Flo Makes 'Top 10' Ad List: Can You Name Other Auto Icons?

When you see a list called the "All-Time Top Ten", you know you're in for trouble. Whether the list is about the ten best quarterbacks in NFL history or the ten best flavors of Jell-O, it's bound to cause a squabble.

So when we saw that AdAge had picked the "Top 10 Female Ad Icons of All Time", we flinched. Not only had editors ranked the best of something, but in doing so, they'd also played the gender card. Oy.

That said, AdAge has some great ad icons on its list, from Betty Crocker, to Mrs. Olson (the pesky coffee shill with a key to every kitchen in America), to Ms. Clara Peller, who went to her grave knowing that she'd changed America with three wee words: "Where's the beef?"

Also on the list: Flo from Progressive Insurance, played by actress and comedienne Stephanie Courtney.

There aren't many female ad icons in the auto industry -- or in this case, the auto-adjacent industry. They're far outnumbered by male counterparts like Joe Isuzu, Ricardo Montalbán, and even Dennis Haysbert (known to many as "The Allstate Guy"). 

Like all good icons, Flo is memorable without getting in the way of the product she's selling. But what makes Flo a truly great icon is the fact that she's so likable. The Morton Salt girl? She's just a mascot who enjoys walking in the rain and salting the Earth -- probably not the kind of gal you'd invite over for dinner. Flo, on the other hand, is a friend.

That may explain why, in the three years that Flo's been on the air, she's generated huge buzz. Her Facebook page (Flo's, not Courtney's) has 4.6 million fans. She (Courtney, not Flo), has been interviewed for numerous popular magazines. And even when Progressive has gone through rough patches -- as it did a month ago, forcing Flo out of the spotlight for a while -- she's returned, resilient.

To be sure, there are plenty of female icons left out of AdAge's list. In fact, the commenters at NPR have come up with some great also-rans, including Little Debbie, Aunt Jemima, and even Columbia (as depicted in the Columbia Pictures logo).

All of which are great, but we have a hard time thinking of other female icons in auto-themed advertising -- icons with Flo's staying power and personality. If you've got some suggestions, by all means, leave them in the comments below.

5 Must-Have Travel Apps For iPhone & Android Fans

Yesterday, our colleagues at Total Car Score offered their take on the best iPhone 5 apps for drivers. We agree with many of their picks, but we also know that a growing number of our friends own Android phones, which can't use software like Apple Maps.

Naturally, we began to wonder: what must-have travel apps would we recommend for owners of iOS and Android handsets? (Blackberry and Windows fans, we'll try to catch up with you soon.) Here's our current list of fave applications that will work on either operating system.

NAVIGATION
Tie: Google Maps, Waze
It's hard to believe that Google Maps debuted just seven years ago. In that short span of time, it's become a mainstay -- a place we go to search for nearby businesses, scope out potential apartments and hotels, and even create our own maps to share with friends. Google Maps' search functionality is superb, even when speaking place names. And who doesn't like turn-by-turn directions?

So why include Waze? Because as much as we love Google Maps, we don't really need it on a daily basis. Most of the time, we're commuting from home to office, a drive we know like the back of our hand. We don't need directions, we need traffic info, and on that front, Waze excels, which is probably why Apple tapped Waze to provide traffic data for Apple Maps. (Though sadly, that hasn't shielded Apple Maps from an avalanche of criticism from iOS users.) It's true that Google Maps includes real-time traffic, but we find Waze's color-coded interface easier to read when we're on the go.

RADIOStitcher
Don't get us wrong, we love Pandora -- really, we do -- but Stitcher gives us so many more options by providing free access to dozens of radio stations and podcasts from around the globe. Need your news fix? Dial up NPR. Want to listen to the big game back home while you're on the road? Run a quick scan to find your favorite hometown station, and -- boom -- it's on. And like the rest of the apps on this list, Stitcher is free. 

DININGUrbanspoon
It happens every week: we're out running errands and doing the mall thing when we suddenly realize that we're starving. We could hit the food court, but we'd really like to try someplace new -- ideally, someplace with more comfortable chairs and fewer screaming kids. So, we whip out Urbanspoon, ask for nearby recommendations, give it a shake, and like the Magic 8 Ball of our youth, we're presented with a plan. If we're skeptical, we can check out restaurant reviews from sites like Zagat and Eater, just to make sure we're barking up the right tree. Obviously, Urbanspoon comes in doubly handy when we're on vacation.

DISTRACTED DRIVINGDriveScribe
We've covered a lot of apps that promise to prevent distracted driving. The sad fact is, none are perfect. Few are free, most can be deactivated or overridden, and none are able to determine on their own whether the phone is owned by the driver or a passenger. To work well, a distracted-driving app needs to offer something more, and DriveScribe does, via gamification.
DriveScribe not only prevents distracted driving, it also offers tips on smart driving habits. The safer users are on the road, the more DriveScribe points they rack up. Ultimately, they can redeem those points for goods at places like Amazon.com and Dominos. DriveScribe may not be perfect, but there's something to be said for positive reinforcement.

GAS PRICESGasBuddy
We have to agree with our pals at Total Car Score: Gas Buddy remains the gold standard when it comes to finding cheap gas on the go. Other apps like Waze let you report gas prices (along with many other things), but Gas Buddy is dedicated exclusively to locating the least expensive fuel. With gas averaging around $3.85 a gallon nowadays, that's hugely important.
Do you know of other apps we should add to this list? (Remember, we're looking for those that run on both iOS and Android.) Drop us a line, or leave a note in the comments below.

Source: The Car Connection

Buying An iPhone 5? Prepare For Some Changes On The Road

Yesterday, Apple unveiled one of the worst-kept secrets in the tech world: the all-new iPhone 5. Rumors about the device and leaked photos of its casing have been flooding the internet for months, and now most, if not all of them, have been confirmed.

But apart from the iPhone 5's longer -- and some would say, less elegant -- silhouette, what changes will it bring? There are at least five major changes that drivers should expect.

Goodbye, Google Maps

As we reported back in June, Apple's new mobile operating system, iOS6, will kill off Google Maps as the iPhone's pre-installed map application. (You'll still be able to use Google Maps on your iPhone, but you'll need to download the app from iTunes, and so far as we know, there's no way to make it the smartphone's default mapping application. Click on a map link in your email, and it'll open in the new Apple Maps.)

That's a pretty big risk for Apple. After all, Google Maps has been in development for years, and people have become very familiar with its functions -- even its quirks. Apple Maps will need to be spectacular right out of the gate, or Apple could see a substantial backlash.

Hello Waze, Yelp, TomTom

When we first heard about Apple Maps, we feared for the future of some of our favorite navigation apps. After all, if Apple Maps became the go-to app for getting from Point A to Point B, what would that mean for fun, gamified apps like Waze?

We're happy and intrigued to report, however, that Waze, Yelp, and TomTom will all be integrated into Apple Maps. According to Mashable, Apple Maps will incorporate real-time traffic data from Waze, turn-by-turn navigation from TomTom, and point-of-interest features from Yelp. Hooray for collaboration and synergy.

"Do Not Disturb"

As we mentioned in June, iOS6 will incorporate a new "Do Not Disturb" feature. Though details are still a bit fuzzy on how this will work in practice, it appears that "Do Not Disturb" will function like DriveSafe.ly or other distracted-driving apps: when the iPhone's accelerometer determines that the device (and its owner) are moving at a certain speed, it will slip into "Do Not Disturb" mode, silencing alerts and keeping the iPhone's screen black. "Do Not Disturb" probably won't be as robust as other distracted-driving apps, but it's nice to see this functionality built in.

Adapt to reuse

Anyone who's ever owned a Mac laptop is well aware of the company's endless array of dongles. Rather than sticking with common VGA and HDMI ports, Apple creates its own proprietary ports, then charges customers for adapters ("dongles") to connect those ports to projectors, TVs, and other accessories.

Now, it appears the iPhone has jumped on the dongle bandwagon. Gone is the iPhone's familiar 30-pin connector -- clunky though it was -- and now we have the much smaller, completely unique "Lightning" connector. Drivers who listen to tunes on their iPhone using a 30-pin cable (or who like to charge their phone in the car) will still be able to do so, but they'll have to shell out $30 for an adapter.

Why Apple couldn't have included a far-more-common micro-USB port remains a mystery.

Upside-down

Perhaps most frustratingly of all, Apple has moved the headphone jack to the bottom of the phone. For those who connect their iPhone to a car stereo via an auxiliary cable, that could make things complicated. You won't be able to rest the iPhone in a cupholder anymore, unless you're willing to rest it upside-down, which seems like an unnecessary distraction. Perhaps it's time to invest in a dock that attaches to your dashboard.

Do you plan to purchase an iPhone 5? Do these changes concern you? Or are you just happy to get your hands on Apple's newest, shiniest, lightest gadget? Let us know in the comments below.