Driving today is far easier than it was in the olden days. With technology ever advancing, drivers can now go to their destinations more safely and faster. They can also have more peace of mind knowing that their vehicles will be safe whether parked in their own garages or in other places.
A recent study by the IHS Automotive published in Apps in the Car 2015 showed that almost 45 percent of respondents said they would use in-vehicle apps that help improve their driving experience. On the other hand, 35 percent of those surveyed said they would be willing to use the apps if they were similar to those installed in their smartphones while 75 percent of them said they won’t mind paying for updates to an app.
Among the apps for vehicles, the top five considered by respondents as their favorites were those that help in navigation (53 percent), provide weather (40 percent), music (38 percent), news (33 percent) and the social networking app (29 percent).
Here are some of the latest and most popular automobile apps worth using.
Waze
Waze is an user-friendly app for iOS, Android and Windows phone that reports traffic conditions and gas prices. To take advantage of this app’s features, users only need to open it on their phone while on the road.
The great thing about this application is it helps drivers during heavy traffic and recommends alternative routes they can take. Users can also contribute more information including road hazards, police speed traps and locations of accidents.
Around Me
Apart from locating gas stations, the Around Me app will help drivers find the nearest bank, bar, movie theater, hotel, hospital, restaurant and supermarket among others.
This is most ideal for people visiting new places and looking for interesting spots. The app is available only for iOS.
Trapster
Drivers who sometimes forget their speed limits must use Trapster. This free app is one of the most popular among the speed-trap apps.
Released in 2008, this tool allows users to identify the location of speed cameras, red-light cameras and live speed traps. It alerts the drive by voice of any trap or if he or she is exceeding his speed limit. The traps are shown as icons on a map on most smartphones.
Some 14 million people are reported to be using Trapster while the app has hundreds of thousands of camera locations listed in its database.
Loan Tracker
Drivers who have pending car title loans should use the loan tracker software. This app is great for keeping track of loan amortizations, date and amount of payments.
In case you forget about your due date, this tool is capable of assessing late fees. It also lets you create pie graphs and plots to see the percentage of outstanding loans.
gMeter
The gMeter app for iOS can automatically record speed, distance traveled and engine power and can measure how fast your car stops. This is done via the accelerometers of your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.
What’s unique about this app is its capability of saving and emailing data collected from your vehicle’s performance runs. You can also
save the graphs of speed, distance, power, and forward/lateral g in the photo album for later use or for syncing to a computer.
It should be noted, however, that while these apps are useful in driving, drivers must always make it a point not to text or use their
smartphones while behind the wheel. Safety is always a top priority.
Originally posted on September 18, 2015 @ 10:49 pm
