Marcin's rootprompt blog – /dev/web0

The Android GPS navigation application where you can make a difference is out now in version 3.0. Lifehacker has published an overview about it, having declared it in December The Best Turn-by-Turn Navigation App for iPhone. Having tested the previous version for more than a month now, and just tried the 3.0 I’ve decided to share my thoughts. Here are my observations so far, both pros and cons.

Pros:

• Screen updates while driving are much more smooth now – more than previous 1/sec
• The navigation result screen shows all the events on the route ahead

• Stop navigation button is now available in the menu – no need to restart the application any more
• Foursquare integration for those interested – additional social link beside twitter and facebook
• Generating driving reports – added “Later” option – no longer need to tap through the details while driving (PL: później)

Cons:

• The Heads-Up Display is gone (where number of driving alerts, connectivity and wazer status etc. were available) – it was a handy indicator if many wazers are in the area. There’s no option to restore it
• Screen tap to bring up paving mode button is now in the alerts panel, making it a bit more difficult to enable while being focused on the road

To summarize – the overall experience is …a bit different. Neither that much better nor necessarily any worse. One just needs to get used a bit to user interface changes, especially on the road. Still – looking forward to support of the HUD, to enable navigating further than 200 miles (sigh) and an option to avoid toll roads. But the option to minimize number of turns is still there 🙂

Happy wazing, and report your road issues for the rest of us!

Related articles

• Waze – GPS navigation where you can make a difference (rootprompt.apatsch.net)
• Waze for Android Updates, Adds New Maps, Driver-Friendly UI, and More Social Features (lifehacker.com)