Bliss Trek eco-driving application for Apple iPhone 3G or 3g S

Bliss Trek eco-driving application for Apple iPhone 3G or 3g S

Even if you're not in a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, you too can grow green leaves on your dash display when you save fuel by driving with a light foot.

Except in this case, the leaves appear on your iPhone 3G or 3G S, courtesy of Bliss Trek. It's the first eco-driving app for Apple's cult favorite mobile handset, offered by MaxQData of Sammamish, Washington.

The Bliss Trek app uses the iPhone's built-in accelerometer and GPS positioning to estimate speed, acceleration, and other operating data that cars like the Fusion Hybrid and the 2010 Honda Insight harvest from the vehicle's control electronics.

Eco-driving tricks--accelerating slowly and gently, lifting off and gliding to a stop where safe rather than braking, keeping your speed down--all earn you leaves in those cars.

And Bliss Trek borrows the metaphor, displaying up to 10 pairs of green leaves on the iPhone's color display. The inexpensive Insight only offers up to five monochrome leaves, whereas the Fusion Hybrid grows a tangle of pale green foliage if you're on best behavior.

The app makes green driving into a game, in fact: Drivers accumulate points for operating their cars efficiently. Bliss Trek's animated interface shows the leaves, the score, your speed, and other information.

To calibrate the app, you must mount your phone, horizontally or vertically, on your dashboard with a third-party mount (not included) or Velcro.

With the car at a standstill, double-tapping the icon of a car driver resets Bliss Trek...and you're off to a greener journey.

[Bliss Trek]

2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid SmartGauge with EcoGuide-- Shows the green vines growing to symbolize the driving economy.

2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid SmartGauge with EcoGuide-- Shows the green vines growing to symbolize the driving economy.