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Google confirmed yesterday that the company has acquired Waze, an Israeli company that offers a community driven traffic and navigation app for Android and iOS. I have not the conditions for the acquisition, but it is believed that the price has been on more than $ 1 billion.
Has for weeks been rumors that an acquisition of Waze has been in the works, but I should not have been the only suitor. In any case, Facebook will also have been negotiating with Waze on this.
Waze is basically a navigation app for motorists. Users enter normally into the destination and run away with the app open. Then they allow the app to collect data on traffic and route planning. These data are collected centrally and combined from similar data from other users. Thus, Waze will be well positioned to suggest routes arrive at the destination.
Waze app showing on the map where there are various obstacles, including police checks and queuing. (Screenshot: Waze)
Development Team will indefinitely remain in Israel and be a separate entity.
– We are excited about the prospect of improving Google Maps with some functionality for traffic updates provided by Waze Waze and to improve the Google search capabilities, writes Brian McClendon, head of Google’s geo-business, in the announcement.
– We will also work closely with the living Waze- community, which is the DNA of this application, to ensure that they have what it takes to grow and thrive, laws McClendon.
One can also imagine that Waze can be integrated with other Google services, especially Google Now, already warning the user travel times. But the social aspects of Waze can probably also be integrated with Google+.
While it is thus clear that Waze will continue to exist as a separate application. It currently has just under 50 million users. A Web edition of the map can be found here. Today the hotel apparently based on Bing.
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