GPS and social aren't two words that usually come together. But that's exactly what the innovative Waze does. The new Android GPS app, currently in alpha, employs user-generated data to offer road information currently not available in any turn-by-turn systems.
If you're driving to work, for instance, Waze can easily help you optimize your travel time by helping you make better decisions on the road. It lets you know of speed traps, traffic lulls, accidents and other information that can slow down your overall commute. This type of information is something you might be able to get in the news, but Waze should be able to let you know in a more timely manner.
All the information that you receive will be a cumulative effort made possible by other Waze users, including you. At its simplest, Waze will keep track of all GPS trace points each user passes through, extrapolate them and detect actual traffic conditions based on the results. That means, if other motorists using Waze have ended up in a bottleneck at one of the intersections you were planning to go through, you are likely to hear about it, allowing you to adjust your route.
More active Waze users can also report specific information (such as road accidents and constructions), directly via the app. While details aren't clear yet, it seems the system employs a ranking system to determine the weight of each variable detected from a specific user.
Waze for Android is currently available for download and is 100% free. There are still some bugs, as it's still in alpha testing, but it's already good enough for slight problems not to prove that big of a hindrance.
You can download Waze here.
I am going to download it as soon as i get the delivery of my HTC Android phone. Android sure is a great operating system for mobiles. There might just be an iPhone beater soon with Android OS.
Used this and its not very impressive. As they they are still in Alpha. Better use Gmaps or MGMaps. They work flawlessly.
Since they are still in beta, there are a few issues with the app. But it sure is a handy app and hope the final version without bugs is released soon. It really helps with having the latest updates on traffic, though that depends on another Waze user.
[...] including local traffic authorities, traffic probes, event schedules and accident reports. Like Waze, the app phones home, sending data on your speed and location to its servers, which are [...]