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| Dash Express Two-Way Internet-Connected Portable GPS Navigator | 
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| Brand: Dash
Category: CE
List Price: $299.99
Buy New: $299.00
You Save: $0.99 (0%)
New (1) Used (2) from $199.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  166 reviews
Sales Rank: 1719
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Native Resolution: 480 x 272
Display Size: 4.3
Includes MP3 Player: 0
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 2.8 x 4.8 x 4.1
MPN: 99-1000-001
Model: 99-1000-001
UPC: 892437002012
EAN: 0892437002012
ASIN: B0014CIBWC
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 Great device if you are lost March 29, 2008
364 out of 511 found this review helpful
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.
 An absolutely awesome GPS on steroids! March 29, 2008
13 out of 18 found this review helpful
Dash Express Two-Way Internet-Connected Portable GPS Navigator
About a year ago I heard about a need for testers for this next generation gps unit. I repair restaurant equipment in and around the Twin Cities metropolitan area. and am constantly driving to locations. That got me accepted as a tester of Dash's beta unit.
Initially, I didn't know what to expect, but was compairing it to a Lexus factory installed 2008 unit. That first unit did OK, but was stone ages compared to the final Dash Express. I'd like to add that the testers were not paid for their services and are not paid for our recommandations, good or bad. I think that has made for a more honest testing and ideas from the testers because we have no monetary reason to be loyal to Dash. In fact we pay the same monthly rates as you do.
The end result of all this is an electronic marvel to behold. Being new to GPS myself, I only knew what I had seen on the Lexus unit. That wasn't enough to entice me to own one. Then along came Dash. Now I don't ever want to be without one again. It's almost like having a PC Laptop mounted on my dashboard.
I have a hard time deciding What I like best . The automatic day/night screens are so much easier on the eyes and less distracting at night. The speed at which it recalculates routes when you change your route is very impressive. The GAS search locations and pricing is extremely appreciated when the fuel prices are as high as they are. The traffic info makes me wonder how I ever got anywhere on time without it.
The traffic info also allows you to route around congestion which is another tremendous feature which helps greatly at todays fuel prices. Especially when I'm usually driving a 3500 Van or my Expedition SUV.
On a personal note, I was busy and had neglected to stop for gas. You know how that goes - just one more job and then I'll stop. Well suddenly the engine started hesitating and I knew I was in trouble. I was in an unfamiliar area and my first reaction was to stay on the main road to the station about a mile down. I did the GAS search and there was a station two blocks off the main road and one block up. I reached it as the engine was gasping. My feet thank Dash, because I surely would have been walking if I had followed my instinct.
In another situation, I needed some fasteners for a job I was on. I would normally have gone across town to the hardware supplier I am familiar with. Instead, I searched hardware nearby and was surprised to see that there were a couple of stores much closer. It saved me about an hour and was very much appreciated by my customer.
In addition to the local travel, I have used it on trips to Chicago, Branson Missouri, and will shortly put it into the included pouch (kind of like a camera case) and mount it in the rental car when we fly to Disneyworld. Maybe I'll take it in my carryon and turn it on occasionally in flight, to see just where we are.
It's hard for me to stop talking about all the features, and I'm glad I no longer have to honor a confidentiality agreement and can officially tell everyone about the new Dash Express. Thanks Dash, you've got a great team.
This one's for the ladies. March 28, 2008
16 out of 20 found this review helpful
Since I've been able to use the Dash device over the past 6 months in cross comparison with my Acura in-car GPS and my Blackberry Google Maps, I find that Dash tops them all. There have been tons of examples why my Dash deserves my love and devotion.
For starters, I love the internet connectivity with Dash. I can't tell you the number of times that I was frustrated with my in-car GPS because I couldn't get the exact address of a business that I know for certain is in a specific location. Instead the GPS system kept telling me that there are businesses by the same name in Illinois--like I care. In turn, my friend who lives in Illinois keeps getting GPS recommendations for businesses here in California from her in-car GPS. In those instances, if I hadn't had my Dash, I would've been SOL. It just goes to show that any GPS that gets loaded by a CD disc every few years just isn't up to date enough to cover the ever expanding neighborhoods. What's worse, the in-car GPS can't give me live traffic reports the way that Dash does, so it's that much more frustrating to have the in-car GPS tell you that your trip should take 15 minutes, but it turns out to be more like an hour because of an accident ahead. When the Dash tells me my trip will take 15 minutes, it takes 15 minutes.
Also the internet connectivity lets me do live web searches while I'm in the car whenever the mood strikes me. Yes, I can always whip out the Blackberry and go on Yelp to look for restaurant recommendations, but then I'd still have to input it into my GPS device to figure out if the restaurants are close to my current location and how to get there. The Dash takes out at least 4 extra time-consuming steps. Instead of getting Yelp to give it to me and inputting it in afterwards, I could just be eating at that point.
There have also been tons of times when my boyfriend had the Dash and was coming to pick me up after work. As I was waiting for him, I'd be checking restaurant reviews, and when I'm done, I send the restaurant info via my laptop to our Dash-- easy peesy. He gets the restaurant name and address, and we're on our way. People who eat out as often as we do will be left wondering how they lived without Dash before.
Furthermore, there have been times when my boyfriend forgot the address for his meeting and called me up for help. It literally takes less than a minute for me to find the address in his email and then send it to him while he's in the car. I'd like to think that he appreciated my help, but I suspect that he was mostly thankful that we have Dash.
As for Google Maps on my Blackberry, the traffic reporting is wrong a lot times; the problem is that I never know when I can believe it because it's managed to be consistently inconsistent. There have been numerous times when I didn't have my Dash and had to rely on Google maps, which tells me that the most straightforward route is actually really backed up, so I take the slower, less crowded route only to realize later that I had unnecessarily added 10 minutes to my commute because the route that Google told me was red was actually moving briskly. Those are 10 minutes of my life that I'll never get back, not to mention the fact that I burned just a little more gas and mileage taking the longer route thinking that I was going to save myself from having to sit on the freeway. With Dash, the traffic reporting is updated constantly so I get the most accurate data available.
Bottom line is, I'm a terrible driver to begin with, and I worry that one day, I'm going to careen into another car because I was looking down and fooling w/ Google maps on the Blackberry instead of looking at the road in front of me. Thanks to the nice voice on Dash that tells where I need to go without having to look at the display, if I do careen into anyone, it'll likely be because I was playing with my Ipod.
You gotta get a Dash March 28, 2008
22 out of 26 found this review helpful
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.
I have put thousands of miles on the Dash Express - Worth every penny March 28, 2008
18 out of 22 found this review helpful
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.
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