Dash Express is notifying their subscribers to expect a big update today for their big GPS. These updates arrive wirelessly using either the device’s built-in Wi-Fi or cellular modem. Highlights of the upgrade:

MyRoute - learning of your preferred routes for often travelled to locations.
Search Along Route - to find points of interest around your travel route.
FasterFind - dramatically decreased the time it takes for the Dash to find the GPS.
Performance Enhancements - maps redraw 50% faster and you can toggle between 2D and 3D map views faster, User Interface Improvements.

Unfortunately I didn’t see “Shrink size of device so it won’t flop around dash” on the list of enhancements. Full text of the email after the jump.

Dear Wayne:

Thanks again for joining the Dash Driver Network. We’re excited to report that later today we will release our first wireless software update for your Dash Express.

This June08 Update includes a combination of brand new features designed to help you during your everyday commute, as well as many customer-requested improvements.

Highlights include:

* MyRouteâ„¢ - With the new MyRoute feature, as you travel from one point to another, your Dash Express will automatically learn your preferred route in the background. The next time that you drive between the same origin and destination, the first route choice will be your MyRoute, complete with traffic-based arrival time data. You can compare your MyRoute to the computed Dash routes, including traffic detours, and decide which one is optimal.

* Search Along Routeâ„¢ - Finding whatever you need on the road using Yahoo! Local search just got even easier. With the new Search Along Route feature, you can now search for anything you need along your selected route, shortening diversions on the way to your destination. Want to grab a latte on the way to a meeting? Simply do a Yahoo! Local search for “Starbucks” and select “along route” to be presented with the stores that are most conveniently located. Results are displayed with the distance from the current location, the distance off the route and the direction of the destination relative to the selected route.

* FasterFindâ„¢ - With the new FasterFind feature, we have dramatically decreased the time it takes for your Dash Express to find its position and start navigating. Powered by SiRFInstantFix technology, Dash Express uses additional over-the-air GPS satellite position information to get a fast GPS fix so you can be underway in seconds. FasterFind will even improve your device’s ability to get a GPS fix under difficult conditions such as beneath tree cover and near high-rise buildings.

* Performance Enhancements - Continued system tuning has enabled significant progress in overall device performance. For instance, the June08 Update increases the speed in which your Dash Express draws its maps by more than 50%. It also enables quicker toggling between 2D and 3D map views and smoother map zooming.

* User Interface Improvements - The June08 Update also includes numerous customer-requested refinements to the Dash Express interface, making it even more intuitive for daily use. These improvements include tuning the route selection screen to make it easier to select among the multiple route choices, improving the readability of road labels on the map and expanding the night mode color scheme across more menus for glare reduction.

If you haven’t done so already, please register at MyDash (my.dash.net). This is our customer portal where, in addition to using Send2Car to wirelessly send addresses to your car, you can also access all of the great community content created by other Dash drivers. This is also the place to find our cool new DashApps – weather info, garage sales, speed traps, Twitter – and more! Simply click on the Saved Search tab to browse the content library. And, by clicking on the Forums tab, you can connect directly with us and other customers.

If you have any questions or need support, please call us from 9:00am to 5:00pm PST on Monday through Friday at (877)-500-3274. You can also submit issues via the MyDash website at my.dash.net/support.

While we’ve made significant progress with this update, there is still so much more that we want to do. Our philosophy is that we’ll never be done since Dash Express is always learning and getting smarter. With your ongoing feedback and suggestions, we’ll be able to ensure that Dash Express continues to become a key part of your everyday driving experience.

Drive Safe,

Team Dash

Dash Express GPS upgrade details