: Here's the good news: Gas prices haven't risen as far and as fast this summer as analysts once feared. Here's the bad news: Gasoline is still pretty expensive. So when you hit the highways for the family vacation this summer, you might want to have the free app installed on your iPhone. This isn't one of those newfangled "crowdsourced" apps: Gas Guru pulls its pricing info from the and displays it on a map, letting you know what the cheapest prices are and where to get them. And if you're thirsty for more than a fillup, the app also provides recommendations and directions to nearby coffee shops, restaurants, ATMs, and auto repair shops.

: One thing we've loved about the rise of the iPad is the proliferation of really great note-taking apps. The $9 app for iPad brings an impressive set of credentials to that market, and its latest version includes substantial improvements: WSYWIG editing that lets users play with fonts, text alignment, and highlights; the ability to convert documents to PDF (and to password-protect selected PDFs); a feature that allows the recording of voice memos and the option to embed them in documents; as well as a host of other updates. The app can be used if you have iOS 4.0, but you'll need iOS 5.0 or later to really take advantage of Notebooks's best new features.

: Remember what we said about all the great note-taking apps out there? The $5 app for iPad also belongs on that list, and the latest improvements will keep it there. PhatPad already let users take handwritten notes on their iPad, then convert them to print-style text. This week's update includes a new ability to search the handwritten text for specific words, part of an upgrade that also includes a new search-and-replace function and improved handwriting recognition. Sure, it can convert your writing to printed text, but we won't be impressed until it can actually read our minds.

: Everybody knows about this for the iPhone and iPad; this week's upgrade makes Photoshop a much more social offering, with a new ability to share pictures to Tumbler and Twitter, and enhancements to the pre-existing Facebook and Flickr sharing features. Other upgrades include the ability to compare your edited photo with its original version, new optimization for Retina display, and the addition of a new effects package available as an in-app purchase. Say cheese!

: Microsoft's free app for iPhone and iPad already let users track their rankings and their friends on the company's Xbox Live network; this week's update now gives you direct control over your Xbox console--not to play games, alas, but you can play, fast forward, rewind, and pause videos and music using your iPhone as a remote control. The app comes optimized for the iPad's new high-resolution display, and Microsoft says it has improved the authentication function to let users get into the network more easily.