It's official Google has acquired Waze. I found this statement most interesting.
We’ll also work closely with the vibrant Waze community, who are the DNA of this app, to ensure they have what’s needed to grow and prosper.
In the old days you would say the top things people would go to the web was for weather. I don't think Google has acquired a weather company.
I find myself accessing Waze way more than than looking at the weather. I can look outside and see the weather and get a good idea what is going on within 10-20 miles.
I don't see the traffic issues until it hits me in the face.
The one thing that Google has over Facebook and others who were bidding for Waze is more servers WW than any other company. The speed at which Waze can grow and expand and not worry about capacity, availability, and performance is beyond what they could have done on their own. So even though the development does not move, you can expect Waze type of functionality to show up in Google Maps soon.
The Waze product development team will remain in Israel and operate separately for now. We’re excited about the prospect of enhancing Google Maps with some of the traffic update features provided by Waze and enhancing Waze with Google’s search capabilities.
And you know what this is a good use of Internet technology to allow users to better plan their driving. Taking the shortest routes most likely saves significant fuel. I think I see a future Google sponsored study of how Waze saves the millions of gallons of fuel a year. :-)