SatNav Launches Live Traffic Smartphone App

GPS maps and navigation company SatNav Technologies has partnered with Isreal based Waze Inc. to launch an app with navigation and live traffic updates.

The app also has social networking features with rewards for daily driving. The free application can be installed on most handsets including Apple iPhones, Windows, Symbian, Android and Blackberry OS based phones.

The company had released the Beta version of the app for live traffic and has now made it officially available for users. It claims that overall, SatGuide-Waze has registered over 15,000 users who have logged in over 1,75,000 times.

The app also offers information on which roads are jammed at what time of the day anywhere in India and which routes to avoid. Users can also report alerts -- so far, 380 accident alerts, 1400 hazard alerts, and 9200 traffic reports have been submitted by users.

SatGuide-Waze's routing suggestions automatically avoids heavy traffic routes and dynamically changes the route in-real time. So it's not static navigation as the ones offered by plain GPS devices.

"The innovation can help solve the most important problem in the country, that of traffic, and give citizens a way to beat it, ensure they Never Get Lost, in the wilderness or in Traffic," said Amit Prasad, Founder & MD, SatNav Technologies, in a media release. SatNav is backed by Sequoia Capital and BCCL.

Earlier, Sygic and MapmyIndia had partnered to launch 'MapmyIndia Sygic Mobile Maps'. This application converts GPS-enabled mobile phones into GPS navigators, allowing seamless travel anywhere in India.