Ten Essential iPhone Apps For Drivers

Dashboard/Windshield Mount (About $50) -We haven't held the Dexim DCA125 Audio Car Mount yet -- because it's not out yet -- but this suction-cup style, windshield-mounted holder covers all those bases with its built-in car charger and audio connections for a little over $50. In lieu of a windshield mount, there is the Belkin TuneBase Direct, a unit that is held in place by its connection to the car's cigarette lighter and holds the iPhone on a flexible shaft. It retails for $69.95, but is available for significantly less if you shop around.

MotionX GPS Drive ($2.99) or Google Maps (Free) - The iPhone has done a pretty good job of making other electronic devices obsolete, from stand alone music players to contact managers to e-mail clients. Add one more device to that list: Portable GPS devices. There are plenty of turn-by-turn navigation systems, including one offered by AT&T, but we like MotionX because it's inexpensive, offers spoken turn-by-turn directions and uses an immediate web search to ensure that you are getting the most up-to-date information on your destinations. The initial download is $2.99, which includes one month of turn-by-turn directions. Each additional month costs another three dollars, without a recurring monthly subscription, so you can pay for it only when you need it for that family vacation or road trip. If you find yourself using it all the time, you can step up to the annual plan for just $25. Another worthwhile option for navigation is the Google Maps app included with the iPhone. It packs a lot of info, including live traffic data, and it's already included on your phone. While Google Maps can give you directions, they are just not real-time, turn-by-turn ones.

GasBook ($0.99) - There are quite a few apps available that aggregate user-generated data for finding the cheapest gas around, but GasBook allows you to use the iPhone's GPS location feature as well as manually entering a ZIP code, making the app that much more useful on the road. After all, how often do you know the ZIP code or even the municipality you are in when traveling? The app's flexibility allows you to exclude certain gas brands, say, if they don't take your credit card, to have the built-in Google Maps application show the location of the station and it's distance from you.As a GasBook user you are expected to upload the latest prices when you buy gas, since the real utility of the app requires constant input from users. GasBook also allows you to keep a log of gas purchases where you can enter mileage and get fuel economy and spending reports that can be broken down various ways, should you really want to parse the information.

Trapster (Free) - Trapster is the sort of application the iPhone was made for, combining its GPS unit, communications tools, voice control and always connected status into a tool that gives the average motorist more than eight million people watching his back on the lookout for cops. Unlike websites that allows users to login and update speed trap information, Trapster allows you to update on the go, so that information remains truly fresh. You can even use a voice-controlled function that allows for hands-free updates. Users who update information are given “karma” points when the tip pans out. When you see a report from a user with a high number of karma points, you can be confident in the quality of the report.Trapster also provides information on known red light and speed-enforcement cameras, construction sites and just about any other hindrance you may encounter on the road. Trapster has additional functionality as a navigation tool and also direct connections to Facebook.At least one police department has been known to report their own speed traps because they believe that getting motorists slowed down and in compliance with the law is a lot easier to do than writing tickets and they know Trapster does just that.

Trip Cubby ($4.99) - Show me a business traveler and I'll show you someone who hates paperwork. Having to drive for work and track mileage is not exactly difficult, but like most paperwork it's a pain in the posterior. Why not have your iPhone do it for you? While there are several apps out there that will use the GPS functionality for automatically logging trips, most of them have a stack of user complaints and when we tried them, they required a lot more input and rarely did they track trips with multiple legs, which many people who drive for work require.Trip Cubby, however, allows you to easily enter starting and ending odometer readings for each leg, name your trips and even export data in a format that can be imported into Excel. No muss, no fuss and one less thing to write down.