[HillMan]

It is a known issue with phones to heat when using for navigation over a long period. The best spot for the phone during navigation is to have it in the line of A/C vent, so the phone can be kept cool. Also avoid positioning the phone under direct sunlight.

The phone is doing many things, specially Waze. It constantly re-routes you while driving if you miss the spot like an offline navigation unit. Which means there is computation of route and also it picks update from the server on road conditions ahead.

GPS itself is a drain on battery, combined with 3G it is a lot. While travelling it is best to keep the phone in GPRS mode instead of 3G/HSDPA. GPRS is available in most locations so the phone is not wasting energy hunting for 3G.

[neoonwheels]

Couple of days back, I saw an accident icon om my google maps. I was surprised since it was a first time that something of that sort poped up on the screen.

When I clicked the icon, its description read as there is an accident reported by a Waze user at this spot. So seems like, Google has started rolling up updates from Waze to Google Maps

[vikram_d]

Originally Posted by neoonwheels

Couple of days back, I saw an accident icon om my google maps. I was surprised since it was a first time that something of that sort poped up on the screen.

When I clicked the icon, its description read as there is an accident reported by a Waze user at this spot. So seems like, Google has started rolling up updates from Waze to Google Maps

This feature was rolled out by Google a couple of months back.

[HillMan]

Ever since Google took over Waze there have been lot of changes in both Waze and Google Navigation. I saw Google map routes overlap Waze around September. Then for a while Waze was showing routes similar to Google in Bangalore. Google started using real time driving data from Waze.

The Bing search disappeared in Waze, something I didnt like. It did help me a lot many times.

[AvinashV]

Which would you guys suggest is better to use in India - Google maps or Waze? I have been using Google maps till now but don't want to download Waze if it isn't better as my phone is pretty tight on space.

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by AvinashV

Which would you guys suggest is better to use in India - Google maps or Waze? I have been using Google maps till now but don't want to download Waze if it isn't better as my phone is pretty tight on space.

I'll vote for Waze any day.
Google is good for long distance because Waze has a limitation in finding not so frequent long distance routes. Waze was initially designed for daily commute between office & home.

But within city/towns Waze is better, because it will route you thru frequently used routes. The maps of Waze is same as Google, but it gets updated faster by users and driving patterns.

It uses google search and few others to find the destination address.

It is a hybrid navigation, mix of online and offline capabilities.

Also try http://world.waze.com, live map editing.
The map edits get updated within weeks.

Also, I'll recommend keeping Waze On while driving, even if you know the way. It will help with routing for other Wazers. Because Waze uses realtime traffic data from fellow wazers to find you the fastest route and alerts on hazards marked by fellow wazers.

So go ahead. Be a happy Wazer and contribute to make maps better

[AvinashV]

Originally Posted by HillMan

I'll vote for Waze any day.
Google is good for long distance because Waze has a limitation in finding not so frequent long distance routes. Waze was initially designed for daily commute between office & home.

But within city/towns Waze is better, because it will route you thru frequently used routes. The maps of Waze is same as Google, but it gets updated faster by users and driving patterns.

It uses google search and few others to find the destination address.

It is a hybrid navigation, mix of online and offline capabilities.

Also try http://world.waze.com, live map editing.
The map edits get updated within weeks.

Also, I'll recommend keeping Waze On while driving, even if you know the way. It will help with routing for other Wazers. Because Waze uses realtime traffic data from fellow wazers to find you the fastest route and alerts on hazards marked by fellow wazers.

So go ahead. Be a happy Wazer and contribute to make maps better

comparison.
But just like Google maps will I have to have the GPS also on all the time if I am to keep Waze on while driving? That's going to drink some major battery.
Can it be used offline also?

And what you said makes real sense as it wouldn't be great at long distance as not many people updating or travelling then but would be better in cities.
Lately had two bad experiences with Google maps back to back. With the address entered correctly and maps showing that it has found the place but it took me to an entirely different place and it's extremely disconcerting when the appointment is an interview.

[raksrules]

I use Waze somtimes although I don't have a car. I frequently travel between Mumbai and Pune and when I stumble upon stop and go traffic and such, I update the same on waze.

About google maps and sometimes showing wrong address or the place not being there where google said it was, I would suggest one to use Wonobo in combination with google. It is the google street view counterpart for India. Not all cities have street view yet but major ones does. Try it once.

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by AvinashV

comparison.
But just like Google maps will I have to have the GPS also on all the time if I am to keep Waze on while driving? That's going to drink some major battery.
Can it be used offline also?

You need network to find your destination. But once waze has found the destination and done the routing, it can work offline.

If you use mobile phone for navigation, always connect it to a car charger
GPS does suck out good deal of juice from your battery and also cause heating. But then there is no other option to pin point your location.

Waze does use network to constantly update traffic data and give you real time calculation of the ETA. It is pretty accurate. You also get alerts like hazard, cops etc. based on updates from fellow wazers.

The best part with waze, even if you are not actively updating the traffic status, waze will guess it based on your speed and few others driving around using waze. So it knows whats the average speed on each section of the road.

Google routes your through anything that looks like a road from the sky, which is risky specially when driving at night.

On Waze unknown/unused roads have a dotted line. If you find a discrepancy with the map, you can mark it as map error through your mobile on the spot. Same with a wrong navigation from one ways etc. Someone will fix it for the next journey.

The best part, you can yourself edit roads in your locality online to easily perfect the map. This is a feature I like and appreciate the most.

Do explore the features, it is really nice and simple. There are lots of wazers already across India, which is a good thing.

Waze is not in the top 10 must have apps for no reason

I am praising the app a little too much. Just a piece of caution, no map in India is perfect, simply due to the dynamics of our roads. Waze I feel is better because of the awesome community that's using it.

Originally Posted by raksrules

I use Waze somtimes although I don't have a car. I frequently travel between Mumbai and Pune and when I stumble upon stop and go traffic and such, I update the same on waze.

Thanks Raksrules. You are doing the community a favour. Keep up the good work.

[HillMan]

Nice parody by Quiznos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS05bRnIAcg

[arnabchak]

How to join the Team BHP group.
I have checked the post in the 1st Page but do not find a link to join the group.

Edit:

Groups is no longer available in Waze. It has been replaced by Teams.

Now find only one option in Team-"Trafico noticieros televisa" which does not mean a thing to me.

Cant I find a local relevant team in Waze and something that gives me track of fellow Bhpians in Mumbai/Thane and a chance to meet if our paths cross??

[IronH4WK]

From what I hear, the option for creating and joining a group is no more available.

[HillMan]

They have replaced groups with better integrations with Facebook. You can now share your ride and schedule meeting or pickup with friends.

[arnabchak]

I also wanted to check the below for Waze:

1) No colour coded traffic like in Google Maps. Am I missing any settings?
2) Facebook integration is patchy. Does not connect most of the times.
3) Any teams for T-BHp available to join?
4) Teams in Dashboard are pre specified and absolutely irrelevant to local traffic scenarios. Again, am I missing something here?

The voice guided part is very good and accurate and using it for normal/casual driving is a breeze.

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by arnabchak

I also wanted to check the below for Waze:

1) No colour coded traffic like in Google Maps. Am I missing any settings?

You have option to change your display theme. Go to Settings and select Map Color Schemes. Select Map Editor, it gets you different colors for different types of roads.

2) Facebook integration is patchy. Does not connect most of the times.

Depends on network. I usually switch to GPRS which has lesser disconnects while traveling instead of using 3G.

3) Any teams for T-BHp available to join?

No more Groups now.
You can go to My Waze, then click on Friends.
Now you can add friends from FB or your contacts.

4) Teams in Dashboard are pre specified and absolutely irrelevant to local traffic scenarios. Again, am I missing something here?.

Teams is a FIFA stuff. Waze had teams created for each country to hoot for.