Get your motor runnin, take your Android on the highway.

[Jason Lee]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://lifehacker.com/5626711/the-best-android-apps-for-your-car' target='_blank'>http://lifehacker.com/5626711/the-b...ps-for-your-car</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Having an Android along for your daily commute or occasional car trips can make the ride a lot easier, safer, and simply more fun. Here are our favorite Android apps to have on hand when it's time to hit the road."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/adt/auto/1283479685.usr206.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>If you're a car buff like me, you love to drive. As it turns out I also love Android! So why not put the two together? On any trip I take you'll find my trusty Nexus One stuck to the windshield (on the inside, unlike the bugs). In a recent article the guys at Lifehacker went over their favorite Android programs to have along for the ride. What apps do you consider "must-haves" for your little green co-pilot? Hit the discuss link below and let us know, I could always use more software on my phone.</p>

[Tony Rylow]

I don't use my Incredible for a single thing in the car. I can't seem to find a car mount that I like, and I refuse to use those generic mounts that block my charging cable and drop my phone every 20 minutes. While I was really impressed with the N1 car dock, it would be awesome for other manufactures to come up with something similar.

[bcre8v2]

I agree with Tony that I have yet to find the optimal mount (one that is not the size of a huge clamp or can be used with a phone case/protector). As a result, I have stuck with my GPS and continue to pair the Droid X via Bluetooth. I love having the text messages read out loud!
Ocassionally I'll hand it to my older son to watch a video on the longer trips or my wife to surf the net.

[crimsonsky]

I had occasion to use Google Maps with Navigation on my Aria earlier this week and was stunned at how accurate and fast it is, and even with Voice guidances. AT&T of course includes their $10/month navigation app, but why in the world would anyone pay $10/month for something like this when Google Maps with Navigation is so good? I have to say that this was quite the nice and unexpected surprise!

[Jon Westfall]

AT&T of course includes their $10/month navigation app, but why in the world would anyone pay $10/month for something like this when Google Maps with Navigation is so good?

Good Question! The only thing I can figure is that adding in their service doesn't cost them anything, and if only 1% of the Aria owners out there decide to use it over the free maps (for whatever reason), that's still a lot of $$$ otherwise not earned.

[Phillip Dyson]

Google Navigation is the perfect solution for 99% of my needs. And the newly discovered abiltiy create short cuts is wonderful. I have one for Home on one of my pages.

I do wish there was a way to operate offline. I remember taking a trip up to Northern Maryland as was completely out of cell phone range.

I wouldn't want to have to buy another navigation solution just for the offline navigation ability.

[Tony Rylow]

Ok, this is just too humorous for me to not comment on. Just because I posted about not using Navigation on my device yesterday, I had a need to use it at 4am today. I found myself in a location that magically didn't exist in my faithful TomTom, and Google helped me find my way out.

[Jon Westfall]

Ok, this is just too humorous for me to not comment on. Just because I posted about not using Navigation on my device yesterday, I had a need to use it at 4am today. I found myself in a location that magically didn't exist in my faithful TomTom, and Google helped me find my way out.

4 AM... TomTom is a lightweight, Google will see you through the entirety of your bar hopping night.

[Tony Rylow]

4 AM... TomTom is a lightweight, Google will see you through the entirety of your bar hopping night.

TomTom has taken me through a number of states, but is starting to show it's age. For the cost of new maps, I may just purchase a new device instead.

[Jason Lee]

I used the crap outta Google Maps this weekend. The wife and I went up to St. Louis to goof around. If you've never driven in St. Louis, think of a road layout more like a wind blown spiderweb than a grid. ;)
Food, lodging, gas, attractions... Google found it all and got me there without a single problem.

I used TomTom on my TyTN II back in the day but the PoI database was so unreliable that I actually looked things up in Google Maps and typed the address into TomTom. Along with way more complete and up-to-date PoI info, not having to pay for updated map data is awesome. They recently put in some crazy criss-cross interchange at one of the interstate junctions here. I was blown away that Google already had in on the map.
The online requirement is kind of a drag though..

I can't imagine traveling anywhere without Google Maps these days.

[ryaninc]

I can't imagine traveling anywhere without Google Maps these days.

Agreed, it's all I use. I already sold my stand-alone GPS and haven't missed it. And now with Chrome to Phone, it's even better. My wife will often look up where she's going on the desktop, take a look at the route, then just send it to her phone and start Navigation. :D