Facebook Inc (FB), Google Inc (GOOG): Waze Becomes a Mistress?

Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is the jilted lover, and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is now the desired suitor, but Waze can’t seem to help itself. Its personality meshes so well with Facebook, the synergy is so passionate that it is truly a wonder why the two lovebirds couldn’t consummate their relationship? After all, Waze is a social traffic and navigation app, and Facebook is the world’s biggest social network at least here; we were rooting for those kids.

And now with Waze being courted pretty heavily by Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) in an attempt to make Google Maps the dominant mapping tool in the digital universe, it seems that Waze may either be bought up or will go the IPO route. However, Waze is upgrading itself to be even more social, and it turns out that it may be still be pining for Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) at the end of the day because Waze update version 3.7 is being rolled out with some new social tools that more deeply integrates with Facebook.

Yep, we were rootin’ for those crazy kids. But if Waze becomes a Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) property, we certainly can’t imagine any more integration with Facebook – the question might be whether Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) would even be involved any more. Would the integration  go deep into Google+ instead? That is a question for another day and time. First, let us talk about how deep does this Facebook integration go for Waze, and could Google extract it by the roots over time?

In the new Waze update, a user’s Facebook events are featured as addresses in the app. For example, if a user is logged into Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) Connect in the Waze app, and the user has RSVP’d to an event, that event will appear in the app 24 to 48 hours prior to the event. And if the address isn’t included in the initial invitation, guests can plug in the actual address into Waze so friends can find the location. And friends could then track each other on their way to the event in real time. The app can also determine the estimated time of arrival for each guest using Waze based on their location and speed.

So in the wake of this, where does Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) stand in its attempts to land Waze?

Whether and how this would integrate into Google+ is sure to be seen over time, even if Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) does not close the deal, because surely that aspect of social (and perhaps Twitter) will likely play a role in Waze’s future success. But in terms of negotiations, the one reason that Waze turned down Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) was reluctance to move its staff from Israel to California. In Google’s case, that problem seems to be more minimal, as Google already has research and development facilities in Israel, so it’s very possible that Google would keep that staff there and just move them into their facility. But as we have learned from the Facebook story, no deal is complete until the ink is dry on the contracts.

What do you think of this new Waze update? Do you think Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) will remain allied with Waze even if Google wins the purchase? Give us your feedback in the comments section below.

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