Apps have completely revolutionized our lifestyle. To think, until a few years ago, of having a navigator integrated into our mobile phone, was certainly utopian.
Remember the years of TomTom? To have a navigator inside your car it was necessary to buy it externally and with high prices for the time.
Luckily, all you need nowadays is having a smartphone connected to the GPS and to the mobile network and that's it. In the past, we have already dealt with maps and navigators. In particular, we have seen how to use Google Maps without being connected to the internet.
Today, however, we will compare Google Maps with another app that is literally depopulating among driving lovers. We are talking about Waze.
A lightweight app, available for both Android and iOS, easy to use and 100% free. In this article we will look at its strengths together and try to understand why it is slowly supplanting Google Maps as the navigation system most used by users.
The merits of Google Maps
First, let's see together what are the advantages of the Google app.
Anyone who has never used Google Maps raise your hand… well, no one could, as all of us at least once have used this powerful software from the American giant.
Google Maps is certainly one of the most popular apps of Google. If you have an Android smartphone you will find it already installed on your device and this is definitely an advantage in favor of this app.
Google Maps also allows you to know useful information on the places you have chosen to reach.
If, for example, you want to go to a bar and enter the exact address on the navigator, Google will be able to tell you if the cafeteria will still be open or will have already closed when you arrive.
Maps is able to do this, as it is interconnected with all Google systems. In this case Google Business.
Maps, unlike Waze, can also tell you walking and transit routes. Waze, on the other hand, only suggests those in cars. Finally, Maps gives you the possibility to take advantage of 3D surveys and satellite view of the roads.
To say, therefore, that Maps is an app to be used only as a navigator is definitely an understatement. Maps is much more than that.
We conclude this overview on Maps by spending a few words on the function Street View which is perhaps the flagship of Google technologies.
Street View allows you to place a real virtual man anywhere (mapped by Google) in the world. The little man will show you real street scenes, in order to provide you with a very useful and totally immersive experience.
It is an extraordinary function, probably unique in the current panorama. Practically almost the whole world can be visited while comfortably seated on an armchair at home, with the possibility of visiting unknown streets of Tokyo and a second later perhaps making a stop at the Central Park, New York.
Waze: the strengths
Now let's move on to what are the strengths of Waze.
Waze is a navigation app that was developed by an Israeli start-up. The app was then acquired by Google itself in June 2013.
Unlike traditional GPS navigation programs on the market, Waze allows you to get updates on traffic, speed cameras and accidents in real time. This happens thanks to the exchange of information between the users who use it.
The app is able to provide an extremely accurate estimate of travel times, as it is able to learn from the driving times employed by the users who use it. The app is available for both Android and iOS. It is very light and can be used for free.
Inside there are advertising inserts. The real strength of this app is, in fact, the community. When you travel, you collect points that allow you to climb a ranking. You can report it yourself accidents, traffic and other information that you think is useful for others travelers.
The sense of community guarantees its success. In fact, using it is a lot of fun. Furthermore, when you are on the road, you will be able to find "candies" that will make you get more points and thus climb the drivers' rankings. Definitely a useful way to make driving more interesting.
Mini-games foster engagement and competition, and that makes the road information more up-to-date in areas where details are still few or missing.
Further Reading:
- How to set or change your address on Google Maps
- Free and easy to use Speed Camera apps
- How to connect YouTube to Waze
- How to connect Spotify to Waze
- How to view Google Maps search history
