We’ve always been fans of the Dash Express, with its real-time web-delivered traffic monitoring and its constantly evolving app platform. Somewhat sad news today is that Dash Navigation will be pulling out of the consumer hardware business entirely and cutting 50 jobs (two-thirds of its work force)–enabling them to move toward licensing their innovative software platform to other GPS nav makers, as well as to mobile phones and MID platforms in the future. But in a lot of ways, the move makes perfect sense.
galleryPost('dashupdate21b', 3, '');Dash navigator’s latest update rolls out today, allowing for a few key improvements. • My Route records your local paths between two points (or locations within 800 metres of those points) and recommends the route along side traditional GPS routes next time you make the trip. • Searches for points of interest “along the way” return listings with distance from current location and distance from destination. • Road closures will be highlighted in black. • Using SiRF’s instantfix tech, the GPS will lock on sats on resume within 3 seconds • The GUI is about 50% snappier • Street names are easier to read because of better contrast. Video of My Route over at [Dash's Blog]
The first third-party applications for Dash’s GPS (you know, that internet-connected smart GPS) are here, and they do some interesting things. There’s Trapster, which shows you whether there are speed traps ahead (and let you contribute trap information), Mediaguide, which shows you the last three tracks played on any FM or AM station, and WeatherBug, which tells you weather conditions now and later.
The Dash Express GPS just received its first historic traffic model update using the live Dash data gathered by users. That’ll help predict traffic in areas where no Dash or other trusted data sources have been in the last 15 minutes. By end of month, a software update is coming with tweaks in performance, stability and routing. As for today’s historic update, Dash recommends all users download the patch by Wi-Fi. Let’s hope that more updates come often as this one, and with more features using that internet connection.
Today we learned that the seductively interactive Dash Express GPS navigator is using the OpenMoko open-source mobility platform that led to the Neo 1973 smartphone. This makes the Dash the first product based on OpenMoko’s GTA0X reference design, and the GPS hardware was designed to Dash’s order by OpenMoko and its parent company, FIC. Did we need one more reason to love this thing? Well, we got it. (There’s a press release down below.)
If you want to know what the next big move in navigation will look like, it’s the Dash Express, shown here for the first time in its final design. The wireless net-connected GPS is just about through with its successful national road beta test and it’s on track for early 2008 launch. Here are the stats, plus a gallery of homespun product and screen shots:
