Roads are getting increasingly complex, not to forget congested. For those of you who end up traveling a lot every day, you sure could use a hand getting to places sooner and with lesser hassles. So, let your smartphone become your guide around town with these five fabulous mobile apps and find your way through any city or town:

Waze

This free app is community-based and provides you navigation assistance as well as traffic updates. With over 30 million existing users, it keeps you updated about the traffic conditions and issues alerts about roads. It works in real-time, so you know just what the road ahead would look like and how much time it will take for you to get to your destination. Use Waze to know just how well in advance you will have to leave for your next crucial meeting!

Inrix Traffic

Like Waze, Inrix Traffic also gives you the latest updates about traffic and road conditions. In addition, it tells you what the live traffic situation is and predicts how traffic could be by the time you reach a particular road. The app also features an Incidents tab, which will tell you about any disruptions on your route.

Inrix Traffic relies on Smart Driver Network, which collects information through road sensors and has partnerships with traffic providers and other similar sources to give you the most accurate assistance on road.

Car Minder

How often does it happen that you have had to park your car at a considerable distance from where you need to go? And how often has it happened that you have spent precious time trying to locate your parking spot and get moving again? With Car Minder, you never need to worry about spending time looking for your car — your smartphone will do that for you.

This app will not only lead you to your car’s parked location, but can also track the number of miles you have done in your car and when you need to change your engine oil. Car Minder also helps you log your car’s mileage and fuel economy and e-mail this data.

Hopstop

This app is a useful app for those who prefer to use public transportation to get to places instead of using their own vehicles. Feed in your desired destination and Hopstop will help you find the best route to get there using all forms of public transportation available, including rail, subway, cab, bus, bicycle or on foot.

It will also tell you when you need to change services and how often you need to do so to reach your destination. It is currently available across hundreds of cities in USA, Canada and Europe.

iNextBus Realtime Bus Tracker

Like Hopstop, this one too is meant for those who prefer riding the bus than driving themselves across town. The app provides information on the location of every bus that operates within your city and even lets you track their movements in real-time. You can also use this app to find the best bus route to choose to get to your destination and even save this information. Continue reading this post ->

For many people, the Google Maps application has become an integral part of using an iPhone, helping to plan routes and find unknown locations with little difficulty. It is nearly as essential to navigating the world by mobile means as calling a business to get directions used to be. So when Apple announced a couple of months ago that it intended to replace Google Maps, which previously came installed on all iPhones, with their own software, it’s no wonder that users were up in arms. After all, the free service is one of the most helpful and frequently used apps for smartphones and tablets. But could this move be a blessing in disguise? Or will it simply put people out? Here are a few facets of the issue that mobile users should definitely consider before sending in their hate mail.

Okay, so there’s a lot to recommend Google Maps. For instance, you can use it any city to find your way, whether you’re poking around your hometown or traveling for business or leisure. It provides up-to-date maps that will almost always get you to the address you specify by the shortest route. But let’s be honest here: this application may be the most widely used, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best. This app is pretty much a one-trick pony. You put in your location and your destination and it shows you the route. Sure, it’s handy, but does it give you more information about road closures or accidents? Does it offer alternate routes (unless you happen to go off course)? Can it help those using other types of transportation (like cyclists or mass transit commuters)? To date, the answer to these questions is no. But the big question on everyone’s mind is whether Apple can do a better job.

At the moment there are several alternative apps available on iTunes for download and they offer a variety of solutions for drivers looking to get from point A to point B. Some, like MapsBuddy, are designed to help you find businesses near your current location. Then there are apps like TransitTimes Portland, NYC Subway, and GoMetro (for Los Angeles) that are city-specific and help users to take advantage of public transportation. You could also get real-time traffic information and data concerning construction along your route with Inrix Traffic. And of course, you can always utilize the Uber or GetTaxi apps (or hit up www.nobletrans.com) to order a car. Some of these apps are free and some require payment, but all are incomplete when it comes to giving you the information you need to effectively navigate a city.

Of course, the idea behind taking Google Maps off the iPhone desktop is to offer alternatives. And although Apple is looking to introduce their own solution, there may already be a great option out there. MapQuest from AOL may be the nearest equivalent to Google Maps, providing step-by-step directions to any location you specify. It also includes features like live traffic updates (and in some cases access to traffic cameras along your route), a search function to find businesses in your area, walking directions, and even comparisons of prices at area gas stations. So it provides a lot more than Google Maps. And hopefully some other mobile developers will see this ousting as an opportunity to create better options for iPhone users. Otherwise the result could be a lot of grumbling and perhaps even a mass exodus to Android. Continue reading this post ->

Whether you live in or around a major urban center, you’ll soon be moving to one, or you visit them often, your biggest gripes may center on transportation concerns. These could include dealing with traffic, avoiding construction, finding the most expedient routes, utilizing mass transit (or other modes of public transportation), getting gas (at a decent price), and addressing the ongoing issue of parking. Luckily, you’re not alone in suffering from these automotive annoyances and several app developers have seen fit to outfit you with the mobile tools you need to circumnavigate all of your traffic-related trials and tribulations. Here are a few must-haves when you’re trying to find your way around the city.

Several major cities (or more specifically, their transportation departments) have come to realize that the wide world of mobile apps can give them the opportunity to ease some traffic problems that are common to the urban landscape. Oregon natives and transplants alike will appreciate TransitTimes Portland, a helpful app that is practically a necessity when navigating this city’s intricate web of trains and buses (it not only provides schedules, but allows of cross-town trip planning complete with an itinerary and alerts when the next leg of the journey is about to disembark).

The Los Angeles DOT offers GoMetro to help travelers plan routes, find the nearest transit stops, and receive updates about public transportation (delays, cancellations, and so on). San Francisco has Muni+, with bus info and a feature that lets them check the balance on their Clipper card, New York offers NYC Subway to get users around underground, and Washington, D.C. residents can take advantage of Nextbus, an app that helps the public find their way around the city (this app is also available for several other U.S. and world cities). You may have to look around to find similar apps for your own city.

But that only takes care of one set of traffic problems. What if you’re traversing the city by car and not public transportation? In this case, you cannot do without Google maps, which provides you with all the functionality of your average navigational tool along with a handy street view so that you can actually see the location you’re going to for easy identification even from the roadway. And no city-dweller can do without Inrix Traffic, an app that helps to plan your best route based on all available information, including distance, obstructions (accidents, construction, etc.), and real-time traffic. It will even show you the best time to leave for your destination based on traffic patterns.

You can also use the wide world of apps to help you find parking. Denver’s Parkmobile lets you pay for your parking via smartphone and alerts you when your meter is about to expire, while SFpark (based in San Francisco) tells you where available spots are in busy metropolitan areas based on monitored parking garage entrances and exits, as well as sensors placed at street level to track literally thousands of spots in some of the most popular areas of the city. You probably won’t find spaces big enough to fit RV rentals, but a compact-car owner will definitely appreciate the utility of such apps. And of course, the commuters out there will find a lot to love in GasBuddy, a simple app that helps you find the nearest gas stations with the best prices so that you don’t get yourself stuck on the freeway indefinitely (thanks to an empty tank). Continue reading this post ->