App of My Eye

While gas prices have fallen slightly from their all-time highs this spring,  they still are not the bargain they were years ago. SmartFuel®, for the Iphone, integrates with Google Maps and Oil Price Information Service (OPIS), and provides you the fuel prices at the gas stations in your area or along your chosen route. SmartFuel® is free for 30 days and then has a number of pricing plans for you to choose from ($4.99 for 6 months, $8.99 for one year, $14.99 for two years). The app also enables you to track your fuel costs and savings. For me, the 30 day trial period was enough for me to figure out which stations were cheapest in my area, but if you live in a large metropolitan area or travel frequently, SmartFuel® would be a solid investment. Every time I drop off a rental car, I’m annoyed by the higher prices near every US airport. Developer Iridium reports that SmartFuel will be available on Android phones later this year.

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Many of us were recently unemployed, the casualty of cutbacks because of the economy or so we like to think, just to keep our confidence high in our skills and experience.  That’s how neurotic at least I can be.  In any case, we all pressed on looking for opportunities in a fierce job market, even expanding our commuter comfort zones to almost unrealistic proportions.  Interview after interview took us to areas that we’ve never worked in before, especially in the South Bay, which is how we all came into first using iCaltrain: Caltrain 2009.  Now updated, the app still provides reliable schedules, ticket prices, and zone info, while saving the most recent stations that you have used, even offline, in a very understandable interface.  Furthermore, quick access to the next two trains, return trip info, and a multi-touch system map helps figure out when and where you will be, especially in a tight schedule.  Just as highly recommended for the daily commuter as it is for the Caltrain virgins out there.  Price: $1.99.

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Driving around your neighborhood in The Hub searching for a parking space, you find one, but there’s street cleaning the following day.  You pull into the space anyway and set a mental reminder to move it first thing in the morning.  Unfortunately, you forget and Lovely Rita gets you. With Sweep:BOS, easily set up an email or SMS reminder to move your car so you don’t get the dreaded $100 ticket.  Get alerts to street cleaning all year round, and, in the winter, also get alerts to move your car for snow removal.  While currently limited to Boston, expansion is slated to a significant number of US cities over the next couple months.  It’s a great buy for the price, especially when compared to a single ticket!  Price: $1.99.

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