AAA's Free App Helps Motorists Compare Gas Prices Close to Home and on the Road.

With gas prices 73 cents higher per gallon than last year, the AAA TripTik Mobile app for iPhone helps motorists compare prices at nearby stations

ORLANDO, Fla., March 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Many Americans are feeling anxiety at the pump as the price of a tank of gas has increased more than 25 percent since the same time last year. As a result of this increase, finding the lowest prices is becoming a top priority for motorists as fuel costs consume a larger chunk of their household budget. Those with an Apple iPhone can save time comparing costs by using the AAA TripTik Mobile application, the first free app to offer access to frequently updated gas prices.

AAA TripTik Mobile is a GPS-based app with maps showing gas station locations and other points of interest, such as hotels, restaurants and attractions, near a user's location or any user-specified location. Gas station details include updated prices for all available grades of gasoline. New preference settings allow users to show prices for just their preferred grade and sort stations alphabetically or by distance.

Hotel and restaurant information includes AAA's Diamond Ratings based on professional in-person inspections. There's also an option to call for lodging reservations with the touch of a button. The AAA TripTik Mobile app also provides maps and turn-by-turn directions to other points of interest including local events, AAA offices and Approved Auto Repair facilities, as well as user-entered addresses. The app can recalculate routes and provide voice guidance for the next maneuver.

AAA also offers the added convenience of integration between its online and mobile products. Travelers that want to plan a trip in advance or share directions with friends or family can use TripTik Travel Planner at AAA.com to create and save routes. Saved routes that may include stops along the way will generate a unique AAA TripTik ID. This ID can then be used with the app to download the maps and directions. The ID can be shared with multiple TripTik Mobile app users and the entire downloaded route can be modified on the iPhone as needed. (Saving routes requires registration on AAA.com and may require AAA membership.)

AAA TripTik Mobile uses the latest mapping data from the navigation market leader NAVTEQ. Full functionality on iPod Touch and non-3G iPad devices requires uninterrupted Wi-Fi access.

AAA TripTik Mobile is the third free iPhone app offered by AAA. The AAA Discounts app, with more than a million total downloads, also uses GPS technology to display nearby AAA Show Your Card & Save locations. AAA Roadside enables AAA members who require emergency road service to send their vehicle description and breakdown details directly to AAA. Additional information is provided on AAA.com/mobile.

As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 52 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at AAA.com.

AAA news releases, high-resolution images, broadcast-quality video, fact sheets and podcasts are available on the AAA NewsRoom at AAA.com/news.

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SOURCE AAA

FREEDOM HOUSE CONDEMNS VERDICT OF U.S. CITIZEN IN CUBA.

WASHINGTON -- The following information was released by Freedom House:

Freedom House condemns the guilty verdict and 15-year sentence handed down to U.S citizen Alan Gross yesterday following last week's two-day trial in Cuba.

Gross was charged with "acts against the independence and territorial integrity of the state," and was found guilty of participating in a "subversive project of the U.S. government" that sought to destroy the Revolution through non-government controlled communication systems. Gross, a 61-year old consultant for Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI), was working to bring Internet access to Jewish organizations in Cuba. He was arrested on December 3, 2009 in Havana and remained imprisoned without charges until last month, when Cuban prosecutors announced they would seek a 20-year sentence.

"This verdict is outrageous," said Daniel Calingaert, deputy director of programs at Freedom House. "To hold Alan Gross for over a year without formal charges is unconscionable, and to pass so heavy a sentence after such short trial proceedings indicates that the outcome was predetermined."

Gross's 26-year-old daughter and 88-year-old mother have both been diagnosed with cancer since his detention. Recent reports indicate that he has lost 90 pounds while in prison and suffers from other serious physical ailments and mental stress.

"Mr. Gross has already suffered greatly for activities that are commonplace in free and democratic countries," Calingaert continued. "Freedom House reiterates our call for Mr. Gross's immediate release on humanitarian grounds and insists that he be sent home to be with his family."

Freedom House consistently places Cuba among the world's worst regimes. Cuba is ranked Not Free in Freedom in the World 2011, Freedom House's annual survey of political rights and civil liberties, and Not Free Freedom of the Press 2010. The island nation also received the lowest ranking in Freedom on the Net, a study of Internet freedom in 15 countries released in 2009.

Freedom House is an independent watchdog organization that supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and human rights.

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