The sheer scale of the information is the key to an accurate portrayal of road conditions, but it also presents a drawback. If there isn't enough data -- if no Android users happen to be driving down a particular road -- the map won't display the traffic layer. That might not be a problem in New York City, but rural areas could suffer from spotty traffic information, though probably enjoying less actual traffic.

The traffic-avoiding capability is available on Android smartphones now in North America and Europe.