Waze
Waze relies heavily on user-generated information to alert you to radar traps, traffic backups and delays and accidents along your route, as well as locations of parking lots, car repair shops and gas stations. Crowd-sourced information means that the app works great in areas with lots of users and not so well in areas where it hasn’t caught on.
An advantage over other traffic apps is Waze’s audio navigation with turn-by-turn instructions and the ability to use voice commands (iPhone and Android only) simply by waving your hand in front of your phone or tapping the screen with three fingers.
Sharing information or photos of traffic snarls on Twitter of Facebook while driving doesn’t seem particularly wise, but Waze allows it. Once you drive 100 miles (160 km) using Waze, you can access its gas prices feature, which displays prices updated in real time by users.
Platforms: Android, Blackberry (beta), iPhone
Cost: Free
