Continuing the look at some devices that not only connect to Wi-Fi in unique ways but then utilize the connection to enhance their offering.

The scoop: Dash Express, by Dash Navigation, about $300 (plus monthly wireless WAN service).

What it is: An in-car GPS navigation device, the Dash Express offers features comparable to other stand-alone systems, including turn-by-turn driving directions. But the Dash Express also includes a wide-area wireless connection (through arrangements with several carriers, users must pay for monthly service to utilize the WAN) and Wi-Fi, which creates a two-way connection that other GPS devices don't have. The two-way connection allows the Dash unit to receive map and software updates more quickly than other devices, which rely on the user to connect their GPS unit to a PC. In addition, the two-way connection lets Dash provide better traffic updates – because the device is connecting with Dash servers, they can relay traffic conditions to the individual unit much faster. The Dash traffic network also relies on information from other Dash users, so if someone a few miles ahead of you is in a traffic jam, that data can be sent down to you and you can re-route.

Click to see: The Dash Express GPS

Like other devices, the Dash unit provides the ability to search for things like banks and gas stations, but it utilizes the live Yahoo Local database for its information, so information can be more up-to-date than databases that come on stand-alone units.

Why it's cool: The easy-to-configure Wi-Fi connection lets the device receive updates even faster, so software can download while your car is parked in the driveway. Adding new addresses to the system is even cooler -- Dash provides an Outlook and Web browser plug-in that lets you highlight any address (found on the Web and/or e-mail), and then send that address directly to the car. Through the company's myDash portal, you can create customized searches (or look for ones that others have already created) that then get sent to the car. For example, I was able to send to my device an application that showed me where the closest Chick-Fil-A restaurants were based on my current location.

It's these "DashApps" that make the Dash more than just a GPS device. The Dash is a platform that utilizes two-way Internet connectivity to bring more usefulness to the device than just getting from Point A to Point B.