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Android App News - Waze Adds Google Search in New Update
Android App News - Waze Adds Google Search in New Update. The merger between Waze and Google is slowly becoming reality. Waze has just announced a new update which adds Google Search functionality right into Waze's map and navigation.
The new search feature appears right ontop of Waze's main map. From there, you can search for places, locales or almost everything. Another very useful feature is auto complete, which can save a lot of time.We will keep following as Waze merges more and more of Google's technology into its navigation app.
Android App Review - Google Maps
Android App Review - Google Maps. Probably the most popular navigation app in the world, and not only because it comes with every Android smartphone and tablet. Every navigation app knows how to get you to your destination but all strive to bring the user something new. Waze tried to make driving a social experience, by sharing traffic information from all the other drivers using Waze on the roads. What makes Google Map special is its comprehensive database of businesses, establishments and points of interest along the road.Google Maps has really everything in it, every kind of hotel, restaurant, pub and almost everything else you would want. Google leverages its huge database and the result is actually having the whole internet available to you via navigation with Google Maps.Of course, Google Map comes rich with features, such as navigating and directions for walking or public transportation in addition to driving, like we mentioned before searching for almost anything be it close or far away, getting several courses and picking the best one for you, using Street View to actually see pictures of any place you're getting at. Of course, there is the ability to download maps at the start of the drive (when you're in WiFi range) and then use them for you navigation. The list features goes on and on, including voice activation and navigation.Even though some of our testers didn't like the new update (while others simply adored it), there have been some crashes of the app while navigating and some features have been hidden away in the new update. Other than that, this is one of the best and most useful navigating app for Android right now. - Score: We gave it 4.5 out of 5, an almost perfect score because some of our testers had problems with the new update, mainly with crashes and losing save data and waypoints, not to mention hidden features.
- Description: A navigation app with incredibly rich features, from voice activation to free text locale searching to picture available of virtually any place to offline maps to more and more features ... This is a app worthy of the giant that is Google.
- Good Points: Free text searching for locales is very important and useful, such as looking for the nearest convenience store. Street View is also very useful as it allows you to see what your destination looks before you reach it.
- Bad Points: Some of our testers disliked the new app update, claiming the old interface and maps were better. There are reported crashes here and there, common to most navigation apps.
- Experience: Our testers used the app extensively, some using the walking and public transportation routes the app gives. All were quite enthusiastic about the more special features like Street View and Google's extensive database (find a nearby pizza, will you?!?)
- Longevity: Of course, it is installed on every Android machine, but most of our testers still continue to use the app, though most not exclusively.
- Google Play Link - Business Calendar Free by Appgenix Software
- Google Play Score: 4.5
Android App - Waze Social GPS Maps & Traffic
Waze Social GPS Maps & Traffic. A truly innovative navigation app, Waze goes towards social traffic outsmarting, i.e. beating traffic together. Its work principle is pretty simple. Waze anonymously tracks its users when they use Waze to navigate and it processes these myriad reports to find out congested vs. free roads. Then, Waze displays the congested roads and recommends drivers take other, less contested roads to their destinations. Of course, users can also update road hazards, speed cams and police locations right into the Waze servers where they will be disseminated to the entire driving community. Of course, Waze has a ton of other features, from group driving (every driver's location is visible to the others on the map), to automatic Facebook updating , to saved locations (work, home etc) for fast navigation destination setting to special protection from driver updating during driving to continuing the previous course if the app went down or was closed and now it's app again and it determined we haven't reached our destination.Naturally, Waze also has a few small things that need to be repaired or changed. There are crashes, rare but still, it's very irritating to open the app again during driving. Course determination is done through the Waze servers so if you've got no cellular coverage at the moment you're busted ... The adds that pop up when the car is at rest are not much of a annoyance but Waze still has no good way to preview a course before you start taking it.All in all, a very innovative app, very useful and very popular - rightfully so. - Score: A very strong 4.5 out 5. Very few features needed to make it really perfect.
- Description: A navigation app with a social twist. The app anonymously reports back to the Waze servers the speed and location of the smartphone where it is running and the aggregation of the automatic reports enables the Waze app to update traffic congestion in real time. This means the app enables the user to select the best and least congested traffic lane leading to the specific locale. Another neat feature is the fact the app downloads the maps needed in real time. This means there's no need to store Gigabytes of maps on the smartphone in advance. In addition, the app allows you to configure your home and work locations for automatic navigation, select display features and even automatically update location on social network, if the user so elects.
- Good Points: Social navigation. Millions of drivers all sharing information automatically to detect and avoid traffic congestion. Drivers can report road problems and blocks, police blocks and speed traps to warn the wary drivers. Maps are downloaded automatically and do not take a lot of place on your smartphone's memory cards.
- Bad Points: Several few but nevertheless irritating crashes. The fact that when a car with Waze app stops for more than a few seconds, commercials start popping up. The fact there is a constant drain on the smartphone's data plan. Last but not least is the way the app calculates a new course which unfortunately involves Waze servers. This means that even with today's cellular networks, since there are holes in coverage and rare cellular blackouts, the app won't be able to calculate a new course till connection is renewed to the Waze servers. Of course, using Waze abroad without a local sim is virtually impossible because of prohibiting data plan costs.
- Experience: We started testing this app more than a year ago, a little skeptically, after working with IGO navigation a year before. And we fell in love with Waze. You don't have to download maps periodically to keep update with infrastructure changes, you learn of traffic congestion before starting your trip and you can even share your course and positions with a predetermined group, for when you travel together. The minor problems are just that, minor.
- Longevity: Excellent. Waze has remained on our smartphones for more than a year and will likely remain installed for the foreseeable future.
- Google Play Score: 4.6
- Google Play Link: Waze Social GPS Maps & Traffic
