So, the long wait is over and Version 3.0 – for Android – is available right now on the Android Market and ready to rumble…
When you download the new version, you’ll see that it’s an entirely redesigned wazing experience, that we hope you’ll really enjoy. Take some time to get used to the new look and feel, and once you’ve got a sense of it, we’ll love to hear any feedback you have in the comments section, below. Happy wazing, Android friends. We know it took a little longer than you’d have liked, but, as always, good things come to those who wait!

Good morning/afternoon/evening Android lovers,

We know it’s taken a while (apologies), but your time to shine is almost here!

Stay tuned, more info on its way early next week…

-All of us @ Waze

It’s an announcement that’s been a long time coming…the new Waze map editor is now live!

For map editing veterans: First off, thank you. Mainly, for your patience. We know that the old version was…hard-to-love…and following your regular feedback on the matter, we made this upgrade a priority. We spent lots of time on this project, and we hope you’re very pleased with the results!

Newbie editors: You may be asking yourself, “Am *I* a newbie editor?” And the answer is: if you want to start editing the map, we’ll be more than glad to have you on board. The new user interface is much more intuitive and there’s a lot of incentive to put in the effort, as far as we can see it; each little edit you make has the capacity  to save members of your local driving community lots of time out there on the road. But for you do-gooders who love helping others, take note, we’re told people really love solving the map problems and that it can be somewhat addictive, so don’t forget to come up for air now and then!

To get going, log in here. If you’ve forgotten your log in details, though, visit My Waze>My Profile in the app for a reminder. And, as always, let us know what you think in the comments section, below. Your voice matters.

Hey there all you CES-bound Wazers!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to come on down to North Hall 1101 and check out the latest evolution of Waze: in-car! No, your eyes don’t deceive you– We’re featured in Pioneer’s AppRadio2, a new Android-based dashboard that features Waze in its lineup of nav apps! This is a first, and certainly something to write home about. We also have some Waze team members on-site so you can pick their brains with any questions you may have (if you haven’t already checked the forums of course).

So head on over, and bear witness to what is essentially Waze’s first foray into sans-phone glory. We’ll be just as excited to see YOU!

We all know that moment. You’re driving on a relatively empty road and you see another Wazer, or two, right nearby, but you can’t quite tell which car it is. And for good reason – there’s a tiny bit of a delay on the exact location of the Wazers as they appear around you on the map. This is to protect people’s privacy, of course, but for those of you who want to broadcast to others, loud and proud, that you’re a Wazer – well, this one’s for you…

We’ve created a sticker, on sale on our Cafe Press store for $2.99, that isn’t about advertising, with a URL. It’s sole purpose is to identify you to other Wazers out there on the road.

We like to think of it as a secret society, of sorts. When you’re driving around and see this sticker on cars around you, you’ll be one of the very few who knows what it means. And if you want to connect even further with other members of your local driving community who are also sporting the sticker, drive by and flash a three-fingered ‘W’, in solidarity. They probably won’t understand what your hand sign and goofy smile mean, but wouldn’t it be cool if when you drove past, they saw your same sticker, and then they’d know? (Yeah, okay, maybe we’ll just stick with the stickers…)

Hey Wazers-

We’ve got some pretty exciting news for you bay area-based TV watchers out there. Ok, so that might be a little specific for most of you, but if you find yourself getting excited regardless of your locale or which side of the TV-watching fence you sit on, then just go with it. Why?

Because Waze is coming at you live and direct from ABC 7 in San Francisco! That means more reports, better traffic data, and being able to talk about Waze with the general public and have them know what you’re talking about. Take a looksie:

Thanks to all our Wazers out there…wishing you the happiest of new years!

One of the neatest developments in the past year has been getting acknowledged as a top Navigation app on both iOS and Android. And it’s done happened once again! In the 2011 Best App Ever Awards, where we’re up for best Nav app on both platforms. Despite that ‘Ever’ is re-defined yearly, we still think it’d be super cool to snag this distinction and ask that you vote for us, if you think we, indeed, do deserve it. You’ll notice the voting for both platforms is on the same page in two columns, so depending on your level of enthusiasm, at least know that you have the ability to vote in both…

Some really nice shout-outs to close the year!

• First up, the comic above, by Greg Dean that we were kinda tickled by. Thanks for your support, Greg, we hope you munched all the santa hats you could manage
• Second, everyone’s favorite productivity blog, Lifehacker, chose us as best turn-by-turn nav app for iPhone *and* best turn-by-turn nav app for Android. :::Totally blushing:::
• And lastly, we’ve been Scobblized once again – Robert Scoble, who’s always been a great Waze champion, put us in his 10 ten of the year! Take a peek at who the other 9 are to make sure you’re on the board with the most exiting apps of the year…

That’s it for now – happy happy, joy joy to you and yours…

Looking back over the last year finds us with quite the smile on our faces. What can we say? It’s extremely gratifying to put in so much effort each day, and to actually see it translate into tangible results – and now that we’re closing out the year, we’re happy to report 10 million registered users, worldwide! And the best part? You guys aren’t just passive users who log in now and then, you’re people who really love our product and use it all the time, and that makes us super happy.

Looking in the metaphorical rearview mirror is cool because when we look at the cumulative numbers, they kinda boggle our minds. Can you imagine that by working together, the global Waze community saved one another nearly 4 million hours of commuting time?! We estimate that to be close to 6 million gallons of gas saved, and we all know the world can use a bit of a break in that regard.

But what’s more? You guys weren’t just in it for yourselves, you’re working hard to build and strengthen your local driving communities so that everyone benefits from common good out there on the road, and that’s awesome. We see this by the more than 25 million road reports you filed in 2011 - a 10 fold boost from 2010 – giving other Wazers nearby a heads-up as to what’s ahead. Respect!

Anyhoo, we’re just getting going over here, so stay tuned, as we expect big things in 2012, too. We’re already drawing up plans for lots of the improvements you’ve been waiting for, and have a bunch more magic up our sleeve… In the meantime, check out a little clip above that we made for you that reviews where we’re at, and more than anything, we wish all of you guys a bright and dazzling year to come!

Holy Canoli! The App Store’s always been good to us, but this week we got an early holiday present when we were voted one of the top 5 apps of the year in the Navigation category on the App Store Rewind 2011! We’re super excited to be honored in this way and are also looking forward to the tons of new users a feature like this has the capacity to bring into your local driving communities,  so make sure to keep your eyes open for new baby Wazers out there, and do your part to welcome them into the fold