Waze is one of my favorite Android applications for driving and it’s free. I have been using the app since the early alpha release and in continues to improve each week. The developers have been very active in the Android community and I wanted to share some recent news with you. If you are new to Waze and looking for an introduction I suggest watching their guided tour or reading my thoughts I posted on CNET.
Free voice turn-by-turn directions
One of the big complaints with the free GPS service was the lack of voice directions while driving. A recent blog post reveals that Waze will soon be adding this feature and sponsoring a “voice-off” contest to allow the community to submit their voices. Look for this contest over the coming weeks.
Waze coming to new platforms
All the maps and traffic information found in Waze is generated by the community. When there are more people wazing in your area, the application becomes more useful. It is exciting to read that Waze has plans to release clients across all major smartphone platforms. The larger community will be a huge plus and help to offer more accurate and up to date information. Platforms that are set to receive Waze include iPhone, Windows Mobile, Symbian, and Blackberry.
Win a myTouch 3G phone
“Waze across America” is a new contest that launched today to encourage more people to try Waze. All you have to do is download Waze and submit a road report to be entered into the contest. Winners will be selected from 1 out of the first 100 road reports for each state. For complete contest information, visit the Waze blog.
Get involved
If you would like to get involved with the Waze community, there are a number of ways you can help.
- Visit the official forums to report bugs and request new features.
- Use the updated map editor to make corrections in your area and apply to become an area manager.
- Continue driving with Waze to help update their live maps
- Help spread the word about Waze to others by getting their latest updates from Twitter – @waze
Waze is constantly evolving which makes it one of my favorite GPS apps.
