Google Inc. snatched a popular mobile mapping service from the outstretched hands of its Internet superpower rivals, securing its dominance in real-time navigation information.
Tuesday's $1-billion deal for Waze and the weeks of fevered speculation leading up to its acquisition signal the growing importance of digital maps, apps that are shaping up to be among the most important ones people use on smartphones and tablets.
Waze, which helps drivers find the fastest and easiest routes, was being wooed by Facebook Inc. and Apple Inc., among others. But Google dug deep into its cash box to make the tiny Israeli company the fourth-biggest purchase in Google's 15-year history.
Travelers' increasing reliance on road apps to guide them is creating new opportunities for Internet companies to advertise deals, especially from local merchants, and show other points of interest.
Maps are on their way to becoming the main onramp for information and services on mobile devices, said industry analyst Julie Ask of Forrester Research, a consulting firm.
"A growing percentage of time will be spent discovering, accessing and engaging content within maps," Ask said.
The Waze purchase could extend Google's lead in maps by making them more reliable and useful, thereby encouraging people to spend even more time on Google products, analysts said.
"We think Waze will help add to Google's leadership position in global maps, which we see as very strategic," S&P Capital IQ analyst Scott Kessler said.
Waze, a free app available on Apple mobile devices and on devices powered by Google's Android software, soared in popularity by folding social networking into digital maps.
Waze, which has about 50 million users in 190 countries, helps drivers "outsmart" traffic, Brian McClendon, Google's vice president for geo-products, said in a blog post.
Waze tracks traffic flow by monitoring users on their GPS devices. A dedicated community of more than 70,000 drivers volunteer to edit maps to help fellow drivers make up-to-the-minute adjustments to avoid time-sucking obstacles in their path, such as road construction and closures, traffic congestion, police cameras and speed traps.
Google plans to add some of the Waze features to Google Maps, but the Waze app still will be available separately. The Waze team will remain in Israel and will operate independently "for now," McClendon said.
Waze is most extensively used in Israel, where nearly 9 in 10 drivers rely on it. Waze estimated that about 10% of drivers in Los Angeles use the service. It is particularly useful in areas of the world that are less accessible and therefore more difficult to navigate.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but a person familiar with the deal who was not authorized to discuss it publicly said Google paid $1.03 billion for Waze.
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