Ford is bringing crowdsourced navigation app Waze to its SYNC 3 infotainment system, the companies announced at CES 2018. The app will be available via Ford’s AppLink tech, offering up a Waze interface powered by your phone on the in-car central display on vehicles equipped with SYNC 3. The app will support both touch and voice input, and will be available when you plug your smartphone… Read More
Category: waze
Mapbox makes another acquisition to bolster its navigation toolkits
Mapbox, the Softbank-backed developer of mapping applications that competes with Google Maps TomTom and Here, has acquired the intellectual property and developers behind MapZen’s Valhalla project in a bid to strengthen its navigation toolkits. The acquisition, made as Mapzen was winding down, brings the Valhalla development team in-house for a bargain price that Mapbox chief executive… Read More
LAPD warns that navigation apps are steering people to neighborhoods on fire
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There are currently multiple fires raging across Southern California, one of which forced the notoriously clogged 405 Freeway in Los Angeles to shut down.
Big fires force people to find new routes — including people using apps like Waze and Google Maps.
The problem? Those apps look for roads without many cars on them, and try to route you there. Which is great when you’re trying to avoid run-of-the-mill traffic. But not when the roads are clear because of nearby fires.
“The Los Angeles Police Department asked drivers to avoid navigation apps, which are steering users onto more open routes — in this case, streets in the neighborhoods that are on fire,” the Los Angeles Times reported. Read more…
More about Los Angeles, Google Maps, Wildfire, Wildfires, and Waze
View More LAPD warns that navigation apps are steering people to neighborhoods on fireYou can now ask Waze for directions using your voice
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Waze wants to make it easier to find better routes and report bad road conditions without ever taking your eyes off the road.
The navigation app (which is owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet) just announced a slew of new features in “one of its biggest updates ever,” just in time for the holidays. The most useful of these is a new hands-free capability that promises to work just like Google Assistant — just say the wake phrase “OK, Waze,” and you’ll be able to control the app using your voice. Read more…
More about Motorcycles, Google Maps, Apps And Software, Waze, and Tech
Waze gains support for HOV lanes, motorcycles and voice activation
Waze is getting a few new features today that are either firsts for any navigation app, or just functionally super convenient, including an option to optimize routes for travel by motorcycle, routing that incorporates use of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, and the ability to have Waze listen for a voice trigger phrase passively and then interpret voice commands for both navigation and… Read More
Toronto begins sharing traffic data with Waze, and vice versa
The city of Toronto has begun sharing its traffic data with navigation service provider Waze. Google-owned Waze will also provide access to its real-time traffic and road conditions data back to the city, in exchange, and both parties expect to improve navigation around the city thanks to the new collaborative effort.
Waze offers turn-by-turn navigation to users and drivers, compiling… Read More