Crowdsourced GPS appWaze has announced a further integration of its service with microblogging and location apps, as well as support for the iPhone’s new iOS4.
The iPhone version was approved by Apple this afternoon, according to Waze community cartographer Di-Ann Eisnor.
“This updated version is fully optimized for the iPhone’s new iOS 4, which allows apps to run in the background while giving users the ability to simultaneously conduct other important tasks, such as sending and receiving calls, all while still hearing turn-by-turn voice instructions. When Waze goes into the background, smart algorithms are applied to detect whether or not the device is in motion. Following a long standstill, Waze will automatically close itself when it determines that you are no longer using the app, avoiding needless data and battery consumption.”
The Twitter integration will now cull geo-located tweets from all of Twitter, not just Waze users, and post them directly to the Waze map. This means that even if a non-Waze user tweets that they’re stuck in traffic, it will appear with near-immediacy as a road report pin. Waze Twitterers can now hashtag a Tweet with #wazelive to ensure it shows up immediately.
The Facebook integration will now allow users to see friends – with an “f” icon and an audio alert – when they are nearby. The Foursquare integration will allow users to users check in to locations as they pull up and to unlock “Road Warrior” badges by checking into Foursquare locations three times using Waze.
