Monday, April 11, 2011

Waze: Crowd-sourced traffic information

During my daily commute, I gave Waze a try. Waze is different from your average GPS. You don't use Waze to show you how to get from point A to point B. Presumably, if you're commuting, you know where you are going. Waze is different from your average GPS in that it keeps tabs of traffic so that you can avoid congested areas.

Waze uses GPS data from users to figure out the best route to quickly get you where you need to go. If other users are going slow or report problems on their route, Waze can help you avoid the bottleneck.

Waze also has a fun gaming component to it. You get points by hitting waypoints on your route. The gaming aspect doesn't really do anything for you other than keep you entertained. Waze also connects to Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare to help you inform others about any reports you generate.

In terms of accuracy, Waze still needs a little work. So, you should probably stick to known routes. Again, it's not the best for finding places. It's better suited for going places you already know.

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