
by Lih-Tah Wong contact info	FAQ 06-08-2009	Reference 06-30-2009	Articles 07-15-2006	Exchange 06-10-2009	Sumgai 11-13-2008	Hall of Shame 11-13-2008	Tech Gear 03-12-2009	Web Links 01-06-2008	Site Updates

iPhone/Touch App - Fuel Economy Guide 2009

Added 03-12-2009

For those of you who visit this TechGear section of my website, you probably might have guessed that my interests run beyond Parker 75 pens. Indeed my January 2009 addition of the Scan Gauge device might have given a clue that I am also interested in automotive technology (who isn't and lives in the Detroit area?) and fuel economy. In these trying economic times, who isn't interested in saving $$$ on fuel costs?

In case you have not heard, there are LOT$ of incentives coming from all brands of car and truck dealerships. Earlier this month, I heard news of a New Jersey Hyundai dealer willing to give a free car (Accent) if you bought a loaded Veracruz SUV. Basically this is a $14K discount off the $37K top-end Veracruz. Even once mighty Toyota is discounting their hybrid Prius and offering 0% financing!

For those who have an Apple iPhone or iPod Touch, and happen to be in the market for a new vehicle to get a more fuel efficient and greener replacement and take advantage of the deals, here is a new app for your device. Essentially it is a mobile database of all the vehicles sold in the US starting with 1998 model year, which has over 12,000 combinations of engine size and transmissions. So you can use it as a reference as the screens show below.

NOTE: This database is local on the device so 3G or WiFi service is not needed.
Perfect when you're at the car dealer showroom! :-)

The real utility becomes apparent with its ability to compare up to 7 vehicles using your own driving patterns and local prices for fuel.

Those fuel cost and CO₂ footprint figures are computed for your personal driving and using your local fuel prices. It is easy to change those settings to play what-if situations should the price of fuel skyrocket as it did in July 2008.

Even if you are not in the market for a replacement, you may just want to compare your current vehicle fuel costs with a newer car model. Then FEG2009 is the app for you. Who knows, it may even lead you to conclude that a vehicle replacement is justified, especially to take advantage of the deals available today.

The price for this app is $6.99. Considering how it improves your vehicle buying decision to make an informed choice that is more affordable and 'green', I think it is money well-spent.

Like all such products, you can buy it from the Apple app store using iTunes either on the PC, Mac, iPhone, or iPod Touch. You can use this link to open your iTunes to the FEG2009 app.

BTW, this product is from the same folks that made the Chinese zodiac app.

The iPhone and Touch are even more interesting to me as a mobile Parker 75 reference device since Amazon announced in early March 2009 the release of their ebook app for iPhone/Touch. Thus Apple devices can buy any of the 240K book titles, magazines, and newspapers for Amazon Kindle ebook devices. Of course, being electronic, the prices are much lower than the paper version, starting at $9.99 for books and annual magazine and newspaper subscriptions.

Perhaps this could be the distribution method for a regularly-updated Parker 75 website. Tell me what you think about a local and mobile copy of my website by sending me email. It certainly addresses my great concern for a printed book version with information that becomes outdated even at time of purchase.