SMART GPS

SMART GPS

Dash express GPS
The device has two-way internet connectivity

No longer content with simply providing directions from point to point, manufacturers are starting to pack more and more features into in-car GPS devices.

Those on show at CES include the ability to download movie times, find a parking spot and avoid the traffic.

One company, Dash Navigation, has launched a unit called the Dash Express which aims to harness the power of its community to avoid traffic jams.

The unit has the ability to receive real-time traffic data from different sources, including units belonging to other owners.

In effect, each unit works as a traffic sensor sending a user's speed and location over a permanent internet connection.

Back at Dash HQ, the company calculates up-to-the-minute traffic conditions and suggests alternative routes if there is a traffic snarl ahead.

In theory, the device should get better as more Dash users hit the roads.

The device has been developed in collaboration with Yahoo and allows the users to conduct web searches for locations or even the cheapest fuel.

The US service costs from $10 a month.