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SAN FRANCISCO - After absolving its current management team of any wrongdoing in an ongoing stock-options scandal, Apple (AAPL) shifts its attention to next week's Macworld conference here, and the much-speculated unveiling of an iPod with cellphone-like features.
The Dash Express service to be rolled out in California in the spring and nationwide later in the year will enable users to search for local services or businesses from their car seats and then be guided to chosen destinations.

Yahoo and Dash billed the alliance as a GPS industry first.

The service will allow motorists or passengers to search by business names or related terms to glean local options from the Internet.

For example, a Dash user that types "croissants" as a search query will get a list of bakeries, cafes and stores in the area that sell the pastry.

A user could type "plumbing supplies" in the search box and be routed to nearby hardware stores.

"For the first time, drivers will be able to leave their homes knowing that they can easily find whatever they need -- right from their car," Dash chief executive Paul Lego said in a release.

"It's that simple."

Dash is located in Mountain View, California, a short distance from Sunnyvale-based Yahoo.

"Working with Dash takes us one step closer to that goal and provides consumers with another meaningful and relevant way to interact with our products," said Paul Levine, general manager of Yahoo Local.

Jon Swartz, USA TODAY.COM