With a UK specific version launched in
summer 2011, the community driven routing and traffic application has come on
in leaps and bounds over here.
The browser based version of Waze is
lacking, with no driving directions, locale information or even general mapping
visuals. If it's a browser-based mapping solution you're after, then, Waze
isn't it.
The app, however, is a thing of simple
beauty. I tested this on my iPad and the opening video and visuals left me
under no illusion as to what Waze is all about: community. As the app states,
“Waze gets a whole lot more fun the more you drive, share and contribute”. The
core visuals at the heart of the app are both fun and highly practical and
while satellite imagery is sidelined by the standard road view, it's presented
in 45º format as standard, with 2D views also available.
The
45º angle on Waze performs particularly well
The fun part of the visuals is due to the
icons representing various traffic incidents and objects out on the roads.
Traffic signals, accidents, slow moving traffic, police presence... it's all
included here. The updates are provided for in real time by Waze users before
being verified and the latest version even includes petrol price information in
your area, although you only get access to update that yourself by getting more
involved in the community and rising from Baby Wazer status to Grown-Up level.
Perhaps this, and the fact that petrol price updates have only been added
fairly recently, is why the petrol pricing and station information in my locale
was poor. Generally, however, providing access to this level of information
places Waze above almost any other mapping system on test and as it's in
real-time, this provides genuinely useful information to your mobile while in
your car.
Wave
is a more basic affair in terms of presentation, but it is effective
The turn-by-turn directions worked well
during testing with an Android phone and, depending on your own experience,
could render that expensive satnav purchase redundant. As community-driven
projects go, this looks to be really well catered for and the social element
comes into play thanks to the groups you can join to discuss your commute or
area, the potential to link information to your Facebook friends, and the
points earning system, which actively encourages you to get involved. It's a
unique way of working and I view it as akin to the live traffic reports the
radio issues, often driven by listeners ringing through real-time updates.
Waze is a clever tool in that it learns
frequent destinations, commuting hours and preferred routes, making for a
responsive and pretty quick user experience during testing. As for local
amenities, the app integrates listing information from Google and Bing, as well
as the Waze community, for amenities such as shops, restaurants and hotels,
petrol stations, etc., although I did have problems bringing up Google
information on several occasions during testing.
Waze
is a clever tool in that it learns frequent destinations, commuting hours and
preferred routes, making for a responsive and pretty quick user experience
during testing.
As for the maps themselves, the visuals,
the usability and responsiveness of the map during search results and general
use is exceptional. By its very nature, a project such as this lives or dies on
the strength of the community behind it. On the strength of our time testing
it, Waze soars.
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Details
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Developer: Waze
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Website: www.waze.com
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Required spec: Mobile app available for iOS
and Android users
Ratings
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Quality: 8
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Value: 8
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Overall: 8
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