated TWO other products.
  
  1 of 19 reviewers has rated THREE other products (caveat: the other 3 are Dash-related).
  
  1 of 19 reviewers has rated FIVE other products.
  
  Keep in mind, this is a snapshot in time. It is possible that these reviewers will add additional reviews, either legitimately or to bolster their credibility.
  
  
  
  
  
• A+ for Innovation, C- for functionality
  By A2KF3H5304I4IA on 2008-04-16
  Update #3:
  August 2008
  The bad news is that it broke. The touch screen threw itself out of alignment (apparently a number of Dash owners have experienced this). This meant that you can not get past the legal disclaimer page. Fixing it necesitated a return.
  
  The good news is that Dash support was superb. The phone was answered quickly. I was given the option of returning it for repair or else having them send me a new unit and a return label for the broken one. The new one was shipped out right away via 2 day UPS.
  
  Routing remains an issue. Dash is now saying that an updated routing algorithm will not be available until end of year. Hopefully, for Dash's sake, they have this ready prior to the holiday buting surge.
  
  
  
  Update #2:
  
  The June update was indeed released. It introduced a few new features and improved the interface in a few areas. Unfortunately, we have still not seen a revised routing algorithm and the DE continues to send users in 50 mile circles as it strives to stay on major highways no matter what. Dash states they are working on improvements but no dates have been provided. Just this month I bought a GPS as a gift for a colleague. I considered the DE but instead opted for a Garmin solely because of the routing issues.
  
  Update #1.
  
  Having lived with the DE for over a month now, I would give it a C+ for current state with an A for potential. The routing algorithms seem to have some significant issues. That is not good considering the primary function of a PND. This is a device I really want to love but the flaws are tough to overlook. A major new software update is pending this month so hopes are high that it will address many of the issues, especially with routing.
  
  On a recent trip from Philadelphia to Ocean City, MD I experienced. 1) Less than optimal routing (only one choice given vs. 3 from TomTom), a lock up that required hard reboot, at one point it told me to make a hard left turn onto rte 13. This was in the middle of the highway and made no sense from any perspective at all. Unfortunately, when traveling in unfamiliar territory, I still grab the Magellan or the TomTom. (I am one who thinks the Garmin's have been dumbed down in their interface).
  
  Early adopters saw a price drop of $100 (25%) within two months of release. Dash did not go as far as Apple in offering an equivalent service credit to early adopters but did recently give us 3 months of additional service. B- for customer focus.
  
  A new release of software is promised soon. Hopefully, this will address some of the shortcomings and raise the grade to a B+ or an A. If this is your ONLY gps, you might want to wait a couple of months. You may also benefit from further price drops.
  ============================================================
  First off, let me state that I am NOT a beta participant. I bought my DASH with my own $$$. I have also owned many different GPS units starting with a Garmin GPS III when they simply showed you where you are. I love gadgets. I own or have used current Garmins, Magellans, TomToms, and manufacturer equipped vehicles. I have also returned a few that I did not like thanks to Amazon's excellent customer service. I had been watching development of the Dash for some time and even though they rejected me for the beta, I decided to buy one. I had some reservations as I discredited the "best thing since canned beer" fanboys who got one for free as beta participants. On the other hand, there seemed to be a lot of negative comments from non-owners as well.
  
  After a few days of ownership, I do think the Dash is a game changer for GPS units. It raises the bar by offering something really new and unique. It has its shortcomings, most of which will likely be addressed in new software releases, others will need new hardware.
  
  After reading the comments about how huge the Dash is I was worried about what I would see in the box. My first thought on unpacking was, "eh, it ain't that bad". This is definitely not something to slip in your shirt pocket but is no more bulky than the Roadmate 700 series, the StreetPilots, or even the softball shaped TomTom 900 series. Once it is mounted to the windshield, you only see the screen and the size becomes a non-issue. If I were flying from city to city it would not be my first choice to carry. Yes, it could be sleeker but the average person who will keep it in his car, it is a non-issue. The windshield mount is extremely sturdy, probably the best design I have seen If you want to see a junk mount, try a TomTom 900 series.
  
  Upon powering her up she took about 3-4 minutes to get locked in and ready to go. On subsequent restarts the signal aquisition was within 30 seconds. What really surprised me was that I almost immediately saw both dashed and solid lines indicating other users on nearby highways. I thought I would be the only kid on the block for at least a few weeks. The menus seem very well laid out and logical. The display does not provide as many geographic landmarks as some but it is very clear and easy to read. Instead of an arrow you have an image of a car. A clever touch although I did see someone griping about not being able to have an arrow, get over it!
  
  At this point I have only about 200 miles on her so I will update this review as time progresses. Here are my initial observations. Some people have observed drifting of actual versus displayed position. I have not seen this as of yet. Even in areas where a bunch of roads run parallel, the tracking was spot on. I have also yet to experience problems with screen refreshes.
  
  The "send to" feature is nice and works well. The Yahoo search for POI's is excellent. Sure, Google is better but what Dash offers is leap years ahead of even the most comprehensive set of built in POI's.
  
  The routing algorithms definitely need some work. As others have noted, it sometimes proposes some outright bizzare choices. I suspect this will be addressed in upcoming software releases but is currently the Dash's greatest weakness. Most of the time the routes are OK but enough are not to raise concern. There is also a definite tendency to force you to a main road even when a secondary makes much more sense. Some people may blame this on use of teleAtlas versus NavTeq maps. I have other units with current versions of both. The differences between the two have really become negligible.
  
  The ability to choose among "avoid highways", "most use of highways", "avoid toll roads", etc. is a related item that will hopefully be addressed soon. Likewise, the ability to easily exclude a road is important.
  
  Auto-zoom on approach of turns is needed.
  The text to speech is functional but needs some tweaking.
  
  It was an unfortunate decision not to bluetooth enable the Dash. Having your GPS serve as a wireless speakerphone is really helpful. Unfortunately, I do not see this being supported until the next generation of Dash hardware.
  
  The button placement may cause you to inadvertently tap one for about your first minute of ownership. Personally, I like the idea of having buttons to quickly adjust volume, go to the main menu, etc. No qualms here.
  
  Dash seems very committed to addressing shortcomings, updating the software, and adding value over time. If they do this quickly and consistently they are to be commended. I always appreciated how Magellan made major new features available to the older Roadmates without requiring you to buy new hardware (unlike some other GPS manufacturers who only provide minor software updates). Let's hope that Dash delivers on its promises.
  
  Yes, you can get sexier hardware. Yes, the Dash routing engine needs some fixing and there are some features that are still lacking. But I do think that networking of GPS raises the bar to a whole new level and I am thus willing to make an early investment. The strenghts seem to outeigh the weaknesses and I do believe that within 6 months most of those weaknesses can and will be addressed.
  
  Two years from now these features may be common place. Dash does need to act fast and stop making stupid excuses about the poor routing like, "well, the primary market is commuters". Dash will either become an industry leader or else a page in the history books. I suspect that they will become a big player.
  
  
  
• Too Big, Too Expensive
  By ABXANRX4GPYRZ on 2008-03-27
  This thing is too big and too ugly. The included accessories are ugly as sin too. I found the massive dash mount horrible !! Please redesign it.
  
  The price is too high. You pay a hefty price for the unit and then ( $12.99 X 12 months ) = $155.88 a year for the service.
  
  The always connected idea is a good one, but there will be better products coming out this year using the new WiMax Xohm network which is very fast. It would be better to wait for the new Xohm connected GPS units due out soon.
  
  I recommend that you pass on this, expensive, ugly, giant size GPS !!
  
  
• Traffic, real time gas prices, theater times and more!
  By A28XRYMW8PSX22 on 2008-03-27
  I have been testing the Dash for the past few months and I have to say I love it! Not only is it a huge time saver in terms of avoiding traffic with real-time data, its connectivity creates amazing new benefits that Dash is only just beginning to develop.
  
  Two examples that are already available:
  
  1) Need Gas? You can search for all the stations in a given radius of your current location, then rank order them by the real-time cost per gallon at each station.
  
  2) Sudden impulse to see a movie? The system will find the nearest theaters *and* display the current movies and times for any theater.
  
  I can only begin to imagine the implications of this technology for future connected services.
  
  
• Not quite ready for prime-time
  By A3GVJ88EHS08RZ on 2008-05-17
  I wanted to love the Dash. I really did. I thought the concept was brilliant. I am changing jobs in a few months and will be using roads that aren't on the main traffic maps but have a LOT of traffic. I thought Dash would be perfect for my new commute.
  
  I bragged it up to my coworkers before I even got it, which was a mistake. The unit is really still in development and in my opinion was not ready to be released to the public.
  
  The biggest issue to me is the lack of gps functionality that I have grown accustomed to with my Garmin 2730 such as:
  The close-up window that pops up when you are approaching your turn.
  The ability to have spoken directions or not. (With Dash you mute all or nothing)
  The ability to avoid toll roads and dirt roads.
  The lack of a comprehensive POI database ON THE UNIT. If you can't connect to the network and you need to find something, you're probably screwed. There is not a whole lot on the unit.
  On the Garmin, if you don't know the actual street address but you know where it is on the map you can still go there because you can go to a point on the map. On the Dash, I couldn't do that. It was a problem since the road my job is on doesn't have a name according to dash. I had to set up a google map link then send it to car. Way too much work when I should be able to tap a spot on the map and say "go here".
  
  I recently took both my Dash and my Garmin side by side on the dashboard on 100 mile trip. The Dash took me on a strange and circuitous route that added about 15 minutes to the time enroute. It also tried to send me down a road that didn't exist. The Garmin tried to route me around traffic that didn't exist, but at least it used a real road to do it.
  
  Some of the alternate routes the Dash would suggest were mind boggling. There are several routes I can take from home to work. Dash would come up with one, the same one I get from the Garmin, then suggest two other routes that basically had me drive 5 miles past my exit and then double back. Huh? Once it even gave me the option to make a complete circle around the beltway to come back. This stuff is fun to giggle at when you know where you're going but I couldn't trust it to go anywhere I didn't know. The Garmin doesn't always come up with the best routing but it's never been off by that much.
  
  I sent back the Dash with great sadness. The traffic is great. But the GPS is poor. It's too much money to just use it as a traffic receiver. Maybe in a year or so I'll try it again.
  
  
• Works well, will improve
  By A2N9KLL2Q0LA3T on 2008-04-05
  I have had the Dash for three days now and I happy to report that it works very well. It's not perfect, but with the ability to receive software updates at any time, it might just get close to it.
  
  The pluses:
  1)Traffic is very accurate and will only get better. It is better than my Nuvi 680's MSN traffic, which I found to be hit and miss (figuratively :)).
  2)Satellite access times are very quick. I don't know why some people are reporting slow times. Mine is as fast as the Nuvi, or faster.
  3)Gas prices are very complete. Much more complete than the Garmin. On the Garmin it would take minutes to receive the gas data. On the Dash, it's there almost immediately.
  4)Same with movie times. Much more complete than my Nuvi 680 via MSN. The Nuvi has maybe 20% of my local Los Angeles theaters. The Dash is nearly 100%. And again, you get the data right away, not in minutes.
  5)For that matter, same with traffic. You get it immediately, not in minutes on the morning start up on my Nuvi.
  6)The Send to Car feature, where you can type an address on your computer and send it to the Dash is amazing. It receives the send within one second! It's so fast that you almost can't believe it. What a great feature.
  7)Connected internet searching and routing changes everything. This may be the best feature. You get the impression that there everything out there is available. You get this feeling of limitless searching, which is exactly what a GPS should give you.
  8)The text to speech, while not as natural as the Garmin, is just fine. And louder than my Nuvi.
  9)The screen is very bright and the non reflective coating makes it easy to see in the day.
  10)The ability to be given up to three routes, while I wasn't that impressed at first, turns out to be a good choice. The Nuvi sometimes just doesn't give me the route I want to take. The Dash gives me a choice, which I like.
  11)The mounting bracket is very heavy duty. I don't think this will fall off the windshield like my Nuvi does all of the time. Of course, the unit is huge, too, so you need a large mount.
  
  Now for the minuses:
  1)It has bugs which need to be fixed. When you do a search you only get around 16 or so results. So if you ask for the restaurants in Los Angeles, which should bring in thousands of hits, you get around 16 or so (I haven't counted). I called Dash and they noted this as a reported bug they are working on.
  2)The UI is just not as nice as the TomTom or the Garmin. It looks more first generation. They tuned down the colors on the map so the traffic stands out, but it ends up looking too bland. They need to find a way to make it look nicer and not diffuse the traffic information.
  3)The menu system needs a redesign. Some choices sound the same, and take you to similar areas. It needs a rethink to make it easier to use.
  4)The 3D view shows an arrow where you need to turn. The 2D view doesn't. This needs to be corrected. You can't always tell where to turn in 2D view.
  5)For that matter, it isn't always easy to tell exactly which road is the route. Due to their muted colors, the route is white, but roads without traffic information are grey. These colors are too close to each other. The route itself should stand out more.
  6)Missing features: waypoints, avoidances, detours, etc. Dash says these will be added. Not sure why they weren't in version 1.0, but glad to hear they're coming.
  7)The size is big. But this is NOT a minue to me, because when you have it mounted you can't tell the size from the driver's perspective. You just see the screen, and the depth does not show to the driver.
  
  But all in all, I gave it a 4 rating for effort. This is a revolutionary unit. I don't have any doubt that their competition is sweating it out to make a similar product. In many ways, it's like the iPhone in the way it will change the GPS market. It has that potential.
  
  And imagine if they really do offer the features people have imagined they could: restaurant reservations, ticket purchases, email, web browsing, etc. At that point, the promise of the mobile internet in your car becomes very real. The Dash may just be able to pull it off.
  
  
• Has promise, needs development work
  By A15BP8X39Z3LMO on 2008-04-07
  I bought this the day it was available from Amazon...
  
  1) The unit is large, but it's not meant to be portable, and this isn't a deal breaker.
  
  2) The alternate routes option is nice, but it takes a long time to generate, and the unit will automatically reroute you mid-drive sometimes (even if you've chosen a route you know to be faster).
  
  3) It prefers major highways. On my way home from a friend's house, it takes me 2 miles out of the way to stay on a highway just because it connects to another highway that has an exit slightly closer to my house. This would add 3-5 minutes of trip time to a 15 minute trip.
  
  4) The Yahoo Local search only returns rated/reviewed restaurants. We were parked at the same corner as a dozen restaurants, and it only showed 2 when searching by "food" or "restaurant." Some of the other options using these keywords were as far as 10 miles away.
  
  5) You cannot read the Yahoo Local reviews. However, you can see the average rating (1 to 5 stars).
  
  6) "Searching for GPS" takes a long time when the car is initially started. I have made it over a mile before synchronization on multiple occasions.
  
  7) It needs a) WAYPOINTS b) POI ICONS c) ROAD AVOIDANCE
  
  All that being said, it beats the built-in unit I had in my 2004 Maxima. Based on value, I believe it loses to several of the Garmin models. However, with some work and new features, it will be the king.
  
  
• You gotta get a Dash
  By A2ERYHD8Y4SQ5R on 2008-03-28
  Update: I continue to integrate the Dash into my daily business--everything from long trips to short ones where I know the route, but want to know how the traffic is. It continues to be a solid and accurate tool. I am also noticing some increase in known traffic that may reflect an increase in users.
  
  I own a financial services firm and drive 20,000 miles per year throughout Southern California's traffic-clogged freeways, and the Dash is one of my favorite tools. I became a beta tester about a year ago after reading about the unit and the test program in the Orange County Register, so I've been using this thing (including the new release since December) for thousands of miles. I wouldn't think of driving any distance on a freeway without it.
  
  The layout of SoCal freeways is such that you often have several choices (e.g. driving from Orange County to Pasadena). I had long relied on the blunter instrument called the Traffic Gauge to help me navigate, but the Dash blows that away. It provides a fairly precise idea of what the traffic is doing on various freeways and surface streets, so that even if I don't select one of the three routes suggested I still have a better chance of taking the fastest route to my destination.
  
  Case in point: on one trip from Orange County to Pasadena the Dash posted a traffic alert--major accident and SigAlert on the 57 Northbound. It came in time to route me around it via the 60 Fwy and probably saved me a half hour. It mattered more than usual on that day as I was heading to an appointment that was very revenue significant.
  
  The Send2Car feature is outstanding--anyone in outside sales with inside support is going to love this. I'll regularly spend a few minutes sending the day's addresses to my unit before starting out. I can also have my assistant send an address while I'm out in the event an appointment is scheduled on short notice. It is also helpful that those addresses can be stored in the address book for later use.
  
  The accuracy of the Dash's ETA calculations has had a nice personal benefit as well. My wife stays at home with our two small children and anyone in that situation knows that accurate ETAs home for dinner are important (it can be a little tense coming in when you're an hour late!). We have named our Dash "Delilah Dash," and so when I tell my wife that Delilah has me home at, say 7:15 PM, we both know it's pretty reliable.
  
  The Yahoo search is also indispensable. I've used it to find a good breakfast joint on the way to appointments, I've tracked down gas stations by lowest price, and innumerable other conveniences.
  
  Finally, my experience with the folks at Dash, in particular technical support, has been very positive. Their system of problem reporting is very responsive: you report a problem from the unit itself, then later go online to confirm and detail it. They are very responsive and have made it a pleasure to deal with a company is committed its product and making the experience a good one.
  
  It is also apparent that the company plans on adding features and improving the unit over time. Being able to do this with on-air updates means your unit won't end up on the scrap heap of old cell phones and PDAs. Come to think of it, if you keep a car for more than five years, why in the world would you want to get an in-dash navigation system that is going to be out of date so early in the vehicle's life expectancy? The auto manufacturers ought to look at incorporating the Dash into their new cars.
  
  Walt Mossberg (Wall Street Journal) was right to assert that if the Dash becomes popular, it could be a big deal. I can't see how it won't become popular--once you use it you can't be without it.
  
  
  
  
• GPS with great promise but many flaws
  By A320RUH9SM5Y5V on 2008-04-03
  
  As a software engineer I immediately recognized how powerful a two-way GPS unit could be, and pre-ordered this unit directly from Dash. I'd like to share some of my first impressions with this unit. First of all, I'm not concerned with size or cost of subscription, those are just minor points to me. Up until now, I have relied on a Garmin unit with a TMC traffic receiver for my commute to and from work. The Garmin will always report that traffic is slow during commute hours, as it should, but it never communicates how slow. From experience I know that there are four alternatives driving from work to home, and depending on which time of the day it is, one is better than the other. For example, if I leave work at 5pm, the surface street route is the fastest. If I leave after 6pm, taking the expressway to bypass some of the freeway is the fastest. After 7pm, it is better to just stay on the freeway and after 8pm I'm better off taking a different freeway that has a higher speed limit. When I first purchased the Garmin I had hoped it would solve this for me automatically by giving me the fastest route for the particular time of day, but it never did. It did deliver on one point though, it always alerted me to accidents, so I could try to manually reroute around them (the automatic avoid reroute never worked very well).
  
  Enter the Dash Express. Finally a unit that focuses more on flow of traffic than just static "Slow traffic." reports that are, lets face it, the same every day. So far, the unit has failed to deliver. It has never once suggested one of the routes that I know from experience are faster. It is extremely hard to actually figure out if your drive is slower or faster since you cannot drive all four routes at the same time. I've been figuring out the better routes by keeping statistics over a year and collecting historical data, the same thing the Dash promises to do for me automatically. One day I decided to do an experiment. I picked the route that the Dash decided was the fastest, and got an estimated arrival time of 18:55, and I started driving the route I believed to be faster (Expressway). The Dash would keep trying to reroute me back, but I resisted. After awhile, I merged back onto the suggested route and the arrival time dropped to 18:51. This seems to suggest to me that I saved 4 minutes by not taking the units route. I know that my method is certainly not scientific, but it seems to indicate that the Dash still prefers freeway routes over surface streets, even if they are faster. To make things even worse, on my commute home yesterday there had been an accident and two lanes were blocked with traffic backed up for several miles. The accident itself was never visible on the unit, and it suggested that traffic flow was yellow, while it was closer to orange or red in reality. I turned on the radio and heard the traffic report, saying that the accident was reported 30 minutes ago, yet there was nothing on the Dash other than yellow traffic. I checked my Garmin unit, and it had the accident listed. My commute took 30 minutes longer than it was supposed to just because I was not aware of the accident.
  
  How does it function as a normal GPS unit? Again, not very impressive. It frequently thinks I'm exiting the freeway, even though I'm not. When driving down the street it will all of a sudden decide to reroute me around a block of houses, as if it believes I turned, when in fact I'm still going straight. For my commute this is not much of an issue, since I know where I'm going, but if I were traveling to some place I have never been before I would much rather bring my Garmin with me. I have little confidence in the routing capabilities of the Dash right now.
  
  So, to sum things up, my first impression is one of disappointment. I still have very high hopes for this unit and I think that many of the things can be fixed in future software updates. I think they are on to something here, but it is not quite being executed the right way. Maybe it is a matter of getting more units on the road, maybe it is a matter of changing how alternative routes are calculated. The jury is still out on how fast Dash will fix issues (if ever). As an early adopter, I'm willing to give this thing a couple of more months to see how things pan out, and I would not discourage anyone from getting a unit since we need more units out there. Having said that, at this point in time I do not believe the unit adds enough value to my commute to cancel out the drawbacks of this unit (higher price, subscription fee, bulkiness, etc).
  
  
• 1st Day Impressions - LA Area
  By AJNK3PED26XO9 on 2008-04-04
  I just received my Dash Express today and I must say it is a must in the LA area. I previously had the Garmin c580 (with MSNDirect Traffic). I am very impressed with the Dash and I look forward to future improvements. That being said this device is much better than my Garmin. Here is why....
  
  1) The traffic on this device is amazing. Obviously, it will be much more accurate when more people buy the device. However, the historical data is much better than anything that MSN Direct offered as "live" data. I drove on some side streets and noted that about 5 minutes later my traffic progress was noted on the display in solid colors. With living in LA traffic, there is no other GPS on the market to consider.
  
  2) Navigation (3D Mode) - I found that the routes do not take long at all. Maybe slightly longer than the Garmin, but the Dash has more detailed traffic information and more calculations to process.
  
  I found upcoming turns to be much better with the dash. With the Garmin, I found myself in LA making a turn on a highway and not knowing which lane to be in for the next turn. This was a problem if the turns were close together. Not a problem with the Dash because the voice alerts you to your turn and the next turn and displays at the top of the screen which way your next turn is with the street name and distance. Yes, you could get this info on the Garmin if you pushed a button to see upcoming turns, but who wants to eat, text message, AND push your GPS while driving (just a joke). The upcoming turn is highlighted with a big blue arrow so you will not miss when you should make a turn. I was worried with the no auto zoom that knowing were to turn would be an issue, but it is not at all. In fact, I find it easier than my Garmin because of the turn message at the top of the display. The only issue I had was that the unit took a second to process the next turn on a few turns.
  
  You can see the road you are currently traveling on if you click on the car icon. This will show your current postition and road. The road you are on is also displayed on the map after certain intervals. I did find that you can find your current speed and stats for a trip once you complete a trip.
  
  When travelling on the map without a route, it would be nice to have the names of upcoming streets pop up like the Garmin offers. This could be an easy software update.
  
  The 3 routes are great and the time of arrival was spot on within 1-2 minute for my trips.
  
  3) Search Feature - The only searches I have tried so far was (a) gas, (b) iphone, (c) fajitas.
  
  (a) Showed me the price of a regular gallon of gas. If you click on details, it also shows you the mid-grade and premium. I then routed to the gas station and the prices were dead on. The Garmin through MSN Direct were 1-3 days old and often incorrect.
  
  (b) I had to try....and it pointed me to every AT&T store in the area. Note: there were no Apple stores near were I was travelling at the time.
  
  (c) Fajitas pulled up great southwest and mexican restaurants around the area. I agree that the rating system is cool but would love to read user reviews!
  
  4) Send to Car Feature - This feature is great. Let me tell you about an alternate way to get your adresses that I found out after receiveing the unit. You can download a easy plugin (provided by Dash) so that when you are on a webpage....say a business website....and you would like to navigate to that business, you can simply highlight the address on the webpage (any webpage) and right click and select "Send to Car". This will save a lot of time for people and will be great for sales people. The other plugin is one for Outlook. You can also of course go to your personal Dash webpage and send an address that way as well.
  
  I apologize for the long review, but I think that some of these features are worth noting for future purchasers. I know I would have liked to known some of them before I hit the "add to cart" button. In summary, I would highly recommend this product to people in major metropolitan areas. I only rated it four stars because I think there are a few items that can be (not fixed) but enhanced in future updates. However, if you want a device to help you navigate through traffic better than any other device, wait no longer....purchase a Dash Express.
  
  
  
• How did I ever live without my Dash???
  By A3U1B9W0ETJMQD on 2008-03-27
  First and foremost, the dash is a solid gps/pnd that will get you where you want to go. However, that is just the beginning because the dash is so much more. Because it has both wi-fi and cellular data connections it is an always internet connected device. This is what separates the dash from the competition - - - it means it gives you the best live traffic (it gets traffic info from the internet and other actual dash drivers on the same roads) and then gives you 3 route options based on that traffic, the ability to search the internet for anything and everything (not just sthe limited POI's that come pre-loaded on most devices), the ability to send addresses directly to the device from your computer even when the dash is still in your car (you never have to print out a map or write down an address ever again), and the Dash can always update itself with the latest software and maps! It is simply head and shoulders above the rest of the competition.
  
  By far my favorite features have to be the send-to-car feature and the traffic features. It is so amazingly convenient to be able to use the browser plug-ins to get addresses into the device. Even better, is that fact that I never have to worry about writing addresses down or remembering to bring a mapquest print out with me (which used to mean having to go back inside when I realized I forgot it). The traffic features have also been a great thing to have. The dash has time and again saved me from heading into a bad traffic situation or re-routed me once something has come up mid-route. I'm not sure how much time I've saved over the last 9 months with my dash devices, but I definitely appreciate every minute of it!
  
  I know some people might think all these features are great, when will it really come in handy. Between Christmas and New Years, my wife and I were roped into to visit to see my sister and her new baby back in Columbia MD. Needless to say, since the baby is only up for a couple of hours at a time, there was not much to do just sitting around the house for a week. So, thankfully we borrowed my brother in-law's car and I brought my dash. It was great being able to navigate to and around D.C. and Baltimore without getting lost. Even better, we could think of things we wanted to do on the fly and Dash was able to use the Yahoo search to find them and then get us there. The time it truly saved us though was when we had gone out to dinner the night before and had been passengers in the car. My wife left her scarf at the restaurant. When we got back to hotel and realized the scarf was missing it was easy to use Dash to find the restaurant and the number to find out if they had it, and finally drive ourselves back. All in all, dash certainly made the trip much more enjoyable.
  
  Like others who have reviewed the device, I was a beta tester. However, my opinion of the device is completely honest. I've only seen the Dash get better and better as I have driven with it for the last 9 months or so, and I can't imagine how I functioned without it before then.
  
  
• Dash's March Software Update FIXED problems noted by Beta Testers
  By A1ZFM6TJAUEZ70 on 2008-04-04
  After ordering my Dash, I became concerned about a couple of negative reviews from beta testers mostly concerning the Dash's navigational features. I was fully prepared to return it once I tested this out myself. I have now used the Dash for a week, and, not only will I not be returning it, I'll probably end up getting a 2nd one for my spouse.
  
  Bottom line on navigation:
  1. Routing is great, there are multiple routes presented where possible, including new routes I didn't even know existed (that avoided traffic.)
  
  2. When you deviate from the route, Dash recalculates a new route BEFORE I reach the next city block! Literally took only a few seconds.
  
  3. The new recalculated route does not just try to get you back to one of the original routes! I drove on a minor street parallel to a more primary street that Dash had chosen. Rather than just telling me to take one of many side streets to cut back over to this primary road, Dash kept me on the road I was driving on and calculated a new route from this street - I never was directed back to the other road. My older gps would have never done this.
  
  One of the negative reviews focused on how much Dash kept only to primary roads, so I wondered why my Dash did not have this problem. I checked support Q&A on the mydash website and discovered they had implemented substantial software updates in both Feb. & March prior to releasing the units. The updates included fixes for the problems listed in the beta tester's negative review.
  
  So far, the traffic info from the Dash has been amazingly accurate. I tend to avoid major highways, so I wasn't sure how much traffic info I would get. I was shocked to see the roads I use contain traffic info - and, not only was there info, it was correct!
  
  Other than accurate traffic info, my favorite feature is send2car. No MORE typing in addresses. Just right click from the computer, send to car, and, it's there when you turn on the car. From there you can click & save the address in your Dash directory or just delete it after you've arrived, VERY EASY & convenient.
  
  For anyone living in a congested area, this is the device you want to have in your car!
  
  
• Next Generation of GPS
  By A9ZG3C75SW6L6 on 2008-03-27
  I have owned over five GPS's over the past eight years and the Dash Express is light years ahead of any of them. Having so many GPS's I have realized that I am extremely picky about what I like and have an obsession for knowing where I am and my surroundings. The Dash Express more than fills that need.
  
  I have had this unit since last fall and have truly enjoyed it and its benefits. From having connected search (via Yahoo), to up to the minute traffic, to the networked GPS feature that only Dash has.
  
  This unit does not play video's or MP3's. It will not work with your cell phone to make calls. What it does do is implement a very creative method of navigation for today's drivers, a two-way GPS. Having both the real-time traffic update and the other Dash user's data means that I have the most accurate picture of the traffic on my trip possible. If I run into trouble, while that can be frustrating, I can know that I am updating the Dash network and other Dash users with my traffic data, on the fly.
  
  Another feature that is great is the ability to "push" addresses to the unit (or a friend or family members unit). We purchased a second Dash Express for my wife's car and we recently went over to a friends new house and my wife had received an email invitation to dinner with their new address. From her computer she was able to take that address from outlook and push it to her Dash unit, still in her car. When we left that night for dinner, we had their new address once we turned on the car.
  
  Another feature that is wonderful is the fact that its search is updated live. Gas prices, movie times, etc are all in the device. Search for a gas station or movie theatre and it also has the prices and movies playing and their times. Search can be customized from your computer so you will always know where your favorite restaurant or store is near you.
  
  Dash also has other abilities that are built into the unit like GeoRSS feeds that allow for RSS data that is tagged with a location (Lat-Long) can be read. This feature and a couple of others promise that you are not just getting what is in the box now, but there are many other features that Dash will push as updates to users. They have a great web-page for your unit so that you can customize it (MyDash) and have plugins for both Outlook and Internet Explorer. Maps, Traffic , and the Operating system can all be updated. This means I not only have a great GPS today, but next week, month, and year...
  
  
• I have put thousands of miles on the Dash Express - Worth every penny
  By A3H1ADVJ2EYSB on 2008-03-28
  I was one of the lucky beta testers of the original product and ended up purchasing the shipping hardware in January to continue testing. I put away my Garmin 660 for the Express. I have put thousands of miles on the Express around Los Angeles over many months in many different driving areas. Don't believe the reviews from people who have not actually put miles on it. It has been a huge improvement for me over my previous GPS devices. I use Send 2 Car all the time and this is my killer feature. I right click on just about any address on my computer and send it to my Express. I can queue up the days meetings on the Express and use them throughout the day. Less typing on my GPS is always good. I also like the Express traffic display that gives me street level traffic information on many major streets around LA as well as freeways. I like the "over the air" software updates. With my Garmin 660 I would forget to connect it and miss important updates. Dash reminds me and I can keep driving while some updates are happening. Yahoo feeds and search have been a life saver. Results come up quickly.
  
  Overall the Express is a real winner for those of you who want to make driving better. After 6 months, I am glad I purchased and Dash has actually saved me $$ on Gas and Time. Some have complained about the subscription. Well worth it in my opinion based on what I paid for traffic alone on other devices.
  
  I have no connection to Dash. I am just satisfied customer.
  
  
• Wait for next version!
  By A15MEKQEYOMHEC on 2008-04-10
  Prepare to be disappointed with this version of the Dash express. Great concept but poor implementation. I tried it hands on daily for 10 days in the SF bay area, but returned it today.
  
  Three main reasons:
  
  1. Poor usability: Mount keeps falling off, too hard to keep taking the unit in and out of the mount and the buttons on the top are pain to reach and control. Also, any button you press - it asks for a confirmation; is this running Windows?
  
  2. Poor routes: Takes too long to find a route and finds routes that are almost always sub-optimal. First there is the startup time before it finds the satellites, then you click on a destination and it spins and spins and spins before it comes up with a route and ... by that time, you are half way there!
  
  3. Unreliable traffic: This device has consistently routed me into heavy traffic and accidents, MULTIPLE times. I could hear the reports on radio, see the delays on my Nuvi, but not this device. The reliable traffic was the reason I bought this ginormous device in the first place...
  
  All in all, wait for the next version -- hopefully that'll fix the problems.
  
  
• Dash Rocks My World
  By A2GSNUIQPMMG29 on 2008-03-27
  I have been one of the lucky few that has been demoing the Dash Express for the past few months and it definitely takes the GPS to the next level. The network of Dash users is just beginning to be built out, but already Dash provides accurate real time traffic data. The Yahoo! search function is a huge plus for tracking down the closest In-n-Out Burger or finding a shop to buy presents for my wonderful girlfriend. Two-way connectivity is the future of the GPS industry and Dash is already there. Can't wait for more people to get the Dash and make the network even better... it's only a matter of time.
  
  
• A Search Engine for Your Car
  By ANVGAOYPKPUX1 on 2008-03-27
  I have been beta testing this device for close to a year. No other in-car GPS comes even close. And I own several.
  
  It's like having a search engine in your car!
  
  The send to car feature is great. Before heading out the door to a place I've never been, I use the "send to car" feature to send my destination address to the device from my computer. Or, if I forget, I can call a friend and have them send an address to my device while I'm driving. It really becomes a second nature feature - you check out a restaurant online and within moments the address is waiting for you on the Dash.
  
  Every time I'm out running errands and think of one I forgot to prepare for, I have a Dash Moment. In the past, I'd usually just go home and go back out again, because I didn't know where the closest bicycle repair shop, or library was and would have to check online. While other GPSes also have points of interest, they're limited in the points they hold and you can usually only search by title. With the Dash, it's like having a search engine right in your car - you can search for concepts, like bicycle repair or dog wash and actually get relevant, local results. It's great!
  
  
• Dash Express Deserves the Good Press
  By A35YXTOFMANUQZ on 2008-04-07
  Overall, to me the Dash Express is impressive and fully deserving of the many positive ratings that it has received.
  
  I ordered a unit after reading the review in the Wall Street Journal. It arrived 2 days ago, and I've been checking it out since. My other points of reference for GPS are in-car systems in an Acura and BMW, MS Streets & Trips on my laptop, and iGuidance (versions 2,3 & 4)on a PDA. I was considering the purchase of a Navigon 7100 unit before settling on the Dash.
  
  Pro's
  > Offers multiple routes
  > touch screen is very responsive
  > excellent search feature
  > it adjusts quickly to route deviations (I see others complained about this, so I went off course deliberately several times just to check.)Every time I did so, it rerouted in a matter of a few seconds. The only time it told me to take a u-turn is when I drove past the one exit to the airport.
  > the features offered thru the internet are great. Send to Car allows you to type an address with a keyboard and send it to the unit. I have always found the mechanics of entering an address in a GPS unit to be laborious. The ability to create/save/load search categories is also excellent.
  > even in my small city hometown, there is good built in traffic data. This is the first unit I've seen that did not want to route me down the busiest, most heavy traveled street in a 50 mile radius.
  > the map is minimalist -- sort of strictly focused on getting you to your destination -- if a vibrant, colorful map is a requirement for you, this could be a con.
  > software and map updates pushed to the unit automatically.
  > voice instructions are direct & plain and don't require as much interpretation as I'm used to.
  
  
  Con's
  - no auto zoom or pop-up turn arrows
  - internet features offer plug-ins, but doesn't currently support Outlook 2007 or the beta version of Firefox that I'm using.
  - doesn't support way points in routing (although the FAQs on the Dash website say this is high on their list of features to add.
  
  Miscellaneous Comments
  The unit is not as small as some of the more recent units from Garmin, etc. but it is not as bulky as the photo or other comments would suggest.
  
  After the 3-month trial, there is a service fee to keep the live traffic & internet data connections going. The other units I'm familiar with all require you to purchase map updates once or twice a year or a new software version annually to stay current. The cost for this is equal to or greater than the service fee for Dash, which updates map data and provides software updates.
  
  People have also commented on the voice -- I found the volume good; the voice i