Apr 1, 2008

MAGID ON TECH: New GPS connects to Internet

By Larry Magid / Daily News Columnist

GPS navigation systems for cars have been around for several years, and portable units from Magellan, Garmin and other manufacturers can now be bought for under $200. But a GPS mostly tells you where you are and how to get to where you want to go. It doesn't necessarily suggest the best, fastest route.

Sunnyvale-based Dash Navigation has a new GPS system that knows a lot more than those less expensive stand-alone units because it's connected to the Internet. The Dash Express has a built-in cellular radio that uses the Internet to monitor real-time traffic information and provide local search to help you find nearby restaurants (complete with reviews) and nearby gas stations with actual gas prices.

The device is exclusively available at Amazon.com for $400, which includes 3 months of free usage. After that you have to pay a $10 a month subscription fee to access data. That fee is for the 2-way radio built into the device, not the GPS. GPS itself is free because it uses government-owned satellites.
The two-way cellular radio is the key to its being able to know real time traffic information. Through the radio, every Dash unit on the road anonymously reports its location and speed. So, if you're trying to decide whether to take 280 or 101 from Palo Alto to San Francisco, you can enter in your destination and let Dash figure out which route will get you there faster based on actual speed of traffic. In addition to data from what the company calls "the Dash Driver Network," the device also gets data from commercial traffic reporting systems similar to some subscription-based services available for some other GPS units. Because the amount of data it has depends on the number of Dash users, the quantity (and therefore quality) of the data depends on how many people are using it in your area. Where I live (Silicon Valley) there are a relatively large number of users. If you're in the middle of nowhere, you'll probably have to depend on the commercial traffic services or just the plain old GPS.

In my road tests I found the GPS to be pretty accurate and was also pleased with the device's ability to predict when I would arrive at my location. It doesn't track quite as accurately as some other GPS units I've tested, but it still did pretty well figuring out where I was located. When looking for routes it typically gives you two or three choices. My only disappointment was that it didn't analyze traffic on all three bridges when I plotted a trip from Palo Alto to Berkeley. It may have picked the fastest route, but I was curious as to whether it would be better to take the Dumbarton, San Mateo or Bay Bridge?

The search function is also very cool. Just about all GPS systems have a "points of interest" database with tens of thousands of restaurants, hotels, gas stations, schools, hospitals and other locations and the Dash has that as well. But it also has something a lot bigger and more dynamic. When you search for a location in the Dash it goes online to Yahoo to find whatever it is you're looking for.
For example, to find a nearby dry cleaner I first pressed the menu button on top of the unit and touched the Search icon. It then brought up a Yahoo search box where I typed in "dry clean" from an onscreen touch keyboard. I touched the Search button and was presented with the option of searching "nearby" or "in another state or city." I touched nearby and was presented with a list of nearby cleaners, some rated with stars to show their ratings. When you're driving the search you're connected via the cellular network but if you happen to be in your driveway connected to a Wi-Fi hot spot, you can get faster connection via Wi-Fi.

With gas prices approaching $4 a gallon, we're all looking for cheaper gas and the Dash can definitely help. When you search for gas stations it displays prices as well as location and lets you sort by price. I was impressed by its accuracy. The two stations I checked actually did sell the gas for exactly what the unit said they were charging.

The connectivity also allows the device to receive over-the-air updates. The folks at Dash promise that the unit will get better over time. They also say that it learns your habits as you drive, helping it to better route you.

As with other GPS systems you can get a route to any address by typing it in from the unit but, because it's Internet enabled, you can also use the "send2car" feature to type in addresses from a Web site while you're at your PC. As soon as you turn on your Dash Unit, those addresses will be automatically downloaded to the unit.
The unit was very easy to operate, with a button on top that always takes you to the home menu. Another, smaller button lets you adjust the volume on the speaker, which is a lot nicer than having to hunt for a speaker icon as you do with some navigation systems. Unlike many of the other portable GPS systems there are no extra bells and whistles such as a music player or a Bluetooth speaker phone. But, truth be told, my Magellan has those features and I never use them. If I want to listen to music I'll turn on the radio or use my iPod and there are plenty of Bluetooth devices on the market that allow you to make hands-free calls.

At 4.8 inches by 4.1 inches 2.8 inches deep and weighing 13.3 ounces, the Dash is definitely bulkier and heavier than most other portable navigation systems. I'm not sure that's a problem since it's not something you're going to carry in your pocket, and it's still small enough to carry with you on a trip to use in a rental car.


Larry Magid's technology column appears Tuesdays in the Daily News. E-mail can be sent to larry@larrymagid.com.