Dash: What we're about
Dash Navigation was founded by a Stanford professor stuck in Silicon Valley traffic who thought that there had to be a better way of knowing what was happening on the roads around him. Over time, we've expanded that vision to include the ability to easily search for and download information about destinations using the Internet. In that process, we've developed an architecture that fundamentally changes what you can do in your car.
Our first product, the Dash Express is the first GPS device designed from the ground up as a truly “connected” navigation experience. Unlike old school GPS devices, Dash isn't focused on giving you just a single route from A to B, but is instead driven to give you instant access to the most relevant information about everything in between and the best way to get there. Today that means offering you access to dynamic Web content and the most accurate and up to date traffic. Tomorrow, we believe the possibilities are endless.
At Dash, we're focused on delivering these solutions with daily relevance and optimized for a “65 MPH” interface. The unique server-based architecture we have created also lets us optimize how information is formatted and sent to your device, as well as allowing each device to be updated over the air with the very latest software and features. The two feature areas where we have put most of our initial focus are providing better traffic and better search/destination information.
Have you ever sat in traffic, wondered when it was going to start moving again, and wished you could see what the cars ahead were experiencing, and what possible alternative routes were like? Dash gives you that eagle-eye view by automatically and anonymously sharing data with other Dash drivers. That way you know which route is fastest and when you're going to arrive. We even add the industry's most comprehensive historical traffic database plus data from third party sources that we calibrate to give you the best possible information.
As more people join the Dash Driver Network, traffic information will continue to get better and will cover significantly more roads than any other device out there today. The first Dash drivers in an area may see somewhat limited traffic data, largely provided by 3rd party government and commercial sources. While this traffic data is still as good or better than anything in the industry, each addition person who joins the Dash Driver Network makes our traffic data immediately even more accurate. It only takes several hundred to a few thousand Dash drivers in even the largest metro areas to create a meaningfully more accurate traffic picture. So, will you have our ideal traffic experience out of the box? Probably not. However, it will be better than anything else out there today and will undoubtedly improve over time.
Our Internet search feature, right out the gate, sets an entirely new standard for GPS devices and has been one of the most popular features for our beta testers. We wondered why you can have such a great experience searching for and finding stuff on the Internet from a computer, and then have to rely on a stale, limited onboard list of information once you're in your car. Yahoo!® Local search, combined with specialized content from sites you know and trust, lets you find people, places, products, or services right from your car. You can even access destination lists created by communities on “Web 2.0 mashup” sites. There's simply nothing out there today that even remotely approaches this level of functionality.
Do we have everything perfect? No way. Many revolutionary products have refinements that are made along the way. As mentioned, in preparing for our launch, we've put a lot of our focus into creating a great traffic and search experience built on a solid GPS device. There are some relatively common GPS features— like adding waypoints or avoiding toll roads—that aren't available on the Dash Express yet. However, we'll add them in the future, including to devices purchased today using our over-the-air updates. There are a bunch of other cool connected features on our roadmap that you'll see appearing on your device in the future if you are a customer.
There are also a series of features that we do not consider core to a connected navigation device that we won't be including, such as an MP3 player or translator. We think dedicated devices perform those functions better than a GPS ever will, but if you want them integrated into your GPS device then there are plenty of good “old school” GPS devices made by other companies you should look at.
With Dash you are getting the first truly next-generation navigation device, one that takes advantage of both the power of a network and the Internet, and one that, most importantly, gives you the information you need to make key daily decisions in your car. And, you're buying a smart device that keeps getting smarter, increasing its functionality and the accuracy of its information, over time. If this sounds interesting, we hope you'll join us for a “drive in the smart lane.”