As more travelers use their mobile phones to search and book their transportation needs, car rental companies, such as Avis Rent A Car and CarRentals.com, have launched new and updated applications for customers to use on their Apple iPhones.

Avis Rent A Car launched a new version of its mobile application for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. The free, interactive tool allows travelers to make real-time reservations for car rentals at neighborhood and airport Avis locations throughout the United States and Canada.

Available for free download at the Apple iPhone online "App Store," the Avis 2.0 application also features improved user interfaces that allow renters to view, modify or cancel reservations, and store profile information, such as the renter's name, contact information and rental preferences. It also includes a "near me" function that locates the nearest Avis facility using the device's GPS system.

"Our first Avis iPhone application attracted many customers and thousands of downloads," said John Peebles, vice president of online marketing for Avis Budget Group, parent company of Avis. "The Avis 2.0 upgrade enhances the user experience by finding neighborhood locations and storing profile information - two popular features requested by iPhone users - allowing users to make reservations even more easily and quickly."

CarRentals.com, a Web-based car rental booking company, launched a free application that allows customers to search and book their national and international car rental needs on the Apple iPhone.

Users can search rental car locations by entering an airport code, ZIP code, city, or current location via the iPhone's GPS. Search results can be sorted by price, vendor, and car type, but more significantly, travelers can book directly on the site without ever leaving the application.

The application remembers outstanding reservations, giving users easy access to their confirmation numbers allowing them to view and cancel existing reservations after booking. In addition, if they have any questions about their rentals they can e-mail the CarRentals.com customer support team. All information on rental policies, agency location, and contact information is accessible through the application as well.

"The nature of our business means our customers are on the road, literally. So, making a free iPhone application just made sense," said David Morton, co-founder of CarRentals.com. "We work hard to make booking competitively priced car rentals simple and convenient for our millions of value-conscious customers. And now, with our CarRentals.com iPhone application, we can put more deals on more cars at more locations in the palm of your hand."

For more information about the Avis iPhone app, visit www.avis.com/iphone. For more information about the CarRentals.com iPhone app, visit http://www.carrentals.com/iphone/.