Waze – Test driving a free, crowd-sourcing phone navigation app

Crowd sourcing now moving beyond maps to helping build a mobile navigation guidance app

Jeff Bartlett and Frank Spinelli
October 08, 2009
Consumer Report.org

Consumer Reports GPS test team has been toggling between testing portable navigation devices (PNDs) and iPhone navigation apps since the summer. Among all the technology and innovations we have sampled, Waze stood out to us as an interesting alternative to a traditional, name-brand nav solution. The free app is in a development stage, tapping users to build out the mapping and provide the real-time traffic data. Consider it the dawn of Navigation 2.0.

We had been intrigued by the promise of the Dash Express unit when it was first introduced. Its twist on the genre was to share traffic-flow data among its users. The device was a bit cumbersome, and it didn’t sell in great enough volume to be truly effective or succeed. Since the Express left the market, some companies have begun offering free traffic information, while others have expanded into the user-sourced map corrections and connectivity.

We just updated our GPS ratings, adding devices from Mio, Magellan, and Insignia. Before hitting the typical iPhone apps and PNDs again, we downloaded Waze and took it for a test drive.

Admittedly a work in progress, the concept is quite captivating. Waze is using early adopters to users to build and enhance the maps, along with the travel information. The underlying map is based on the open-source United States Census Bureau Tiger Map, rather than the ubiquitous Navteq or Tele Atlas maps.

Instead of storing maps on the phone, Waze uses a server-based system that downloads maps and related information as needed. Consequently, the application takes up just 7.4 MB of memory—much less than the 1 GB that is common among other iPhone apps. Waze is also available on Android, Symbian, RIM, and Windows Mobile platforms.

As a true navigator, Waze has deficiencies. The maps are incomplete, guidance quality varies, and it lacks many features that are common on the paid navigation applications, such as text-to-speech, ability to exclude a road, lane assist, reality view, and a directions list. That being said, the overall interface is relatively easy to use, and address entry is identical to using the Google maps application.

While it certainly has a “ways” to go, the Waze concept is intriguing and may appeal to tech enthusiasts as a public science experiment. For true navigation, you’ll want to download another application, or stick with a traditional PND.