Google buys the Waze community GPS, it's official

We talked to you about it recentlyin this article, Google was on
the point of buying the community GPS that is Waze.

It's now official since Google has just announced on its blog
the acquisition which would have cost the unofficial sum of 1.3 billion
dollars.

Waze: Community GPS, is available here on iPhone and iPad

We will quickly move on to the classic speeches following
acquisitions.Google side: 'We will work in
close collaboration with the dynamic Waze community, which is the DNA of
the application' andWaze side: 'Nothing practical goes
change here in Waze. We will maintain our community, the brand, the
service and organization – community hierarchy, responsibilities
and the processes will remain the same.'

Now let's focus on the strategic side.

First of all, this purchase is a snub to Facebook which had shown itself
very interested in Waze. Next, Waze will allow Google to integrate more
largely a social side to its cards available online but also on
iPhone and Android mobile machines in the lead and thus provide an angle of approach
additional with users sharing places actually visited and
forming a large spider web.

Of course, this will also be a way to further highlight the network
Google's social network, Google+ which, at the moment, is not one of the most
assets.

Google understands this well, the maps are established and used by and for
mobiles and Waze is just one of the companies that is actively working
in this area.

Thus, cards used on a mobile must be social and
complete. Google has a new social layer with Waze when Waze
benefits from search capabilities and nowof the cartography of
Google.

Waze, whose community is estimated at 44 million users, has the
United States as main market with 12 million users and, knowing
that the monetization of the service is still in its infancy, the arrival of Google,
leader in the mobile advertising market, will give grist to both
parties.

It now remains to be seen what the medium/long term objectives are.
Google vis-à-vis Waze but only Google knows that.