Comments on: And The Winner Of Our Dash GPS Contest Is . . .

By: Aayush

Aayush — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:40:59 +0000

i like the Guided Tours the best. Muck/BrightKite can be expanded by showing videos, text and inside pictures of nearby buildings/restaurants in addition to other people’s comments…should ask the user if they want to see the details

By: Al Brown

Al Brown — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:36:48 +0000

Don’t worry. Even with the unit on, it will take awhile before the satellite is acquired and you’ll be half a block away before you’re asked about the spot you left behind.

By: Al Brown

Al Brown — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:31:51 +0000

I think the real solution is flexible pricing for parking spots.

You can’t find a parking spot often because the spots are too cheap or free. There is a “tragedy of the commons” where free resources are consumed even for a slight benefit because the real costs of providing a resource are borne by someone else, in this case the taxpayers who paid for the land and the paving.

Free roads, free parking, free right to pollute. All of it hastens global warming, raises your taxes and creates more urban sprawl.

But don’t worry; you won’t have to pay the bill for awhile. It’ll just show up out of the blue and ask for a big bailout.

Real capitalism is actually good for the environment.

By: JSL

JSL — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:46:59 +0000

I included a marketing campaign and all I got was this non-existent TechCrunch tshirt! jk

I like the two runners up ideas over the winner because the parkspot would require such a large group of early adapters within the Dash userbase to be worthwhile.

I would probably refine the idea to be a background process that loads on boot-up. If another person is in the area and is looking for a spot then it plays a loud noise and asks you to confirm whether it is a parking spot or your driveway. Opt-out instead of opt-in would make it a lot more useful.

By: Joel Cloralt

Joel Cloralt — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:16:43 +0000

Ok… You finish what you where doing, go to your car, turn it on and leave… oh no, wait… first I need to turn on my Dash and launch tell the app I’m leaving so other Dash users are aware…. then when the app is ready I can leave….

Have you ever followed somebody in a parking lot to get his/her spot?

Not to mention that the amount of Dash users needs to be HUGE so this can work. I don’t think people are buying Dashes as they buy iPhones.

By: David Phipps

David Phipps — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:04:34 +0000

Hmph. I think Streetline Networks (http://www.stre...inenetworks.com) has a better idea that will be more functional and accurate – radio-transmitting reflectors that detect whether a car is parked over them or not, which then transmits to a local cell-based restransmitter. Cities use it for automated parking charges to your credit card, and offer a mobile app driven by GPS to locate that parkign spot. Rollouts in san francisco and LA right now.

By: silicon valley dropout

silicon valley dropout — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:44:50 +0000

what incentives does one have to say their space is now open. once most get their parking space any sense of altruism is over.

By: Wayne

Wayne — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:27:03 +0000

What if you had the “Parking Space Seekers” pay* the “Parking Space Leavers” to hold the space until they arrive?

I’d happily pay a few dollars for a space downtown, and I suspect that some people would happily wait a couple minutes for a few dollars.

* electronically, of course.

By: More GPS Videos

More GPS Videos — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:16:05 +0000

Nice thing to know that online social activity can help more people even for offline activity

By: evan

evan — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:43:45 +0000

Yeah the parking spot idea is terrible unless EVERYONE is running the app. “Muck” exists already as BrightKite- and the Ad Supported Tolls thing doesn’t require a GPS at all, they could just put the ads on the easy-pass website and watching one credits your account $0.25 or something.

Not too impressed, sorry.

By: Vinay

Vinay — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:33:48 +0000

I agree with CN. Not only that, it is also going to work only with Dash. How about all those people taking up parking spots without Dash? Within a few hours the database will be completely out of sync from the real parking spots. Also, how do you make money?

By: CN

CN — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:59:53 +0000

Hum, I thought that’s what http://www.spotscout.com/ has been doing for a while except it’s not on the Dash… Anyhow I still think the lack of incentives for the person leaving a spot is what’s holding up this model…

By: mike

mike — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:24:25 +0000

I’m with Adam, I think on the surface it’s a *great* idea. In reality it won’t work and it will just make your life a bit worse in particular in the city where parking spaces go just as quickly as they become available.

*ping* parking spot available
ooohh, drive two blocks
oh it’s gone
*ping* another parking spot available
drive one block
oh it’s gone
repeat until suicidal

By: D

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:13:08 +0000

The idea for parking spots is not new.

By: Adam Boalt

Adam Boalt — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:57:06 +0000

I think the ad supported tolls is a bit more stable. In a busy city, parking spaces go fast and I don’t know how realistic that idea is. I just hope the ads would be audio not video that would be a bit dangerous. AB

By: Raj

Raj — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:45:21 +0000

Some are really good ideas..especially the parking and parcel ones… and also I dont like paying tolls… so that too..

By: Joke Cricket

Joke Cricket — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 08:55:46 +0000

nice idea.