Hertz

Hertz has decided to offer interested drivers a chance to test-drive electric cars, the company announced yesterday.

In November 2010, Hertz announced it would be adding EVs to its U.S. rental fleet throughout this year, mentioning a deal for 100 Coda EV sedans for the California area, as well as another deal with Nissan for its Leaf cars.

Hertz has now announced more details: it will initially offer EVs as a car rental option at two pick-up points in San Francisco: the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront hotel and a Hertz Rent-a-Car office on Mason Street in San Francisco. … Read more

commentary Plenty of Web sites this holiday season are offering tips about how to shop online without getting burned by dishonest merchants or con men.

Here's my advice: if in doubt shop at Amazon.

Amazon isn't perfect. I don't know any perfect stores online or off. But after 15 years of providing consumers with a safe shopping experience on the Web, the e-tailing pioneer deserves some applause. Don't believe me? Just read the testimonial given by Vitaly Borker, the man who operates what is now likely the most notorious retail store on the Internet.

On Friday, … Read more

Starting in 2011, Hertz will offer a total of 100 Coda EV sedans to its California rental fleet, the company announced Tuesday.

Coda's four-door sedan gets between 90 and 120 miles on a single charge, and can be plugged in to a standard household outlet as well as a fast-charging EV station.

The deal is part of the Hertz Global EV program, in which the company plans over a period of time to add all-electric vehicle options, EV charging stations, and a car-sharing program to its existing rental car business.

In February, Hertz announced it was partnering with … Read more

Hertz vehicle rental has offered its NeverLost GPS rental service since the late 1990s. The first few generations were a bit clunky; now in its fifth generation, the NeverLost system has evolved into a much more usable device with features such as a touch-screen interface and Internet-connectivity. But as the NeverLost system has been evolving, so has the world of standalone portable navigation devices. We were tossed the keys to a Hertz rental vehicle equipped with NeverLost and given the task of seeing if the system meets our expectations for a modern GPS device.

The NeverLost Gen 5 system consists of a touch-screen navigation device that is mounted to the rental vehicle's dashboard. The unit features a 4-inch color touch screen with a resolution of 320 by 240 pixels. Just below the screen is a bank of rubber buttons for power, view, back, enter, info, and volume, along with a small directional pad. The inclusion of the directional pad and the enter button seem a bit redundant considering the screen's touch sensitivity, but we can accept that some users may prefer physical controls. Between the smallish screen size, thick rubber buttons, and chunky design (about 1.5 inches thick), the NeverLost's aesthetic feels like a holdover from an era past, more DynaTAC than Droid. Everything about the NeverLost screams, "I'm a useful tool, not a sexy gadget."

The NeverLost system didn't really make a good first impression with its chunky design, but over a few days use, it won us over with its utility and functionality.… Read more

The nightmare of the mysterious debit card charges began this way for Caroline Butler:

She noticed that Privacy Matters 123, a membership program she had never heard of, was charging her $20 every month. She had no idea how to get her money back or even how to get the company to stop. All she knew was that they were draining the bank account used to help pay the medical bills for her 18-year-old daughter, a cancer patient.

Somehow, Butler, a freelance photographer from Paducah, Ky., unintentionally enrolled in the membership program during a visit to social-networking site, Classmates.com, … Read more

My Thanksgiving was spent in the New York City area, since my family all live on Long Island. But, since I live in the city in an area that's not conducive to owning or parking a car, I'm a renter when it comes to trips. As a result, services like Zipcar and other rental agencies are of great importance to me, as is the quality of their services as opposed to their apps.

When it comes to Thanksgiving car rentals, the city's supply dries up incredibly quickly--weeks in advance, if my attempts were indicative. In particular, Zipcar--the … Read more

This week marks Dong's 10th anniversary in the U.S. Really! To celebrate, Dong recounts what inspired him to get into radio in Vietnam. Not surprisingly, laziness was a key factor.

Then, we talk hertz. Specifically, 60Hz vs. 120Hz. More specifically, 60Hz vs. 120Hz on TVs. We discuss it in our usual way, but if you want some real info, check out this article.

Dong delves into the relative performance of Window 7 and Snow Leopard. From boot up to shutdown. From Cinebench to CoD4.

To subscribe to this podcast, visit us at our main page and click the … Read more

Devicescape is a free Wi-Fi helper service that was announced at the Demo 07 conference this past week. It's designed to take the struggle out of connecting to various commercial Wi-Fi hot spots while on the go. After downloading the low profile Devicescape application to your PC, Windows Mobile smart phone, or Wi-Fi-enabled handset, you can instantly connect without having to manage log-ins or remember passwords.

The Devicescape client works with a number of Wi-Fi services, most notably T-Mobile's HotSpot service, which can be found in over 8,000 locations (mostly Starbucks). Devicescape is at work on interoperability … Read more