NEWS

Silicon Valley

Zipcar Enters Partnership with WHERE, Open Source App

TMCnet
July 17, 2008
By Calvin Azuri

Zipcar, a company that delivers cars on demand, today announced the release of a Zipcar widget for the new “WHERE” application available on the iPhone (News - Alert) and iPod Touch.

WHERE says it helps iPhone users easily locate the nearest Zipcar.

Once they’ve downloaded the WHERE application and activated the Zipcar widget, consumers are able to find all the nearest Zipcar locations through the iPhone and make reservations as they choose, according to the company. They are also able to manage carpooling with friends and family due to the ability to share the location of their car through the iPhone in real-time, company officials say.

“Our members are early – and eager – adopters of technology, and the Zipcar widget on WHERE builds on our success in the mobile space,” stated Scott Griffith, chief executive officer of Zipcar. “This puts the power of Zipcar right in people’s hands, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.”

The WHERE application keeps consumers connected with people, places, and things at all times, according to the company. iPhone users find the WHERE’s library of location-enabled widgets easy to use when looking up nearby people, places, and items of interest. Each of the WHERE widgets provide content according to the user’s current location, which can be shown on. It also provides directions and easily shares the location with third parties according to the user’s preferences.

The WHERE application is provided for free by the Apple (News - Alert) App Store, officials say.

“Twenty-five percent of Zipcar users are already equipped with an iPhone making those consumers the perfect audience to benefit from the power and convenience of WHERE,” commented Dan Gilmartin, vice president of marketing at uLocate Communications. “Through the WHERE Zipcar widget, we are delivering a new level of ease and transparency to the Zipcar experience enabling customers on the go to find and grab a car, putting the power of location at their fingertips.”