When it comes to geogeeking here in Portland, most everyone knows about Platial, one of the original social mapping efforts that was founded right here in the Silicon Forest. But what you may not know is that Platial’s cofounder and chair, Di-Ann Eisnor, is hard at work with another geolocation company called Waze.
While Waze isn’t Portland-based, having Di-Ann working there does give us a Portland tie. And now, there’s another opportunity to put Portland on the Waze map—literally. Di-Ann is inviting you to give Waze a test drive and provide feedback on the mobile. And the reward for your hard work? A free pie from the Whiffies food cart for participating drivers. Now, what could be more Portland-y than that?
What is Waze? I’m glad you asked.
Waze is a social mobile application providing free turn-by-turn navigation based on the live conditions of the road. 100% powered by users, the more you drive, the better it gets.
What’s more, Waze gives you points for driving heretofore undriven routes with Pac-Man-esque dots. Drive down those roads and rack up the points.
I’m sorry. Are you still salivating over the thought of a free Whiffies pie? Well, let me give you the details, then.
To get a pie, you need to download the Waze Android app or the (NOTE: iTunes link) Waze iPhone app. Don’t have an Android phone or an iPhone? Find someone with a car and team up. Don’t have a car? I bet you can find someone to drive you around. I mean, who doesn’t want to drive to Whiffies?
Okay, now that you’ve got the basics and the app, here’s what you do.
- On your mark: The test driving starts at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, August 11
- Get set: Enter “1412 Se 12th ave, Portland” as your destination in your respective Waze app
- Go: Start chomping points, sending tweets, and filing road reports on your way to Whiffies
Waze giving you the wrong route? Drive there the right way. Waze will learn from your astute sense of direction. You’ve got 30 minutes to get there. At 7:30 PM, they’ll begin taking feedback and at 8 PM, they’ll begin doling out the free pies.
No word on whether anyone is going for Waze piechamp or not.
Sound like fun? Well, just RSVP for the Waze test drive so that Whiffies and Waze will have an idea of how many folks to expect on Tuesday evening.
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