Today we're going to look at a handy little app called the VQ Mileage Tracker. Developed by the same people who brought us the VQ Car Finder, this application keeps a totally accurate record of travel mileage. This will make your life much easier if you're trying to keep records of your travel expenses.

Can somebody tell me where the future that Robert Zemeckis promised us waaay back in 1989 with Back to the Future II is? You know, the one with the hoverboards, DIY Nike shoelaces, and let’s not forget the pièce de résistance, the flying cars. However, if you were to ask the thirty-something me what would blow my skirt up these days, I’d probably tell you that I would just be happy with a smartphone that could operate Flash.

But back to the topic; the biggest letdown of the Back to the Future II’s brave new world is the Mr. Fusion. That undeniably cool nuclear trash-compactor mounted to the rear of the DeLorean that turned any nearby garbage into a useable (and presumably green) energy source for all cars…excuse, me flying cars. Here in 2010 Los Angeles, the only thing flying is the money from my wallet every time I fill up the tank.

While our future may not have turned out to be as technologically advanced as Hollywood made it seem, there is hope. It comes in the form of a nifty must-have little app. And its name is the VQ Mileage Tracker.

This set-and-forget app is like your own personal accountant and road manager right in your own pocket. Whether you’re a die-hard road warrior or are just looking to cut back on your overall expenses, this is the little guy that could. VQ Mileage Tracker automatically keeps a 100% accurate (depending on your settings) report of your travel mileage, allowing you to maintain a dependable record of your driving expenses. It beats the heck out of my current expense folder-slash-cup holder filing method.

For those of you that already have the ‘Dude, where’s my car?’ VQ Car Finder, this app was developed by the same people. The app requires that you be running at least OS 4.5 or higher. Luckily for us, Mileage Tracker is not too much of a kilobyte hog, only requiring about 450 KB of space.

The app has two mode settings, automatic and semi-automatic. Users will need to have a Bluetooth set-up either with the VQ Bluetooth car charger or one in-car. You can even choose between  standard (miles) and metric (kilometers). Once the auto setting is in place, the application begins an up-to-the-minute  record of your trip, and the distance you've traveled. Auto even has a "sleep" option that turns it off from 7 PM to 5 AM. However, these are unchanging settings for time, so if you're on third shift, you’re out of luck.

Now for you compartmentalists out there like myself, who may like to keep more detailed and separate travel records, the semiautomatic setting may be more to your liking.

For instance, my job reimburses me for travel. So it’s an absolute godsend for me to have this app keeping track of my mileage. However, do I really want to know how many miles it is to my neighborhood Jack-in-the-Box, or how many times I end up there? Probably not. Now in "semi" mode, you the user will have to manually stop and start the tracking. Also, each session is date stamped, listed with distance traveled, list of routes and stop/start addresses stamps.

VQ Mileage Tracker has an option that allows you to annotate expenses, such as gas, food, tolls, lodging, odometer, even routine maintenance. Reports can be generated in weekly, monthly or quarterly intervals.

All in all, VQ Mileage Tracker is a good addition to the app arsenal for anyone with a Blackberry and a car. For CrackBerry businesspeople, it’s a must have. No more deciphering coffee-stained, hopelessly smeared receipts at the end of the month? I’m there.

Now the only thing I could even begin to consider a drawback is the price; while it has currently been on sale, the usual price is in the neighborhood of $20, and the app support leans more towards BlackBerry maps than Goggle maps. Otherwise, there’s far worse things that you could blow your hard-earned money on, such as a hypothetical late night visit to your neighborhood fast food drive-through. VQ Mileage Tracker is at the BlackBerry App Store. You can even download a free trial version, so don’t just my word for it. See for yourself today.

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