Dash completes first GPS wireless update

Dash Navigation, the company that made the first two-way, always-on, internet-connected portable GPS device, says it has completed the first over-the-air update of a GPS device.

The company says owners of its Dash Express navigation device received an update via WiFi to help drivers determine the best route option and to shorten the time it takes for the GPS unit to find satellite signals. Dash says it was the first GPS provider to wirelessly update GPS devices in the field without requiring users to purchase a DVD or install updates from a PC.

The new Dash update also allows Dash Express to memorize routes the user takes often. When the driver looks for the fastest route to a particular destination, it lists the traffic on the favorite route compared with other routes. It includes a feature that looks for points of interest along the route.

The update also increases the speed at which Dash Express draws its maps by more than 50%, and it speeds up the time it takes to gain a satellite fix.

Dash says it has attracted more than 30 new applications from its software developer program launched in May. The applications include the ability to import weather listings, Twitter and garage sale listings to the car.

One new developer is EveryBlock, which collects and publishes neighborhood news (down to a block level) in cities, including Chicago, New York and San Francisco. With the EveryBlock DashApp, drivers will be able to access a “neighborhood feed”, including public records (e.g., crimes, restaurant inspections, building permits), and user-contributed knowledge (e.g., local photos posted to Flickr), that is filtered geographically according to the vehicle’s current location.

Left: The company says owners of its Dash Express navigation device received an update via WiFi to help drivers determine the best route option and to shorten the time it takes for the GPS unit to find satellite signals

1 July 2008