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 - Best GPSThere is so much you can do with this gps and it is always up to date. It's also a great value for the price. Check out Dash's website to really see all that it can do. Rating: - Best GPS I've seenI've had three GPSs. A Magellan from 2003 and recently, a Garmin Nuvi that I really liked, until in got stolen. I read about the Dash and gave it a shot instead of buying another Nuvi. Glad I did. I live in Chicago. There are often 10 routes to take between destinations and I don't know which is the fastest, because I don't know traffic conditions. The two main benefits of the Dash over other GPS systems I've used are: 1) The arrival time is accurate to within a minute or two instead of being 30 minutes off. 2) I no longer am frustrated by not knowing whether or not I took the right route. The first day I used my Dash, I was driving back to Chicago from Iowa, leaving around 3:30. It was about a four hour drive. After a couple hours of driving, my arrival time started to increase, even though I wasn't even going to tap my breaks for an hour. The system was accounting for traffic that was building 90 miles ahead of me. As I got closer, the Dash warned me of a delay and offered me an alternate route, which I chose not to take, but as I was sitting in gridlock, I was comforted in knowing that a reasonable alternate route would have been just as bad. Entering addresses seems a little easier than the Garmin. Routing seems comparable. The Garmin is a little more option-rich, but the road maps and destination list on the Dash seems more accurate, probably because it uses a Yahoo! client. The WiFi updates of the Dash's software and maps is a great benefit! If Garmin or Magellan ever offered simple, easy updating, I never heard about it. On the downside, this unit it much bulkier than the Nuvi. If you had to carry it on your person, you would be extremely uncomfortable. I also don't see a trip meter, speedometer or elevation information available to display. Beyond that, I'm very happy with the Dash and will be recommending it to friends. Rating: - Don't leave home without it.With the two-way communication of the DASH, it is highly superior to all the Garmins and Tom Toms out there. You can do live Yahoo searchs and find local gas prices. I only wish it were more trucker friendly. Rating: - DASH to Get Your DASH! LIve Traffic GPS !!I bought the DASH a new GPS system that gives me up to the minute traffic conditions from several sources. When I put in my destination it gives me several usually 3 routes and estimated times. I am going from the SF Valley to Anaheim at traffic time and every route it tells me to go has been accurate-although I would say to myself-not the 101 ( or 405 ) this time of the day-but I would follow it and I sailed though. I got the bean bag holder-which works very well. My only concern is that I have to hide it before I get parked so it doesnt get stolen-although it does have a carry pocket that is not too bulky-I just dont want to mess with it. Good job guys. The more people that get the DASH units-the more input there is to up to the second traffic. Also when I needed to go the the pet store-it found one a block off the freeway. I can email addresses to it also. NOW I want the blue tooth tech guys!!! Chris Ellis Rating:  - Navigation ProblemsI have had my Dash for 3 months, and if I could I would return it. I think the Dash is a great idea, and I love the internet connectivity. I believe that this is the future of all in-car GPS units, if it were implemented right. The biggest problem I have with the Dash is that its routing algorithm is deeply flawed. It does very strange things. For example, the other day while driving down a major road, it wanted me to turn left onto a small street, then right onto another small street, right again, then left back onto the major street I was on before. In other words, a three block detour with four turns on side streets instead of just going straight one block on a major road (with no traffic). On the same trip, it tried to get me to turn right when the place I was going to was to the left. On another trip, it took me on a four mile detour that didn't even go through -- it ended at a dead end -- and when I retraced my steps back, the place I was trying to go to was only 2 blocks away (over streets the Dash already knew about). It has another very annoying problem. If you are taking a trip that goes more than about 100 miles on the same highway, it starts telling you "in 83 miles, continue straight on Interstate 5". It repeats this every few minutes, for no reason. I have sent these problems in to Dash, and after going back and forth with them they have admitted that they know about these problems, and are working on fixing them. So far, no fixes have been forthcoming. I know one other person who has a Dash, and she has similar problems. This might be a great product in the future, but until they have basic navigation and routing working, it is not useful. And I hope they make a new version that is not as huge (in thickness).
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