One of the hottest items we saw at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, the Internet-connected Dash Express GPS navigation system, is finally on sale. For the next 30 days, it will be available exclusively at Amazon.com's electronics store (and Dash's own site), for $400.
My colleagues wrote extensively about the Dash Express in a GPS roundup at CES, and today I got to see myself why they were so impressed: a Dash exec dropped one off.
Basically, this is a GPS navigation aide with cell-phone and Wi-Fi connectivity built in; no messing around with Bluetooth phones required to get data. You can use the Dash without paying for the MyDash service that activates the phone connection ($13 a month if purchased on a month-by-month basis, $11 a month if you prepay for a year and $10 if you prepay for two years), but then you'd miss out on all the unique features.
These include the ability to perform Yahoo maps searches from the device, to sync addresses and geo-enabled RSS feeds (Yelp has 'em) from the Web (much easier than typing them in on a touch screen) and to get routing that incorporates real-time traffic data (from other Dash users, road sensors and fleet sources).
I'm taking an evaluation unit out for a spin over the next few days and will be writing a full review. Meanwhile, here's a photo:
