So I’ve been around Kuwait for some time now, I know my way around for
the most part and I’m pretty good at getting to places I’ve needed to get to
with the worst directions that anyone can give (Some of my wife’s friends are
notorious for that). I’ve got a great sense of direction and I DO NOT get lost
easily, but sometimes you do need some help. In my earlier post about Kuwait
Electronic Guide I showed you guys a website that can show you things in Kuwait
that Google Earth/Maps cannot. Now I’m going to show you something for those of
you with smartphones, and it is called Waze…
Waze is a free mobile navigation application available for Android, iOS
and according to their site Blackberry and Ovi for Nokia phones as well but I
can’t verify those last two. This app allows users to build and use live maps
with real-time traffic updates and turn-by-turn directions, all updated by the
very same users that well… use it! Now, not all phones running those particular
OS’s are supported and that was even true for my Galaxy S2 up until about
December time frame. My main issue was that even though I could download it, I
couldn’t sign up for some reason. So I waited until the next update and I was
then able to sign up and start using it, and I’ve been using it ever since. I
suggest you go to their site and find out what phones are being supported
before downloading the app; I know that on the Android Marketplace they had the
names of the phones that are supported when I downloaded it. Ok so this is what it looks like when you first start it up…
It starts up pretty quickly and once it establishes a GPS and Data
connection it will show you where you are on the screen and it will look something
like this…
Waze driving mode
Of course keep in mind that the screen will look different depending on
where are at, these screenshots were taken as I was driving around town to
demonstrate the app. While in this screen you will see 2 white squares, one on
the left and one on the right and a speedometer (If you are on the move)
telling you how fast you are going. If you press the white square on the left,
you will get this screen…
Waze menu screen
While in this screen you can choose either one of those categories, which
are self-explanatory, but the one you need to worry about now is My Waze and of
course Settings. Under the My Waze screen you can set up a profile and sign in
so that you can start accumulating points for using Waze and for contributing
to Waze by reporting things like accidents, cameras, hazards, traffic, missing
roads or even Police locations. In reality just about anything you do in Waze
is rewarded with points, which can then be turned in only (as far as I can
tell) for better status icons.
My Waze screen
Settings screen
There is also the option to Navigate, where I’ve had no luck finding
stuff around Kuwait yet. I’ve tried finding famous landmarks or places like
shopping centers and even hotels with no luck. But I’ve had some luck with
streets though, so right now it’s a hit and miss with this feature which looks
like this…
Waze Navigate screen
Going back and looking at the Reports tab will let you look at All reports
or just the ones you want to look at such as Police, Traffic, Accidents, Chit
Chats or Other…
Waze Reports screen
While doing this piece only traffic and an accident had been reported and
I happened to be driving by a speed camera, so that’s all I can show you now…
Traffic report
Heavy Traffic
Moderate Traffic
Speed cam
There is also the option to Share with (or tell) friends about this app
using social networks…
Waze share screen
Now going back to the square on the right and clicking on it will take
you to a window where you can make different reports…
Report an incident to Waze users
Here you have the
option to report…
Traffic Jams
Police
Accidents
Hazards
Camera
Have a Chit Chat
Map Issues
Pave Roads
Or check in using Foursquare
The program
is supposedly works great in the United States but I won't be able to verify this until I go home on vacation, and although it doesn’t seem to be
working fully here in Kuwait it does get the job done in many ways. I
especially like how it can warn you of upcoming speed/red light cameras, but
you have to be careful because since it is updated by the community it can have
some mistakes. I have found that not all
cameras are where they are supposed to be, some are off by 200 meters or more
and some are no longer there. I have tried many times to report these issues
with no luck; hopefully someone that knows how is reading this and will let us
know how to fix it. In the meantime, enjoy the many other features that do work
and let’s hope that the developers fix these minor problems. Please let me know
what you think of this app, and if you have some tips on how to use it feel free
to share them here with us. Thanks again for coming by and see you next time!!
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