Dash is a new program by Dash Command that aims to increase productivity on Windows XP and Windows Vista by executing applications through text commands. It's a small program that could potentially make a big difference with anyones daily work flow. It is an application that I have been using on a daily basis, and you might too.

With a quick glance at Dash, you might just ask yourself what is so great about this application; what does it do? That was my exact response while trying it for the first time. I only knew that it was an application launcher, and so I decided that I would try something simple.

I pressed the Windows (located between control & alt) and dash (minus) keys on my keyboard together, and the interface came up which prompted me to "Type your command." The first program I wanted to access was a tech geek's best friend--Firefox. I then proceeded by typing the first three letters, "Fir," and I saw that "Firefox" was automatically completed in the command entry. After pressing the enter key, Firefox was up and running. That was pretty easy, and I became further intrigued by Dash.

I then took a few moments to think of one of my favorite artists. I typed in "music," pressed the space-bar, and then typed in Tiesto. I was given a list of songs by DJ Tiësto, and by using the up and down keys, I was able to navigate through all his songs available on my hard drive.

Sure I could have spent some time navigating my way to my music folder, but this only took about seven seconds to accomplish. With the continued use of Dash, I am sure that a simple task like finding and playing a song on my computer could be done in a second or two. Extremely efficient I say.

Customization in Dash is also pretty easy. Specifying keywords is the key to making the most of what Dash is capable of. By typing "keywords" in Dash's command prompt, the keyword editor was displayed. There I was able to customize actions that I do on a daily basis to improve my work flow. Any application can be executed, and I am also able to access websites directly in my browser via Dash.

There is so much more that can be accomplished with this application, and you should check out all the available features to get an even better idea of what Dash is capable of. Skinning, accessing system configurations, and even doing math is possible with Dash, and it can get things done faster than when compared to the use of a mouse.

Dash can be purchased at a special price of $19.95 for purchasing before the official release. A new version is scheduled to be released soon as well. If you like to get things done faster, or if you love using a command line to execute programs and other functionality, then Dash is certainly worth a try.

If Dash is not your thing, or if you would prefer an open source alternative, you should look into Launchy which won the 2007 Community Choice Awards on SourceForge.net.

If you have an application that helps you get things done faster, then be sure to let everyone know in the comments section below.