“DashApps” - Third Party Services enabled by our open content platform!
Tomorrow morning at O’Reilly’s Where 2.0 conference we’ll be announcing another first for the GPS category. We’re opening up our service to enable other companies and developers to provide timely and relevant Internet content to the car. Our goal is to get drivers the answers they need every day. We call these new partner-created applications, DashApps.
Dash customers will have access to these new applications via the MyDash portal (http://my.dash.net/) beginning on Thursday, May 15th:
- Hunting for the home of your dreams? Coldwell Banker® allows consumers to search for homes with the “Coldwell Banker Home Search” button. It allows Dash drivers to access real estate listings and property details from their vehicle and instantly create a route to them.
- When and where is my meeting? Access calendar events, then dynamically route to meetings with Funambol’s “myFUNAMBOL Calendar” button. It allows Dash users access to their electronic calendars (from virtually any source, e.g. Outlook, Yahoo! and Google) from their Dash Express. Calendar items are updated automatically and users can route directly to any address listed.
- What’s that tune? Mediaguide enables Dash Drivers to easily find out the names of tunes playing on their radios. By simply taping the “BakTrax Radio” button, Dash users can see a list of the last three songs that just played on their favorite AM or FM stations.
- Speed trap ahead? Furthering Dash’s belief in the power of a driver network, the “Trapster® Find Traps Now” button not only gives Dash Drivers access to Trapster’s information about live speed traps and red light sensors, but also enables Dash Drivers to contribute speed trap information back to other Trapster users in their area.
- Is it going to rain? Access live, local weather information with WeatherBug’s “MyWeatherBug” button. It provides Dash Drivers with up-to-the-second information about current and future weather conditions while on the road.
Here are some partner-created demo videos of these new Dash Apps.
Trapster:
BakTrax Radio:
WeatherBug:
Funambol:
If you are interested in building for our platform, please contact us at developer@dash.net
May 14th, 2008 at 3:26 am
Yee Haw!! Now that’s what I’m talking about! These apps look great! Can’t wait to get my hands on them!
May 14th, 2008 at 5:39 am
This is a fantastic idea with a lot of potential. Unfortunately some of the apps seem handicapped by the unit’s GUI.
For example:
The Trapster app forces you to keep searching while you drive. The app should just be able to display those POIs on the map automatically as you drive.
The Weather Bug app should be able to show you a radar image so that you can see, for example, how close rain is to you and how much is coming (is it just going to be a bit of rain or do you have a heavy thunderstorm coming your way that is covering most of the state so it will last for a long time.)
I look forward to these apps and their improvement as Dash enhances its software features.
May 14th, 2008 at 6:40 am
Dave - You are right, there is lots of room for improvement and we will definitely take advantage of each and every feature as soon as it’s available.
In the mean time it’s still very useful as is. One thing I’ve been doing - just set up real time Trapster(R) SMS alerts on my phone. Then when I get one, I punch the button on the Dash to see where the trap was reported.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Dosn’t look lake much inprovment, Yes it allows for better searching and results but its still just a saved search.
I’m looking forward to realtime display of things like trapster on the map.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:05 am
It also would be nice if you used another site for video other than youtube.com since a lot of places block youtube videos.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:37 am
[...] Dash, everyone’s favorite navigation company, has just released its open API for developers. Using some basic tools, you can highlight any geographical information you want — propertly listings, speed traps, and weather reports. Because the device has two-way communication with the cloud, data providers can send almost anything to the device. While some of the apps are map-based, you can also sync contacts with Funambol and even use MediaGuide to see what’s playing on the radio. [...]
May 14th, 2008 at 8:40 am
[...] Dash, everyone’s favorite navigation company, has just released its open API for developers. Using some basic tools, you can highlight any geographical information you want — propertly listings, speed traps, and weather reports. Because the device has two-way communication with the cloud, data providers can send almost anything to the device. While some of the apps are map-based, you can also sync contacts with Funambol and even use MediaGuide to see what’s playing on the radio. [...]
May 14th, 2008 at 9:07 am
[...] a Dash está abrindo sua API para terceiros desenvolverem para o Dash Express. Algumas aplicações interessantes já [...]
May 14th, 2008 at 10:32 am
I went from super-hyped to disappointed. Don’t get me wrong I own a Dash Express and am a big fan, but I have to strongly agree with Dave. Many of these things should have as their primary presentation layer an overlay to the standard navigation map. They should have an audio component which notifies the driver of approaching XYZ (the approach distance should be configurable by the user, with defaults).
The Dash Express is the closest device to my fantasy navigation system and getting closer, I just don’t want another PDA to poke at in my car.
Lovin my Dash Express
(everyone should buy one and drive all around Atlanta),
/another Mike
May 14th, 2008 at 10:45 am
[...] Dash, a company that makes in-car navigation opening their API for developers to develop apps for their [...]
May 14th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
[...] Banker announced at an O’Reilly conference today that it is teaming up with Dash to add their listings as a home search feed for Dash Express GPS [...]
May 14th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
[...] みんなの大好きなカーナビ会社Dashが、開発者向けにAPIを公開した。簡単なツールを使って、土地情報、速度規制情報、天気予報など、好みの情報を地図上に表示することができる。カーナビ機はネットと双方向に接続しているため、たいていどんなデータでも送り込むことができる。地図情報を利用するアプリケーションの他にFunambolとコンタクト情報を同期したり、ラジオ番組のチェックにMediaGuideを使うこともできる。MediaGuideはインターネット経由で現在地情報を送ると、近くのラジオ局情報および現在流れている音楽情報を戻してくれる。 [...]
May 14th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
[...] Dash, everyone’s favorite navigation company, has just released its open API for developers. Using some basic tools, you can highlight any geographical information you want — property listings, speed traps, and weather reports. Because the device has two-way communication with the cloud, data providers can send almost anything to the device. While some of the apps are map-based, you can also sync contacts with Funambol and even use MediaGuide to see what’s playing on the radio. The MediaGuide feature sends a server the device’s current location via an internet connection, and returns a list of nearby radio stations and songs that have been recently played. [...]
May 14th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Here’s what I want in a GPS:
Remind me to go get milk, just before I pass the store. Can’t tell you how many times I missed the supermarket, forgot to pick up a movie, etc. as I drive on autopilot home after a long day. Here’s how it would work:
Wife calls: says “don’t forget to buy milk and pick up the kids”. I type in pickup kids and get milk in my mini-system tray app. I already associated kids with their school location and milk with one or two grocery stores. App sends it to my GPS. .4 miles or so from the location a reminder pops up “get milk”. I arrive home with milk, wife hugs me and pronounces my hero-like status.
How hard could it be?
May 14th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
@Dave - This is our first step in opening up the platform to partners and ofcourse we will be evolving the interface and platform over time.
@another Mike - Glad you are “Lovin” your Dash Express. I agree that everyone should buy one in Atlanta…. ok, onto the important issue. As mentioned above, we will evolve the UI over time, but it was important for us to get this platform launched to let developers and users start to experience so we can refine based on customer feedback. We think this is still a compelling experience now, and it will just improve from here.
@Dash Media - Sounds like a good idea to me. Many developers have talked about wanting to build this type of application, so keep your eyes open in the future for this type of functionality.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
[...] the maker of Dash Express, a “two-way, Internet-connected GPS navigation system,” announced today DashApps, an API and developer program for the Dash Express. The Dash Express system connects [...]
May 15th, 2008 at 7:56 am
Well, we are getting close to lunch time and still havnt seen any of them released.
May 15th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Yeah, where are the apps?
May 15th, 2008 at 9:07 am
@Mike & RandomRage - we expect to get the apps up and running around 12noon. Thanks for your patience.
May 15th, 2008 at 9:32 am
I guess east coast doesn’t matter. It’s already noon here. Are you responding to west coast customers?
May 15th, 2008 at 9:37 am
@dburr - sorry about that, I should have been more specific around the time. It was 12noon PDT.
May 19th, 2008 at 7:04 am
The application for real estate listings was a great idea. Now just get more RE companies on board.
May 19th, 2008 at 7:54 am
[...] really interesting now as context and relevance find their way into the mix. For example, the Dash GPS formally rolled out their open service. And then a Guardian colleague pointed me to the AMEE [...]
May 19th, 2008 at 9:28 am
I think you will be starting an interesting trend with the API and real estate data. I’m sure overtime you will have lots of companies making use of the API to populate data… so will be interesting to see how the interface of the GPS will evolve to handle more data from various sources…
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:18 am
[...] “DashApps” - Third Party Services enabled by our open content platform! Hunting for the home of your dreams? Coldwell Banker® allows consumers to search for homes with the “Coldwell Banker Home Search” button. It allows Dash drivers to access real estate listings and property details from their vehicle and instantly create a route to them. [...]
May 26th, 2008 at 2:42 am
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May 29th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
[...] Dash, everyone’s favorite navigation company, has just released its open API for developers. Using some basic tools, you can highlight any geographical information you want — propertly listings, speed traps, and weather reports. Because the device has two-way communication with the cloud, data providers can send almost anything to the device. While some of the apps are map-based, you can also sync contacts with Funambol and even use MediaGuide to see what’s playing on the radio. [...]
June 18th, 2008 at 10:27 am
[...] makers of the Dash Express GPS unit, recently opened up their API so that developers could create applications taking advantage of the device’s GPS and [...]
July 7th, 2008 at 5:21 am
Thank for the informative…really great video.