http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/ Engadget Comments for Amazon slashes Dash Express by $100 for the day http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/Oct 28th 2008 10:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/Oct 28th 2008 10:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/Oct 28th 2008 11:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/
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On the Dash.net forums (open only to owners) there is a survey question that asks, "Are you happy with your DE".

The results are:
Are you happy with your dash?
Yes 83 62.88%
No 49 37.12%

That is a pretty poor result for a "revolutionary device".

I own one, I recently discontinued my service. The traffic is no better (possibly worse) than the free FM traffic service from Navigon and now Garmin. The interface feels old school compared to the latest GPS units. The biggest issue is that the routing algorithms are very poor and will give you downright absurd routings. Dash knows this is a problem and has been promising a software update. Last software update was in June (did not address routing). Next software update is "by end of year".

Best Buy (yuck) just released a two-way GPS, Magellan should soon be doing the same. Dash had great promise but I am not convinced they can survive the long haul. I will say that $199 is a great price.
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I was a loyal and enthusiastic Dash user. I still have mine for the moment. However I also didn't buy the paid package due to the horrible routing. I would have it route a track to my house that would start ON MY STREET (but a mile away) and it would take me all over town. I have reported every error and expected something to happen, but nothing (yet).

My Dash has taken me up to 50 miles out of my way on a routing and then the directions said I was at my destination. I was surrounded by 10 miles of corn, 50 miles from my destination (Dulles Airport). Then my wife tries to route a trip from BFE in Ohio to home in Indy and ends up tramping through 5 small towns out of here way, going 30 miles out from the highway.

The traffic does a little better and is right about 3/4 of the time for me, but that other 1/4 makes me want to through it out the window. Major roads that are CLOSED (for months) show as green!

I would say the majority of your satisfied users are not using it for routing but for traffic and finding restaurants locally. I'll probably sell mine on eBay as soon as I pick up a new one on Black Friday.]]>Oct 28th 2008 12:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/
Hope they stick around long enough for V2. Dave Zatz makes a good point about the types of users drawn to forums in general. ]]>Oct 28th 2008 11:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/
Anytime a company or representative feels the need to comment in a comment section to rebuff a negative view it only cements my decision to never buy their products or services. If you created a great product with excellent support you wouldn't have a large vocal group of dissatisfied customers. The correct response is no response. Let people, positive and negative, speak their mind on forums/comments and take in all of the info and use it to improve your product and service. That will speak for itself.]]>Oct 28th 2008 11:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/
My problem w/ the Dash is that it's too big to really be useful to people who move their GPS from one car to another. I have built in on my personal car, but use a rental 2-3 times per month & want something w/ a long battery life & very thin/small.]]>Oct 28th 2008 11:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/Oct 28th 2008 11:16AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/
I think its refreshing :)]]>Oct 28th 2008 11:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/Oct 28th 2008 1:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/Oct 28th 2008 11:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/Oct 28th 2008 11:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/I also had a beta tester unit I used before the express came out to fix any bugs
and such before release. All I know is that the users in the current survey in LA want to
return the units as fast as they can before the survey is over. Here's why:

My impressions after months of use:

1 Unit is way too big. Including the mounting arm and the unit itself it's gigantic.
Barely fits in the middle of the dash board on a Nissan Sentra. It screams "I have
a GPS come rip it off." You have to dismantle the unit and the mounting arm every time
you leave your vehicle. It's about as portable as a ball and chain.
If Garmin and TomTom can make a unit with this stuff in it and make it 1/3
the size why not these jokers? Heck they put all this stuff in cellphones now.

2 Traffic updates are worthless. In LA it changes so fast I've been in standing traffic
in a jam and the unit is telling me it's all green and 65 MPH ahead. The live traffic
on my cell is way more accurate.

3 Routing is horrible, really bad and the maps are at least two years old.
I have streets that are 2 years old in my neighborhood and they don't even
show up at all. All kinds of crazy routes and most are wrong. I routed a trip
from LA to Las Vegas and the unit didn't even recognize that you could
go up the 14 to the 138 to the 15. It's like it didn't even exist.

4 While the internet connection is good to find things on Yahoo the service fees involved
aren't worth it.

Final impression: The dash express was DOA. While it would have been revolutionary
back in 2004 when it was designed it's been quickly passed up by other GPS makers and
the cellphone makers who've included all these features in their units now. Hell my Samsung Instinct
can do all the dash can do and a lot more with more accuracy and no cost and it's a freaking cellphone.

Is it worth $199? Not in my opinion and I have a free one I can use right now and it's sitting
in the box waiting for a return label from dash.
Do yourself a favor if you're looking for a GPS that works, is accurate, not the size of a shoebox
and you can customize the way you want it buy something else.]]>Oct 28th 2008 12:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/I was very excited about getting Dash. After using it I wish I could return it somewhere and get Nuvi.
Features are cool at first but maps, usability, traffic all are crap. Monthly fees for this are also rediculous.
I think ill just give it to a friend, advice him not to get service, and get Nuvi eventually.]]>Oct 28th 2008 6:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/
Are you kidding me??? Participation in the blogs is EXACTLY the type of thing I want from companies.
]]>Oct 28th 2008 1:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/Oct 28th 2008 1:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/
I would agree with you there, but that's not what Mr. Zatz was doing .. yes he responded to criticism but he also disclosed who he was.

Of course all products should stand & fail by their merits (although, do you know of companies that make consumer products but don't advertise? the competitive real world requires it). But that doesn't mean a company should not respond to criticism and also make the product better by having conversations with users?
]]>Oct 28th 2008 5:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/]]>Oct 28th 2008 2:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/
They formed their business on a pay/month model. VERY FEW PEOPLE WANT TO PAY FOR TRAFFIC UPDATE. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Unless you are Rich, and have an accountant, that doesn't care paying for bazzillion of almost useless services from the small & "genius" companies.]]>Oct 28th 2008 2:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/Oct 28th 2008 3:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/
Not exactly a workaround.]]>Oct 29th 2008 9:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/
I live in northern Virginia. I work in Washington, DC. I periodically drive to Baltimore (MD), Annapolis (MD), and Columbia (SC). I frequently drive around northern Virginia. Between my two Dash, I've probably driven over 7K mi.

My experiences with the Dash Express echo "Mr Fingers" above.

1. The Dash is larger/bulkier than any other GPS. Make your hand into a fist. This is about the same form-factor as the Dash Express, but smaller. The Dash Express is about the size of a softball. It's large enough to take up significant space when placed in your glove compartment, or be unwieldy if carried in your laptop bag.

2. It reboots often. I have seen it lock up on routes as I travel, requiring a 10-second depress of the power button. I have seen sporadic reboots for no apparent reason or when initially plugged in after being unplugged for a few hours.

3. The current location displayed on the map is not an accurate reflection of your current position. When travelling at posted speed limits, the Dash Express will lag by 20-50 feet. In areas of road construction, multiple exits, or cloverleafs, you will either need to anticipate your exit or be prepared to miss it if relying on the Dash Express to prompt you.

4. The routing is terrible. Out of the Garmin, Magellan, and Nokia Wayfinder GPSes I've used, Dash places dead last in routing.

The Dash Express will route you onto toll roads to travel up one exit rather than a side road that won't cost you a thing. The Dash has repeatedly cost me $3.35 to travel 6mi from my house to nearby appointments. I rely upon MapQuest and use my Dash Express as an alternate ("hot spare") when travelling around toll roads.

The Dash Express will provide you 1-3 routes as well as a "MyRoute" of routes you have taken that it has recorded. The Dash Express appears to prefer major roads, almost to the utter exclusion of secondary roads or quicker routes through neighborhood streets. The Dash Express routinely adds 10-30 minutes extra to any trip that would have been quicker through MapQuest or Garmin.

5. The Dash Express focuses on traffic networks and XML-based apps ("saved searches") to the detriment of basic GPS functionality such as routing or current location. I often refer to the Dash Express as a "GPS for people who know where they're going." The online searches using Yahoo are nice and the traffic has been semi-accurate for northern VA and DC, but routing me through the heart of DC during rush hour to drive from Annapolis, MD, to Fairfax, VA, added an extra hour to drive home.

I can't recommend the Dash Express in good faith to any customer. I truly wanted to give Dash the benefit of the doubt as a first-generation product, but it simply is not useable as a GPS that costs $299 as an entry point and charges upwards of $10/mo for service.]]>Oct 28th 2008 3:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/amazon-slashes-dash-express-by-100-for-the-day/
The customer service at Dash is also top notch. That may not matter for some, but it more than makes up for any small problems that we've had with the device. ]]>Oct 28th 2008 4:27PM