July 25th, 2008
iPhone gas application roundup
On 18 June 2008 I published my iPhone app wishlist and I’m happy that most of my most requested applications have been released (Thank you Texas Hold’Em!).
Two my most request applications dealt with fuel, specifically a fuel economy tracker and a cheap gas finder. Several iterations of the first are now available from the App Store and I’ve got a little preview of the second below.
On the fuel economy front there are several options available now, including:
My Pick -> AccuFuel 1.1 (US$0.99) – Monitors vehicle fuel economy for multiple vehicles with a large display showing MPG of your last fillup and the average to date.
AccuFuel’s strength is its beautiful white on black interface and its clean line graph that tracks fuel efficiency over months and years. Quick links at the top of the chart allow you to view to change the graphs view from 1, 2, 3 or 6 months, 1 or 2 years or all. The green graph is reminiscent of the iPhone stock widget and alone is worth the price of admission.
AccuFuel allows you to enter fill up information by either odometer (my preference) or trip but not both, you have to pick one or the other at first run. It features a trick odometer interface that remembers your last odometer setting and allows you to choose from imperial or metric units. More information and screen shots in iTunes and on the Appigo Web site.
More after the jump…
Car Care (US$4.99) – In addition to tracking gas mileage for multiple vehicles, the application tracks and reminds you of when to perform regular scheduled maintenance such as oil changes and tire rotations. It currently only supports imperial units (gal./mi.) but the developer promises that metric and other currencies are upcoming.
CarStat (US$1.99) – Tracks MPG and service items. Any time you spend money on your car you enter it. What makes this one different is that you can specify start and end dates and run reports on the total cost of ownership (TCO) of your vehicle over a given time range.
GasHog (US$0.99) – Tracks fuel economy and calculates the MPG of your last tank and historical averages. GasHog also offers tips for improving the fuel economy of your vehicle. Supports imperial and metric units and more analytics, graphs and multiple vehicle support are coming soon.
FuelGauge (US$0.99) – Tracks mileage, fuel costs, consumption trends, reasons for changes and average MPG. I had a bad experience with this app though. After entering eight fillups worth of data the application simply blanked on the MPG screen and the data vanished. What’s worse, when I launch it I can see all the data for a split-second, as if teasting me, then it goes to a white screen with no options. Deleting and re-installing the app didn’t help. It only supports trip odometer entry, so if you accidentally reset the trip or use it for something else, prepare to do some math.
Currently, there aren’t any cheap gas finder applications on the App Store but I’ve been beta testing a great one from Obsessive Code called Gas Finder (US$0.99) that shows a lot of promise. In addition to tracking fuel economy, Gas Finder displays gas near you by locating stations within a user defined perimeter (1, 2, 3, 5, 8 or 15 miles) of your current location. Gas station prices come from GasPriceWatch and it helps when more people report on prices in their area. Gas Finder taps the built-in GPS chip on the iPhone 3G to locate you or you can enter your zip code if you don’t have GPS. The application is awaiting Apple’s approval but should be in the App Store some time next week.
Jason D. O'Grady is the editor of PowerPage.org, which has been publishing daily mobile technology news since December 1995. For disclosures on Jason's industry affiliations, click here or to view Jason's full profile click here.
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