Feature parity of client platform and server infrastructure

[gettingthere]

(Split from iOS beta 3.1.99.15 thread)

Any word on when the ROTW and also Android will get the "Gas" station feature? Or can we expect a TTS-like wait?

My guess is that it's going to be a while. Waze will have to partner with providers of fuel/petrol prices in every country... If they try to release it without any partner data, it's going to be a mess with not enough data, stale data.

[dmcconachie]

Any word on when the ROTW and also Android will get the "Gas" station feature? Or can we expect a TTS-like wait?

My guess is that it's going to be a while. Waze will have to partner with providers of fuel/petrol prices in every country... If they try to release it without any partner data, it's going to be a mess with not enough data, stale data.

By that reckoning we might as well assign this as a permanent US-only feature.

[gettingthere]

By that reckoning we might as well assign this as a permanent US-only feature.

Who says that's not the idea

I know you are sensitive about the inequality of features. But you 'guys' have prefer goodie/cookie munching and 'we' don't (this is a joke, we don't want prefer goodie/cookie munching - thank you Waze for getting rid of it on the USA/Canada server)

For goodness sake, it's only been available in Beta for a couple of days! And personally it's of little value to me anyway since I buy my diesel fuel in Mexico at the government subsidized, below market rate and save $1.50 USD per gallon

[dmcconachie]

For goodness sake, it's only been available in Beta for a couple of days!

And?

I asked the team in Paris if the NA server was the playground for new ideas. It was categorically denied. If it is the testing ground then admit and we'll all move on understanding our second tier status.

If ROTW could even catch up with NA or Android could even catch up with iOS I could maybe understand but we've had to campaign to get TTS and that has taken pretty much 12 months. ASR is another feature long missing over here. In fact they can't even remove broken features that are actively causing problems! How hard is it to remove a checkbox!?

I'm not just throwing the toys out of the pram here. Where is the sense in actively adding features and complexity when your platform is already unbalanced and in some cases broken?

Reasons for not expanding TTS were given as language limitations (erm...English?) and subsequently server limitations (I thought the servers were under capacity and now scalable). And why the different servers anyway? But that's a whole different question (that probably leads back to the first paragraph).

Anyway, sorry to hijack - if another mod could carve this into a separate thread as I'm on my phone.

[tibble]

If ROTW could even catch up with NA or Android could even catch up with iOS I could maybe understand but we've had to campaign to get TTS and that has taken pretty much 12 months. ASR is another feature long missing over here. In fact they can't even remove broken features that are actively causing problems! How hard is it to remove a checkbox!?

It's possible they are closer to monetizing deals in the US and thus want to get the killer features here sooner to build user base. Then when money is coming in and they are more secure they can take the time to move them to the rest of the world. who knows.

It's been established in the past, though, that it's easier to develop new features(especially new UI elements) on iOS first since you only have to target 1 platform with only 2 screen sizes(iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad). It makes sense to get it good to go on iOS and then take on Android.

[dmcconachie]

Yeah I get the reason for developing iOS first, even if it's a fallacy, but then they should be getting the Android version up to the same level before adding yet more features.

And as for the NA vs ROTW, that's fine, not great but I could understand it. But tell us!! Because as it stands as a ROTW Android user I'm currently a 4th tier user. And very much not a 4th tier contributor.

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[gettingthere]

Yeah I get the reason for developing iOS first, even if it's a fallacy, but then they should be getting the Android version up to the same level before adding yet more features.

I'd like to see the % of Wazers on iOS vs. Android. iOS currently has no viable TTS enabled navigation application included with the OS where Android comes pre-loaded with Google Navigation. So iOS users are more actively searching for a TTS enabled navigation application to install and use.

I would expect that the % of Wazers using iOS is higher than Android (I could be wrong). If this is the case, it makes sense that Waze is prioritizing development and enhancements of their iOS version if that is where the majority of their users are.

Perlin, can Waze share the approximate % of users on each mobile platform? iOS, Android as well as the legacy Symbian, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry platforms.

Here is a shot in the dark estimate based on what I have been reading on mobile OS market shares and the above assumptions:

iOS - 65%
Android - 30%
BlackBerry - 2%
Symbian - 2%
Windows Mobile - 1%

Why would I even guess? To give Waze the incentive to release this info to correct it

[dmcconachie]

But looking forward iOS will undoubtedly get its own built in app and you could also argue that development is required more on Android to keep ahead of the competition.

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[gettingthere]

But looking forward iOS will undoubtedly get its own built in app and you could also argue that development is required more on Android to keep ahead of the competition.

Assuming that Waze can offer something better than what is included on either platform.

[dmcconachie]

But looking forward iOS will undoubtedly get its own built in app and you could also argue that development is required more on Android to keep ahead of the competition.

Assuming that Waze can offer something better than what is included on either platform. But now we have really drifted off-topic.

Indeed and I do apologise, I genuinely didn't mean to get ranty.
#BadMod

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