Top 5 Social Media Apps For Your Car

Carpooling, gas prices, and mapping: is the killer app for your car found in the iTunes store?

The world of social media's descending, bit by bit, to your car. If you're trying to find a way around your city, you can do it with a little help from your friends, thanks to some new applications built for the mobile Web are putting drivers together in real time, to make commuting, buying gas, and finding the right road a whole lot easier.

A few weeks ago, the uber-social-media site, Mashable, posted their take on the ten best apps for smarter transportation. It's a great post, but not all of their favorites really fit our definition of social media--a Web tool that's collaborative, user-generated, something more than just a fancy app. Sorry, GasBuddy, FuelFrog, and RideCharge. And some of them--Walk Score, MapMyRide, HopStop--involved walking and taking the train, and who does that anyway?

Drivers should pay attention to these five apps, all available for downloads to the iPhone and all those other shiny gadgets with terrible user interfaces. If you've had experience with any of them, write us a quick review. If we use it on TheCarConnection, we'll send you some sweet High Gear Media-related swag:

1. Google Maps: It's probably the second-best feature from the Mountain View mindtrust. You can plug in addresses, see how traffic is rolling along your route, build a custom map with annotations and share it with anyone. Then there's street view, satellite view, the new augmented-reality view...what's not to love, other than your evanescent privacy? Waze does Google one better with real-time traffic by letting users report the cause of a slowdown.

2. Trapster: Infamous enough to earn the vitriol of the Fox News crew, Trapster collects and combines user reports of speed traps and red-light cameras into handy visual form. Don't say the Web didn't warn you when Johnny Law nails you for 30 over.

3. Wayfaring - Life is about the journey, right? Wayfaring lets you take note of the best road trips, with destinations and memories plugged in along the way. It's not quite lifecasting--it's more like a "great drives" column with a Web-ready Cliff Notes.

4. Zimride - Carpooling, according to our friends out west, is for poor people. Since we're all poorer this year, why not hop on Zimride, find a ride-sharing buddy, and split the pain of the recession two, three, or four ways? For better or worse, it also works in Canada.

5. MyMileMarker: Gas prices get crowdsourced here. MyMileMarker gives users a form to send in what they paid for fuel, with a location, or via Twitter.

Hey there, social media mavens: Once a week here at High Gear Media, we'll bring you the latest on SM news and personalities from around the automotive world--so you know which tech and which tools are worth a look, and which ones are best left to the raging 13-year-old fanboys. Got an idea for us to cover? Let us know via Twitter @highgearmedia or by charmingly old-fashioned email: feedback [at] highgearmedia [dot] com.

Cruise the High Gear Media network! TheCarConnection for experts reviews of every new vehicle; MotorAuthority for luxury and performance-car news, reviews, and spy shots; GreenCarReports for news and reviews of the latest earth-friendly cars; CelebsandCars to see how the stars roll.

Google Maps traffic - New York areaEnlarge Photo Follow us on Twitter: @highgearmedia @carconnection @therealma @greencarreports and join our Facebook fan page Carpooling, gas prices, and mapping: is the killer app for your car found in the iTunes store? The world of social media's descending, bit by bit, to your car. If you're trying to find a way around your city, you can do it with a little help from your friends, thanks to some new applications built for the mobile Web are putting drivers together in real time, to make commuting, buying gas, and finding the right road a whole lot easier. A few weeks ago, the uber-social-media site, Mashable, posted their take on the ten best apps for smarter transportation. It's a great post, but not all of their favorites really fit our definition of social media--a Web tool that's collaborative, user-generated, something more than just a fancy app. Sorry, GasBuddy, FuelFrog, and RideCharge. And some of them--Walk Score, MapMyRide, HopStop--involved walking and taking the train, and who does that anyway? Drivers should pay attention to these five apps, all available for downloads to the iPhone and all those other shiny gadgets with terrible user interfaces. If you've had experience with any of them, write us a quick review. If we use it on TheCarConnection, we'll send you some sweet High Gear Media-related swag: 1. Google Maps: It's probably the second-best feature from the Mountain View mindtrust. You can plug in addresses, see how traffic is rolling along your route, build a custom map with annotations and share it with anyone. Then there's street view, satellite view, the new augmented-reality view...what's not to love, other than your evanescent privacy? Waze does Google one better with real-time traffic by letting users report the cause of a slowdown. 2. Trapster: Infamous enough to earn the vitriol of the Fox News crew, Trapster collects and combines user reports of speed traps and red-light cameras into handy visual form. Don't say the Web didn't warn you when Johnny Law nails you for 30 over. 3. Wayfaring - Life is about the journey, right? Wayfaring lets you take note of the best road trips, with destinations and memories plugged in along the way. It's not quite lifecasting--it's more like a "great drives" column with a Web-ready Cliff Notes. 4. Zimride - Carpooling, according to our friends out west, is for poor people. Since we're all poorer this year, why not hop on Zimride, find a ride-sharing buddy, and split the pain of the recession two, three, or four ways? For better or worse, it also works in Canada. 5. MyMileMarker: Gas prices get crowdsourced here. MyMileMarker gives users a form to send in what they paid for fuel, with a location, or via Twitter. [Thanks to Mashable]----------------------- Hey there, social media mavens: Once a week here at High Gear Media, we'll bring you the latest on SM news and personalities from around the automotive world--so you know which tech and which tools are worth a look, and which ones are best left to the raging 13-year-old fanboys. Got an idea for us to cover? Let us know via Twitter @highgearmedia or by charmingly old-fashioned email: feedback [at] highgearmedia [dot] com. ----------------------- Cruise the High Gear Media network! TheCarConnection for experts reviews of every new vehicle; MotorAuthority for luxury and performance-car news, reviews, and spy shots; GreenCarReports for news and reviews of the latest earth-friendly cars; CelebsandCars to see how the stars roll.

By ess #1, Posted: 10/27/2009

Google maps works better for me than my $250 GPS, now if only Google can do the turn by turn
by Nelson Ireson #2, Posted: 10/27/2009

If you haven't checked out Trapster yet, do it--it's really useful, and not just for road trips.
Even if you're not a speeder, it's handy to know where other folks are likely to be slamming on their brakes with no notice.
By Jim Beaker #3, Posted: 10/27/2009

http://trapster.com is the best!
Now you can't say that the internet is only for watching youTube - here is a real example for some social good activity :)
by John Voelcker #4, Posted: 10/27/2009

Perfectly fine, for the small minority of car buyers who actually own the hallowed iPhone. And for the rest of us ? ? ?
By Fizz #5, Posted: 10/27/2009

This is a great article! I use google maps all the time on my i-phone. It is better than the nav system in my car. I just downloaded trapster.
Looking forward to more updates!
by Jeff Birkeland #6, Posted: 10/27/2009

There is an app I've heard of that actually helps you find your car in a parking garage -- I forget the name of it, though.
by Matt Heist #7, Posted: 10/27/2009

it's been around for awhile, but still incredibly useful - like the other apps you describe but still think G Maps is at the core of most useful apps. now, everyone, write some reviews!!
by Bengt Halvorson #8, Posted: 10/27/2009

Especially in Virginia, D.C., or in a commercial vehicle, where detectors are still illegal, Trapster is a great (but potentially distracting) solution.
By Buzz #9, Posted: 10/28/2009

Carputers, in-car broadband, GPS devices and other car gadgets are great, but with all of them - who has time to watch the road?!
by Hesky Kutscher #10, Posted: 10/28/2009

personally I love hopstop iin NY and and aHA to learn about traffic in the bay area. Very cool list thanks Marty