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Gallery: Driving apps you wish for

As part of the course called "Cloud Computing in the Commute," students from the University of Michigan developed apps for a Ford Fiesta research vehicle.

By Andy Smith, Contributor on May 3, 2010

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As part of the course called "Cloud Computing in the Commute," students from the University of Michigan developed social apps for a Ford Fiesta research vehicle.

The winning application, called Caravan Track, lets a group of drivers in different vehicles coordinate a road trip by linking to the same web site where they can share messages and text each other.

A panel of judges from Univerity of Michigan, Ford and Microsoft selected the winner based on relevance and usability.

See full story: Ford preps apps experiment: Commute meets cloud?

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Fuel tracker lets a driver see real-time information about getting the best fuel economy by sharing driving tips and giving suggestions to improve gas mileage.

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NostraMap relies on crowd-sourcing to get up-to-the-minute information on traffic conditions such as accident, police patrols, and back-ups.

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Listen. Speak. Rate. Share. features audio reviews for establishments that can be shared with friends using various social networking and blogging sites.

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The GreenRide Challenge connects commuters via Facebook matching friends who need rides with drivers who have seat room. Prizes could be awarded for a ride-sharing incentive.

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The Points-of-Interest application allows drivers to share a Netflix-style recommendation system for places of interest.

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