If you haven’t checked out Waze yet, you don’t know what you’re missing. The simple “find all of the state license plates on your cross country trip” now pales in comparison to the scope and cool factor that Waze offers. What started as a simple social GPS app that allowed end users to upload road conditions among other things has grown into a GPS game of sorts — enticing users to discover new paths to their destinations in order to collect the hidden presents on the map for the chance to win actual real life prizes dubbed “Road Goodies”.
For this latest update being released right in the middle of the holiday season, Waze has updated the Road Goodies with a special holiday flare. The new icons and gifts now feature snowflakes, candy canes and gift packages as the icons you must search out in your map quest across your local splotch of land.
We’ve all now had several weeks to get acquainted with Waze and the Road Goodies and I’m at least still finding it just as fun as it was several weeks ago. But today Waze is bringing some more “geo-gaming” (as it’s called) to the table by introducing foursqare support, allowing foursquare users to tap into their accounts and use said accounts all within the Waze application itself. A hit in the making for sure.
Finally, Spanish and Italian language support makes an appearance thanks to the help of the Waze user community.
User generated apps such as Waze that allow the user community at large to upload, edit, and update the app’s information for the rest of the world are quickly gaining a footing in the mobile sphere. With unique twists on such mundane things as simple navigation between point A, B, and everything in between makes me the technological world in which I live all the better.
The updated Holiday themed Waze complete with foursquare integration and Spanish/Italian language support is now available for Android, iPhone, Symbian, and Windows Mobile.
Give Waze a shot and let us know what you think! Press release after the gallery.
Press Release
WAZE’S HOLIDAY VERSION ENHANCES GAMING AND ADDS
USER-GENERATED MULTI-LANGUAGE SUPPORT
New Version Features Holiday-Themed ‘Road Goodies’, Waze ‘Treasure Hunt Contest’, Foursquare Integration and Multiple Language Deployment
Palo Alto, Calif. — December XX, 2009 — Waze, the first free provider of driver-generated maps and real-time road information, today announced a new holiday version of its free navigation app to include holiday-themed ‘road goodies’, a treasure hunt contest, integration with foursquare, as well as multi-language support.
Waze recently added ‘road goodies’ – small icons worth bonus points – to the map in areas where the waze system has identified map problems. As users drive around to munch these ‘goodies’, the system analyzes the driver’s GPS data to automatically solve the identified problems, improving map quality, and therefore navigation, for all drivers in that area. The holiday version features wintery, new ‘road goodies’ including snowflakes, candy canes and small gift packages, scattered all over the map.
Waze’s holiday version also announces the ‘Holiday Treasure Hunt’, featuring treasure chests that, when driven over, have the potential to reward users with anything from bonus points to valuable real-world prizes. From December 17, 2009 to January 1, 2010, users, worldwide, should start looking for treasure chests along their daily commute for their chance to win. More details can be found on the waze blog.
Taking the gaming aspect of waze even further, this version also features an integration with Foursquare, a new location-based geo-gaming app with a lot of buzz. Users of both apps can now ‘check in’ to various locations on Foursquare via the waze client – a feature that’s sure to become very popular – and even earn a waze ‘roadwarrior’ badge.
In addition the elements mentioned above, waze’s holiday version also introduces a new capability allowing for quick translation and availability of waze in any language. The version includes Spanish and Italian support, both on the client interface as well as the audio navigation prompts. These translations were fully undertaken by waze community members, and any other users who’d like to help translate waze into their language are invited to the waze wiki (www.waze.com/wiki) for more information on how to do so.
“There’s a lot of fun to be had on waze this holiday season,” says Noam Bardin, waze’s CEO. “In addition to the holiday-themed ‘road goodies’ and treasure hunt contest, we’re very enthusiastic about our collaboration with Foursquare. Individually, waze and Fourquare are taking geo-gaming to the next level, and, combined together, we’re positive that our users will be able to experience both apps in exciting new ways.”
About waze
Waze is a free mobile navigation application that allows drivers to build and use live maps, real-time traffic updates and turn-by-turn navigation to improve their daily commute. Waze also has a social element that gives drivers the ability to actively update one other on traffic, police traps, construction, speed cams and more – and because it’s 100% user-generated, the more people who use waze, the better (and more fun) it gets!
Waze is available on the Apple AppStore and the Android Market Place and can be downloaded from the waze web site for Symbian and Windows Mobile devices. To learn more about waze online, visit www.waze.com or @waze on Twitter.
Android’s openness and easily tweakable nature is quickly making it a hackers dream. If you don’t like something, fix it. In regards to the Droid, the biggest shortcoming many have voiced is the lack of multitouch support within the browser specifically as the Droid does actually have multitouch. (Just look at Dolphin browser on the Droid — it’s built in, Google just didn’t take advantage of it.)
Watching the video (below) is enough to make my mouth water and get all giddy inside. But what good or use is getting giddy if I’d never be able to poke, prod, pinch, and zoom myself? Thankfully we’ll all be able to very soon — as in the next couple of days.
Thank you’s can be sent to AllDroid’s Eugene and Barakinflorida whom put their Droids’ lives on the line in order to get a working Moto Milestone build up and running on it’s American counterpart. According to the duo, the builds works well. As well as a twin’s clothing should fit anyway. And for those worried about losing Google Navigation can remain calm as the pair above retained the multitouchy goodness of the Milestone’s firmware and tacked Google Nav on top. Super.
Keep those eyes glued to Gadgetsteria for as soon as we hear about the Milestone-Droid ROM dropping, we’ll be sure to pass it along to you dear reader.
You know what I thought to myself when I was in the Honda shop last week and saw a beautiful flat black ‘06 CBR on a sweet sale? “The only thing that will make this better is rocket launchers…” Well wouldn’t you know it someone has already come along and done such a thing.
YouTube user jairust attached Estes rockets to the side of his ’06 Honda CBR and wired them up to be controlled with the touch of button. Pretty sweet if you ask me.
Perhaps if I actually had a motorcycle of my own — a stealthy, deadly looking flat black motorcycle — I might just attempt such a thing. The video of the rockets and bike in action is currently down. Jairust mentioned that due to unwieldy rockets, he would be uploading a second, more refined video showing off his creation. I just checked the YouTube link several times and found the original video has been removed. So I either caught him in between videos or it was removed by a higher power for some reason.
Whatever the case, I’m eagerly awaiting the updated video. How about you?
I’m not even going to try and hide it — I have a goldfish memory. I can’t remember anything no matter how hard I try. To top it off, my mind wonders so fa…
Often times notes are useless as I merely misplace them or forget to look at them. It kind of sucks really. But somehow I’ve managed to get this far so obviously I’ve figured out some working formula. As soon as I remember what it is I’ll let you know…
With so many passwords, passcodes, and passphrases being required by our increasingly digital lifestyles, remembering all of them is nothing short of monumental. And it’s bad security policy to use the same password/phrase/code for multiple accounts, yet most of us still do it. Why not forget pass-crap altogether?
The Lockface flash drive does just that by eschewing passwords/codes/phrases and instead relying solely on facial recognition software. Potential data thieves who swipe (no pun intended) your drive with hopes of retrieving digital bounty will be frustrated when their ugly mug is prevented from viewing the contents stored within.
98% accuracy and a password failsafe (you know, in case you have some freak accident or something) keep worries of a facial recognition failure at bay. Then again, remembering a backup password to a device that is supposed to do away with passwords puts you right back at square one…
Back when the Palm Pre was launched, Sprint boasted of their exclusive deal with Palm concerning webOS. (A lot of good that did them…) Verizon countered with an “end of year” release of webOS themselves. Obviously they were a bit too excited as Sprint ended up being correct — that Verizon wasn’t getting any webOS love until 2010.
Well, 2010 is just around the corner and tonight we can now feast our eyes upon the very training documents VZW employees are currently consuming, prepping for the big webOS launch day. I originally thought and still think that the Pre is pretty hot. The Pixie not so much, but the Pre has got something special. With a new home on Verizon do you think webOS, the Pre, and Palm can turn their fortunes around?
To AT&T users who have been holding out for their day to claim Android and use the The Nation’s Most Reliable Network, The Nation’s Fastest Network, “Death Star” — a gsm network that happens to reside inside of the U.S — the Moto Backflip/Enzo is a slap in the face.
AT&T had to get into the Android game at some point. They’d be stupid not to. While many AT&T hopeful were no doubt looking forward to some sweet high end uber Android device, I’m sorry to say that they won’t find it here. Granted, something is better than nothing of course. Or is it?
The phone as we now know it is the Motorola Backflip/Enzo and features that oddly aligned keyboard that when closed allows the keyboard to rest on the outside of the phone — Why? (shout out to Android Central, haha) — and also comes pre-loaded chock full of AT&T specific apps, lables, and branded buttons. Oh joy.
The specs are pretty similar to the Moto CLIQ on T-Mobile and position the phone squarely as a mid-range device more geared towards tweeners ad the “younger at heart”.
Being a complete gadget nerd I realize I want every new phone to blow me away and leave me speechless. I also realize that simply isn’t how life and the market woks. WIth that said, I’m still left disappointed completely disgusted with the Backflip/Enzo. AT&T people have been waiting for over a year and what do they have to show for it — a phone that uses the going on 2-year old 528MHz Qualcomm processor, outdated Android 1.5, AT&T garb through and through, and a goofy design that leaves the keyboard exposed even when closed.
Keyboard
First we’ll backtrack a tad and visit that keyboard. Why did they design it the way they did? I get the trackball on the back. It’s actually not a bad idea. It gives back precious space on the keyboard for what needs to be there — keys. The trackball then has free reign on the backside giving a rare yet seemingly highly functional design. The flipped keyboard however is weird. If the keys aren’t resilient, broken/missing keys are going to be a big issue. The keys however are nice and big — a plus!
Android 1.5?
What the hell is it with carriers spending so much time tweaking and fixing old software and pushing it out with a prettied face as if it’s something new and exciting. MotoBLUR’s design is cool and unique. I get that. But Android 1.5? Really!? I’d really like to know who makes these decisions and how they get the positions they do. The appearance of Android 1.5 isn’t the end however. Oh no, it’s gets better worse.
AT&T *vomit* branding
One of the great things about Android is the way it gives end users, carriers included, the ability to fully customize the OS till the ends of the earth. A blessing it is, a curse it has become. In the case of the AT&T Backflip/Enzo, AT&T hasn’t left any stone unturned, any button un-AT&T-ified, or any element of the phone free of AT&T’s crap branding. The AT&T key on the keyboard reeks of econo-phone stench. It’s just like those stupid WAP web buttons that Verizon in particular is getting so much flack for at the moment — nickel-and-diming users to death. If you have any dealings or memories of past encounters with dumb/feature phones on AT&T (or any other carrier), you’re all too familiar with those carrier branded apps. You know the ones that offer an extremely limited (read: poor, poor selection) of apps and services at greatly inflated prices and all because they (the carrier) feel they’re doing you a service.
**NOT a Google exerience — Yahoo Experience sucker punches after hiding popping out of the closet
Another blunder…wait for it…wait for it…a complete lack of any Google apps except for Google Maps. **Side Note: This isn’t the first “non-Google” phone. But seeing as how MotoBLUR on the CLIQ is so tightly integrated with Google apps, the complete 180 is striking.
Along the same lines, the stratification that everyone is starting to get worried about just got a big shot of relevance with this phone. A brand spankin’ new phone launching with old everything and the enemies search engine. I swear to god AT&T ruins everything they touch.
Yahoo Search love fest
Christ, I’ve lost all hope in this piece of garbage. An OS heavily pushed, touched, cared for, and ultimately run by Google features Yahoo Search as the crowning search provider. ‘Nough said.
I’ll probably get flamed, skewered, and raked over the hot coals for poo pooing AT&T’s Android virgin. So be it. I’m calling this waste of everyone’s time for what it is. Between insults and obscenities, just think about how you’re going to feel when twenty things are trying to update in the background (since MotoBLUR is all about the social scene) on that two-year old processor. Lest we not forget how the MotoCLIQ was looked upon unfavorably because of the unrefined OS. The ultimate uber social idea is great and all. But the hardware on the CLIQ — the exact same as this phone here — had a hard time juggling so many tasks.
In the end, I come away feeling sad. Sad beyond words for the countless AT&T users whom are weeping oceans from their faces asking themselves “Why?”. Why did they wait for so long only to be let down so harshly? Can AT&T not step away from their own little world where they’re the super greatest and realize that they are not a software company nor GUI designer? Because of that, they need to learn to keep their hands off of the phone itself. It worked wonderfully on the iPhone — not a hint of AT&T crap branding except for the network indicator. Though Apple has a much larger bargaining power than Motorola. On that note, I’d also be interested to know exactly how much influence Motorola had and how much power AT&T stripped away.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Backflip/Enzo will gain a loyal following much like the socially connected CLIQ on T-Mobile. But as far as gaining anything close to the Droid-like cult following and mass hysteria — well, there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell. Not one. The Moto Backflip/Enzo is a knock against Android, AT&T, and Motorola.
So AT&T users, are you now left looking ahead to the next Android device that will hopefully come sometime in 2010? Currently you’re only hope is looking at being either the Nexus One since it comes with your 3G bands and all or some completely unknown device. Ya, your options downright suck right now.
Once again the argument and ideology of “saving the kiddies” from harmful pornographic material and all kinds of icky human parts is ruining a grand part of the internet — individually owned websites/domain names. Before we go any further, it’s worth noting that this crackdown is a China only crackdown. Whew!
A statement made by The China Internet Network Information Centre, starting this week only businesses, businessmen, and organizations will be able to register and own personal domain names. Even then, several hoops will have to be navigated and jumped through. New registrants will need to have written applications, copies of various licenses, and/or other certificates — for a goddamn domain name.
Those Chinese whom already own and run their own websites and own said domains may not be not be out of the woods. According to various site owners located abroad in Jiangsu, Shanghai, Henan, Zhejiang and Jiangxi no “grandfather rule” is being applied. That simply means that if current site owners with private domains could find their site dead, gone, and digital buried. A sad realization for the countless numbers of private site owners who have no doubt invested copious amounts of blood, sweat, and tears in their websites.
As mentioned above, the China Internet Network Information Centre is using the excuse reasoning that too much porn has popped up on private sites. Logical solution: erase them from existence. Great idea.
If you ever needed a reason not to move to/start a Chinese native website, this would illustrate a perfectly logical reason not to do so. As hard as I may try to keep personal politics out of this, I can’t help but feel sadness for the countess Chinese site owners — especially the nerdy ones — who have spent so much time on their websites, some spending many years, to now have it all hanging by a thread. Not to mention I can’t even begin fathom how any single one of the idiots who hold a seat in the Chinese government can even begin to think this is a reasonable or perfectly logical solution.
I’m sure there’s plenty of opinions out there. Let’s hear ‘em.
Somehow, somewhere, someone thought I knew a thing or two about mobile devices. Take a minute or two to check out Freescale's Smart Mobile Device Pundit 2012. There's some pretty big names on there and some awesome people. Not to worry. I won't judge you if you vote for someone else.
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If you haven’t checked out Waze yet, you don’t know what you’re missing. The simple “find all of the state license plates on your cross country trip” now pales in comparison to the scope and cool factor that Waze offers. What started as a simple social GPS app that allowed end users to upload road conditions among other things has grown into a GPS game of sorts — enticing users to discover new paths to their destinations in order to collect the hidden presents on the map for the chance to win actual real life prizes dubbed “Road Goodies”. 
