iPhone Apps

Nearly half the states have passed and strictly enforce restrictions on wireless phone use while driving. Given that cell phone users are 17 times more vulnerable to accidents than drunk drivers, the restrictions make a great deal of sense. Therefore, any commuter-friendly iPhone Application comes with a proper caution: Do not use this app while operating your vehicle. Work it to the limit while you idle in front of the convenience store sipping your morning brew, or let the guy in the shotgun seat work the phone while you work the gears.

Photo by Steve Rhodes

Just as importantly, every roadworthy freeway guerrilla already has installed the essentials in his or her vehicle and therefore need not resort to the iPhone except in extreme emergency. In case of emergency, the aforementioned road warrior will pull off the road to a secure destination, coming to a full and complete stop before applying his or her thumb to the app. Your thumbing may vary.

You probably already have a real-time navigation system, showing you both traffic and alternative routes around delays. You have a radio to deliver your news, weather, and stock market reports every ten minutes. And you have the guy in the backseat working on his laptop, ready to fill-in details as needed.

So what remains for iPhone? Read a few strong recommendations from the grizzled, road weary driver beside you, like you stuck in the gridlock and trying to cope…

5. Carpool Apps—Although its developers have not completely de-bugged it, “Avego” scores major points for cleverly reinventing the ridesharing board with the benefit of modern technology. Find out who drives toward your destination at what time and for what gas-sharing consideration; then, send a message indicating your interest, and begin arranging your carpool. Users can evaluate their passengers with “feedback scores,” comparable with eBay, and passengers, of course, can reciprocate. The application also has valuable information about life in the HOV lane—carpool life expectancies, etiquette for passengers and drivers, and a wealth of fun facts.

4. Navigation Systems—If you didn’t give-in to the dealer’s pressure and get the in-car TomTom, your self-control now earns its just reward. TomTom for iPhone outperforms the old standard, and it comes with a car-mount system that makes your iPhone screen more legible and your touchpad more accessible, substantially reducing your distraction and risk. Many reviewers accord even higher praise to Goggle Maps for iPhone; one even called it “the best iPhone app, period.” Maybe a little hyperbole, but Goggle Maps helps the reviewer make his case, showing traffic conditions in real time, and tracing your routes in red, yellow, and green lines according to traffic volume and speed. Goggle Maps for iPhone also delivers accurate estimates of travel times, and shows you options for parking your car and hopping onto mass transit. TomTom is legible and reliable. Google Maps knows the shortcuts.

3. Fuel-friendly Apps—Formerly called “MPG,” AccuFuel monitors, calculates, and compares your fuel efficiency, producing amazingly cool graphs to help you keep track of your mileage. Only the developers clearly can explain how it finds and interprets all the data, but regular users say it never lies. Regular users also somewhat grudgingly confess the fuel efficiency monitor has improved their higher-mileage driving skills, prompting them to slow down when mpg’s drop, and even inspiring them to turn off the air conditioning when it obviously has become a very pricey luxury. Download AccuFuel, the best among several choices, for 99¢.

Just as importantly, “Where” helps you find the least expensive gas at the stations nearest your current location. A global positioning system coordinates with “GasBuddy,” showing you where you can fill-up and how much you will pay. Big-time road warriors, who spend more time in the cars than in the office, prefer “GasBag”. It performs all the same functions as “Where,” albeit in very different style, and it includes a feature for logging expenses. Both fuel finders prove extremely useful when the fuel light has flashed in your face for miles.

2. Public Transit Apps—Although Californians and other intrepid pioneers in the wild west regard the whole idea as strange, some cities have mass transit systems on which commuters can depend everyday. For the railway set, ace apponistos heartily recommend “iTransit Buddy.” You, the rail commuter, type in your point of departure and your destination; iTransit Buddy shows schedules for all the public transit systems from which you might choose. With one more agile thumb-touch, you can e-mail your schedule to your office, the people on your appointment calendar, or anyone who really needs to know. Although iTransit Buddy seems pretty spendy by comparison with some of its rivals, lots of extra information justifies the extra dollar—lots more cities with lots more details about lots more options.
New York commuters have a rail service app all their own—iTransNYC. User-friendly and reliable, iTransNYC naturally includes schedules, and it offers detailed walking instructions to your nearest station; it also gives route planning information even baffled tourists can understand.

1. Slacker Mobile Radio—Tune out the information, admitting that it adds to your stress without really increasing your convenience. Capitalize on the value built into your iPhone: it plays music at least as well as an iPod and better than almost any other MP3 player. Tune in to Slacker Mobile Radio—absolutely free—and create your own ‘station” featuring your favorite artists; Slacker will enrich your listening with bands it recommends based on your selections, and if you are riding in the passenger seat, Slacker will show you valuable information about its new artists and their discs.

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