There's an auto app for that!

As Apple's iPhone TV commercials proclaim, "There's an app for that," and as far as modern motoring may be concerned, they're right on the money. There's a wealth of software titles available at reasonable prices - some are even free - to assist motorists who are among what Apple says are 30 million (and rising) iPhone owners. What's more, some of them can also work with its phone-less equivalent, the iPod Touch, of which there are a projected 20 million in circulation.

Expect similar programs to become available for owners of other-branded "smart phones" down the road, but for the time being the iTunes App Store (accessed via the iTunes software) offers the most auto-savvy titles via download for Apple's mobile devices.

For starters, since the iPhone and iPod Touch are essentially pocket-sized computers, they can do an excellent job of tracking pertinent vehicle information. Programs like Gas Cubby ($2.99) and Road Trip ($4.99) can keep tabs on a car's fuel economy and its maintenance records. They'll calculate gas mileage, fuel, trip and service expenses, store vehicle information like license plate and vehicle identification numbers and remind owners when scheduled maintenance is required.

Those looking for a new ride can avail themselves of several helpful apps to help calculate loan and lease costs, like AutoCar Loan Calculator ($1.99) and iLease My Car Pro 3.2 Loan and Lease Calculator. Programs like Find a Car ($1.99) can use the devices' Internet capabilities to search online automobile sources for used vehicles being sold by local dealers and private parties. What's more, titles like VIN Hunter ($1.99) can help car shoppers instantly retrieve detailed information on a model they're considering, including CARFAX title reports that can warn if it's been stolen, scrapped or flood-damaged.

Meanwhile, other programs take advantage of the iPhone and iPod Touch's built-in accelerometer (which measures things like motion and speed) to further keep an electronic eye on a vehicle's performance. The Vehicle Clinometer app ($1.99) helps off-roaders avoid the risk of a rollover via onscreen tilt meters that illustrate an SUV's current incline/decline and pitch angles. It sounds an alert when either falls into warning and danger zones and also includes a compass and GPS locator.

Going a step further, true gearheads can download Dynolicious ($12.99) to monitor and record 0-60 mph and quarter-mile acceleration times, horsepower, directional G-forces and other performance-minded data, all for a fraction of the cost of dedicated diagnostic hardware.

The iPhone 3G and 3GS versions' built-in GPS capabilities can enable the devices to double as a pocketable navigation systems with the right software, though these are currently among the costliest programs in the iTunes App Store. At the high end is TomTom U.S. and Canada ($99.99), which can calculate and plot the quickest and most-efficient route to a given destination, direct users to addresses in their contacts lists and even help find a restaurant, call to make reservations and automatically plot a course to dinner.

More-rudimentary software titles take advantage of the iPhone's GPS resources to help solve a common problem inexpensively. We found no less eight separate titles in the iTunes App Store that can help befuddled motorists locate their vehicles in crowded parking lots. Among them are the aptly titled Where's My Car (99 cents), Find My Car (99 cents) and iCar Park (99 cents).

Several apps are offered that can be of service to iPhone owners in emergencies. AAA Roadside (free) can provide information on AAA-approved repair centers and request assistance if a motorist is stranded because of a breakdown. What's more, the iWrecked app (free) is designed to help those involved in a collision by logging all pertinent information, storing photos of the damage taken with the iPhone's built-in camera, finding nearby taxi and towing companies, automatically calling emergency numbers and generating printable accident reports.

Finally, there's at least one app that can come in handy when driving a car is not the safest way to go. Get Home ($1.99) is designed to help those who have had too much to drink get safely back to their domiciles without risking a DUI - or worse. It can phone or text-message a nearby friend from a user's contact list to bum a ride, call for a taxi, plot a bus route or recommend a walking course, provided one isn't too inebriated to make it home on foot.