Google starts integrating Waze into Google Maps

Sadly, Canadians won't get to see Waze info in Maps (unless Google accidentally forgot it in the announcement):

http://google-latlong.blogspot.ca/2013/08/new-features-ahead...

I continue to believe that the only real-world methods of providing broad useful real-time traffic information will be crowd-sourced. Most likely this will combine "passive" detection of traffic movement--your cell phone is moving along that road at that speed, so if there are several more like it, that is probably the current traffic flow--with "active" reports of unusual events--a user description or even an official report will probably be better at describing a construction blockage than any fully passive method.

I just hope crowd-sourced real-time traffic data makes its way to my Garmin some day--preferably the 3790LMT I already own, or at least some future model. Sadly I suspect the receiver provided for my 3790LMT lacks the reception capacity to handle highly detailed data even were it available.

Unless my employer switches carriers, I will be on Sprint which essentially means I do not have a data plan. Cellular Data is always off on my iPhone 4S as it sucks my battery dead for what is mostly intermittent 56K speeds. I have never yet been able to stream radio stations in the car using cellular. There are a few cell sites where I travel on Long Island that have slightly better throughput but most of the time I depend on my cable company's public WiFi system. That does not work too well in the car unless I am stopped. And it will be quite some time before Sprint ever get LTE out here (which of course means I would need a new phone).

Because of this, Waze is all but useless out in Long Island outside of the 4G coverage area, as even CDMA is all but absent out there. Traffic data from the internet will not help in such areas. I wish there was some way to get the FM traffic signals to use with our mapping apps, as that would be the most reliable, though not always best option.

I guess if it starts being available in Canada, I might have to upgrade my phone.

I agree, crowd-sourcing is how I see the most up to date info for traffic. I love my Garmin and the up to date crowd-sourcing traffic is just about the only thing I think Garmin really needs to get a leg up on smartphones.

Going to downtown Toronto last night, Google Maps on my phone showed a traffic incident reported by Waze on the Gardiner Expy.

Nice early Christmas present Google!