Filed under: Etc., Safety, Technology

Navigation has come a long way since
Mapquest first hit the scene. Few of us are bumbling around our nation's highways with print-out directions anymore thanks to the wide availability of manufacturer and aftermarket nav systems. Even most phones have some sort of
turn-by-turn directions on them, but even the best systems have a hard time keeping track of up to minute variations in traffic conditions. Which is why our curiosity has been peaked by the Waze app.
The concept is pretty simple. Users drive around with the app open on their phone and the program samples
GPS data to determine whether traffic is moving at speed or at a standstill. From there, you can report accidents, speed traps or road work to keep those around you from winding up in the same mess. Meanwhile, you can check the status of traffic on alternate roads around you thanks to the same technology.
Waze is also on the verge of rolling out a handful of new features that should improve the experience, including Twitter and Facebook integration. Instead of just sampling other Waze users, the program will cull through tweets from all over the globe. If someone happens to take the time to shoot off a tweet that says traffic on
Mullholland sucks, you'll get a notification if you're headed in that direction. We've yet to get a chance to play with the app in traffic, but it sounds handy. For more info, check out the
Waze guided tour.
[Source:
Waze]
Waze app may be the way of the navigation future originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
Email this |
Comments
أكثر...