Our Verdict
Were you ever trying to ascertain your way to an address you ’d never visited before and thought to yourself , “ If only this frustrating experience had beengamified ! ” Your wish has been grant . Waze , a free ( and quite subject ) iOS navigation app , swear on its users to populate its single-valued function and supply reflexive and manual traffic reporting — all with an sheathing of game acting .
Waze seafaring shows you the path to your terminus , along with streets no one has drive ( and by driving will pull in you points ) , as well as trouble en itinerary report by other drivers .
Wazetries to propel driver to fulfill in white areas by offering incentives in the form of Pac - Man - like image you could gobble up to increase your “ score . ” In October , for instance , I drove several blocks out of my way , sometimes to the end of stagnant - end roads , just to corrode up pumpkins — one of many seasonal idea Waze rotates through to keep interest active . Anonymous contingent about the current fastness and locating of all users are uploaded to the Interent so as to provide data point on current traffic conditions . you could also engage in a social web in which you optionally disclose your current localisation . And when stopped , you’re able to file on - the - smirch reports about speed trap , accidents , or closed road .
Waze navigation shows you the path to your destination, along with streets no one has driven (and by driving will earn you points), as well as problems en route reported by other drivers.
Despite all of that , Waze is only an equal seafaring app . It has a childlike user interface for record terminus that ’s likely too elementary : You ca n’t just pick out a striking , but have to type in part of a name . When it find a destination , you ca n’t affirm it on a map , nor does it provide a map overview or a means to number work - by - turn directions from get-go to destination . You also ca n’t jazz in advance whether a collapse part of your route is well fleshed out , although all main itinerary are covered .
Drive and Score : While the points do n’t weigh , you could see how you ’ve accumulate more of them .
I found that Waze crashed more often than any other GPS app I ’ve essay — and I ’ve tested most of them . But review on the App Store , which will mostly tear into shred any app that crashes often , do n’t seem to mention it . mayhap Waze just does n’t like me ?
Drive and Score: While the points don’t matter, you can see how you’ve accumulated more of them.
Waze is devoid , so there ’s no risk in try it out to see if it meets your exceptional driving need . Take note , though : your fuel consumption rate will vary .
[ Glenn Fleishman , a elderly contributor to Macworld , has no idea where he ’s go and no idea where he ’s been , but he ’s reviewed scores of GPS apps in the last two year . He believes he lives in Seattle , but will have to ensure on that . ]
[ update 12/1 at 9:45 a.m. to add a concealment scene of Waze 3.0 . ]
