Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84Winter 2014 | IRON BUTT MAGAZINE  MY FOURYEAROLD HTC Android was having issues — it would crash and reboot at random. It also needed a new battery, again. So I sprung for a new smart phone. It has all kinds of cool fea- tures and built in toys,including a  MP camera. Battery life is insane and the screen is visible in bright daylight, even with my extra dark riding glasses, which was a major downside of most smart phones versus a GPS (the screens are not visible in daylight). After reloading all my old apps onto my new phone, I went looking for navi- gational tools. There are hundreds of them available in the Google Play store ranging from $ for the full version of major GPS manufacturers to no cost at all. I’ve heard good things about “Waze” — an app that Google bought about a year ago for a mere $. billion. I opted for the free version. In brief,Waze differs from traditional GPS navigation software because it’s a community-driven application that gathers complementary map data and other traffic information from users. It displays screens that alert users about police activity, accidents, road hazards or traffic jams, all shared by other drivers in real-time. It’s like a personal “heads-up” from a few million of your closest friends on the road. So I thought I’d see how the routing and information displays of my Garmin  performed side-by-side against the Waze app while travelling to and from the IBA InterNational Meet in Denver. Like that snuggly winter blanket, the Garmin’s interface is a comfortable reminder of the past, where the pink ribbon of your intended route leads you along to the next turn. The ETA becomes a “time to beat” and the but- tons and screen were developed with a rider’s gloved hand in mind. Most smart phones have a decent GPS built in and, when combined with the Google base map interface, you get a fairly useable navigation tool. Waze, on the other hand, is made for whiz kids of the st century and provides more computing power than was used to land a man on the moon. Everything beyond the base map data is “crowd sourced” and self-reported by other Waze users. Garmin’s traffic data warns me of upcoming traffic issues only on the major roads, whereas Waze has info on every road its users travel on. One interesting anecdote: After launching the Waze app, it tells you how many Wazers are nearby and how many reports are available. On most morn- ings in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore metro areas, there are a few thousand users with several hundred reports. I stopped in Emporia, Kansas for fuel on my trip to Denver and upon re-launch- ing the app, I found  users nearby me — even in Kansas, where it can be dozens of miles between stop signs. Don’t get me wrong; Waze will not replace your GPS. At no point, however, did Waze route me off the interstate only to shortly return, which has happens fre- quently with Garmin GPSs. Will Waze be part of my rally arsenal? Absolutely. Will it be my only option? No way. If you already have a smart phone, Waze may be an additional useful tool for you. It supports Android, iPhone, Symbian, Blackberry  (except Black- berry Q), Windows Phone  and Windows Mobile from version . More information about this app can be found at www.waze.com. Waze Navigation App Will it complement your Garmin, or is it a marriage made in hell? By Rick Miller Comparison Chart Feature Garmin Waze Point to Point Navigation Yes Yes Routing Yes Yes (by adding stops) Planned Routes Yes No Alternate Routes No Yes Built-in POI Yes Only Gas Stations (with other POI based on map searches) Route Limit 24 hours 1,000 miles Input Address/ Coords Yes Yes Talk to Type No Yes Voice Commands No Yes Model Zumo 550, 2015.2, 5.00 Samsung Galaxy S5 active, Android 4.4.2 (Kitkat)