Waze Launches Traffic App In Germany and France
Much like when it first launched in the United States, the German and French apps have some brushing up to do before they’re fully functional. Up until now Waze was using their app and user input to completely identify roads in these countries but have since merged their own findings with a complete database of roads from a 3rd party source. Users will still be able to contribute but this should greatly improve the accuracy and ability of the app for German and French users.
Starting today, French and German users will find that most roads will be marked with plenty of ‘road munching’ dots – GPS points that, when driven over, set the road’s direction, helping to increase map quality and navigability, while providing them with tons of extra points. The process of validation is incredibly quick – within just a couple of weeks, these maps will be fully navigable and highly accurate. We’ll also be adding candy and cupcake ‘road goodies’ – small icons worth 3 and 5 bonus points, respectively – to the map in areas where the system needs validation.
…And don’t forget the best part: waze’ll be distributing VIRTUAL TREASURE CHESTS (!) on the roads that, when driven over, have the potential to reward users with an Amazon gift card – so French and German wazers, get out there and find ‘em!
The treasure chest integration is great, but I’m hoping Waze doesn’t show the same treasure chests to every user – if Waze gains mass popularity it could cause some serious accidents itself! But hey, at least you would have Waze and know to avoid those accidents. There have been some pretty cool Waze success stories that make we want to give it another whirl – do you use Waze?
[Via Waze]