Do You Want to Ride the Waze or Hop on the AT&T Bus?

Today we will review two navigation apps available for mobile phones. The first is AT&T’s Navigator app which is available for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. AT&T Navigator transforms your iPhone 3G & 3GS into a voice-guided navigation system with turn-by-turn driving directions. The cost is quite steep at $9.99 for a monthly subscription.  You can enjoy real time traffic monitoring along your route that alerts you of slowdowns and incidents so you can reroute. AT&T has recently released update 1.5i on February 5, 2010 which included the following updates:

• Shake-to-Go™ to set a route to your home address simply by shaking the iPhone
• Speed limit display & optional alerts when exceeding posted speed limit
• Nighttime maps setting to improve readability when driving
• Route preferences to avoid HOV or toll roads
• Resume Last Trip to start your last trip automatically

For our international travelers, there is Global GPS turn-by-turn navigation—Mapping and Point of Interest content for three continents, including North America (U.S., Canada, and Mexico), Western Europe, and China where wireless coverage is available from AT&T or its roaming providers.

This app is an average navigation app for a few reasons. The best part of the app is the software will actually say the street name before the turns so you are not left wondering which back-to-back street you should turn on. In addition, the Point of Interest (POI) searches have a deep library which is especially helpful when you are in a new area. The issues with this app are simply AT&T’s service and the price. $9.99 per month is a large amount of money to pay when there are better apps available. Plus, what good is navigation when your signal drops as you are nearing your desired location and you miss two crucial turns?

That brings me to Waze.

“Waze is a social mobile application providing free turn-by-turn navigation based on the live conditions of the road. 100% powered by users, the more you drive, the better it gets.”

This app is built on a strong navigation software with a social mobile interface that is unique and have very strong potential. Waze uses the crowdsourcing concept to build the service and maps that go along with the service. To get started with Waze, just download the free app (available for iPhone, Android and other smartphones), open the app and start driving. By using GPS tracking and cell-tower triangulation, Waze tracks individual users’ driving speeds to heuristically determine traffic flow. For all users who just want the basics, this is where your participation will end. There is voice navigation (also accessible via bluetooth in English or Spanish) which will direct you along your route.

One area of improvement here is that the navigation does not say specific street names so you have to pay close attention. For users who want to contribute and assist fellow “Wazers,” the fun is just beginning. As you are driving along a route and hit traffic, you can enter the app again and report traffic, an accident or event a police officer (translation speed trap). A simple click of a few buttons and your update will be update the app in real time on the same map that everyone else using Waze will see. I caution you to be careful because it isn’t safe to use your phone and drive at the same time. You do earn points for updates and they can translate them into random real life prizes as well so participation is a good thing. Waze is 100% community based so it learns the route you commonly travel and will begin to suggest alternate routes if there is traffic. You will also get pop-ups of other updates as you are traveling which is very convenient. They key is to build a strong community of “wazers” in your metropolitan area. This will make for better real time updates. If you are going to use this app I would recommend starting it right before your trip and checking out the traffic. Leave it open just for the navigation (or run it in the background) and do not update it for traffic or anything else so you can remain safe during driving.

I am conflicted as to how this app can thrive when so many accidents occur with people on their cell phones while driving. Let’s see what Waze has to say about this. All that being considered, my vote is for Waze.

Which app do you prefer?

About the Author
I am a developing social and digital media junkie on an adventure through life. Right now I am on the chapter in the book where I live in Los Angeles. Reach me on twitter @ahr19. Thanks for reading my post.
See all posts by Amani.