Since the app store's App of the Week, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, costs money, $4.99, and so does the Game of the Week, which it always does, I needed an alternative and it wasn't hard to find. There was a new section of an application list entitled "Traveling Home App Store Essentials." About half were free and the half that wasn't was mostly very expensive from $9.99 to $49.99, although there were cheaper ones.
I chose to download Waze-Social GPS Navigation, traffic & road reports because it intrigued me that any of that could be considered social.
You need to create an account (it says you can skip creating one but I assume that you won't be able to use it if you don't, since that's usually the case) and once that's finished, it takes you to a map of your current location that's different than the Google map on the iPhone.
There's a bar on top with icons and the very first one (and the biggest) kicks you out of the app, which I think is very strange. It even tells you that the app doesn't run if it's not in the background/previously viewed apps/double tap home button function. I think that it should be moved, but that could just be me.
The next is a red exclamation point and a number, the "events" part. It shows a list that consists of police sightings, traffic problems, accidents, and chit chats (which can be tweets or a conversation thread). It tells you how many of each are and if you click on one, it tells you where and how long ago it was reported. This is probably the most useful part because a lot of other apps that are similar cost money, though they may be more accurate since these are all reported by other Waze users.
Next to "events" are three little blue characters and a number, the "groups" part. I'm not really sure what the point of it is. It shows events by other group members, which can be close to where you are or far away.
Next is what looks like a baby sucking on a pacifier and a skull, the "moods" section. You have to drive 50 miles to use this part, but it seems like it a nice touch. In case no one knew that the traffic jam you reported made you mad, you can let them know this way.
There's also a scoreboard feature, just like in foursquare. You can unlock "Levels of waziness," which is similar to foursquare badges but in a scale format.
Whether you want to use this app just to know how your driving route looks or add zing to your travel, Waze may make a trip more tolerable. Instead of checking in at a place like with foursquare, Waze rewards you for the process of getting to the place.
Why you should download it
(in the app store, it has the reasons listed already, so I'm going to use a couple of theirs)
1. It's free!
2. It has voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation that learns as you drive (which I sort of don't understand, but I'll go with it).
3. See real-time traffic, construction, hazards and police information from other Waze and Twitter users.
4. The little side features make using it more fun.
5. It's integratable with Facebook and Twitter.
More information about the Waze application can be found here.
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