Sixt rent a car blog » Internet / Mobile Technology

Video demonstration of BMW’s new in-car smart phone application MOG

Charlotte Scheggia — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:26:24 +0000

Robert Passaro, the chief engineer of Technology BMW in Mountain View, California, here proudly demonstrates on viedo, the new in-car MOG music device system which uses your smart phone to be able to access a catologue of over 12 million songs on demand whilst on the road.

This system is now available on BMW and MINI vehicles. The MOG integrates itself with other BMW applications including satellite navigation and hands free calling. It is managed through the BMW iDrive system, which can run two applications together, a very smart device. A monthly subscription of $9.99 a month to MOG give users access unlimited access for a year to MOG bookshop, via iPhone or Andriod smartphone.

Some Key features of the MOG system include:

Playing music online on demand
seamless integration with the vehicle, easy search system which can be used whilst driving on the steering wheel
Storage capacity of songs on the phone, giving offline access.
Can search content according to genres, news, most listened to music etc
320 kb quality for a great musical experience

Sixt offers mobile vehicle rental with up-to-the-minute technology

Charlotte Scheggia — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:48:07 +0000

Now your iPhone can bring you exclusive mobility: We have updated its iPhone application “SIXT” to the very newest technological standard and added additional innovative functions. The app now enables customers to use their iPhone to book a rental vehicle and manage the entire rental process quickly and easily, at any time and in any place. Sixt was one of the world’s first car rental companies to open up a smartphone rental station, and since then we have been leading the way in mobile rental vehicle booking

The new application (version 4.0) appears on the iPhone in a new design. Customers can now use a registration assistant to create a user profile even more quickly than previously. A specific filter function makes it easier for customers to select the vehicle that suits their individual needs and requirements best, while giving them an improved overview of Sixt’s current top offers with a more convenient selection function. Sixt has made managing bookings via the app easier too: Users can access individual reservations using a reservation number and a code. In addition to this, they can send particularly special offers to friends via email or post them on Facebook and Twitter to share great prices with other users.

On top of all this, the Sixt app still contains its tried-and-trusted functions, from booking of all Sixt vehicles and a rental station search function to direct access to the route planner and the customer service centre. The new application, which is available in a total of 17 languages in the Apple Appstore or on the Sixt website at http://www.sixt.com/rental-services/mobile-reservation/iphone/, allows users to book vehicles in more than 105 countries across the globe in which Sixt is active.

Konstantin Sixt, head of internet business at Sixt AG: “The new Sixt app once again confirms our reputation as innovation leader in the car rental industry. The application creates substantial added value for our customers, helping them stay mobile whenever and wherever they need us. We will continue to consistently develop our mobile applications and equip them with useful features.”

Great savings for Sixt customers on mobile wireless broadband

David Jackson — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 11:13:32 +0000

We’re pleased to announce that we’ve teamed up with mobile broadband specialist Fonmigo to offer Sixt customers an exclusive discount on mobile wireless broadband and smartphone hire across the UK.

Fonmigo is a mobile service that specialise in keeping travellers connected throughout their time in the UK. By using local operators Fonmigo cuts out the cost of expensive roaming charges and offers a low cost solution for both mobile phone and internet usage.

By opting to use a Fonmigo device rather than your own mobile phone you could save up to 80% on roaming fees.

Ordering your Fonmigo smartphone or mobile wireless device couldn’t be easier, simply visit the Sixt Fonmigo page to take advantage of the unique offers.

You can then arrange to either have the device delivered to your home address prior to travelling, to your hotel when you arrive in the UK or even at the Sixt branch when you collect your vehicle.

Visit the Fonmigo Sixt website now to take advantage of exclusive discounts.

Driving success online

David Jackson — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 09:50:52 +0000

When it comes to selling car hire online we operate in a very competitive market. There are suppliers, brokers and now comparison websites all trying to win the customer by offering the best service and the easiest booking process.
As the online world develops faster than ever it’s vital to keep on top of the latest technologies and trends in order to operate a successful website.

With this in mind we were happy to respond to an enquiry from Julia Kowalczyk, a student who runs an active travel blog. Julia was putting together a blog article about the main car hire companies and the website’s which they operate.

It’s an interesting piece looking at how the different websites compare to each other looking at the similarities and differences. We were pleased to see that our Sixt website was well received when placed alongside three of our competitors.

The original article was in French but there is a good English translation also available. If you have a few minutes it’s worth a read.

Mobile wireless broadband now available at Sixt Heathrow

David Jackson — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:45:19 +0000

We’ve teamed up with Fonmigo to offer great value wireless broadband mobile at our Heathrow Airport branch. If you’ve ever had to use the internet when travelling abroad you’ll know the problems that it brings. Whether you choose to use a mobile phone, wireless 3G card or hotel wi-fi there’s almost always a hefty fee involved, and that’s if you even manage to get connected at all!

What you really need is a low cost, high speed system that’s conveniant and reliable to use, that’s where Fonmigo comes in. With prices starting from just £4.95 a day Sixt customers collecting their vehicle from our Heathrow location can rent a mobile modem that enables up to 5 wireless devices to be connected at any one time.

Each Fonmigo rental comes with 1GB worth of data included and additional bundles can be added at anytime. The service also comes with 24/7 customer service so you can rest assured that if you do experience a problem it will be quickly resolved.

Here’s a few quick facts about the Sixt Fonmigo Wireless broadband…

Pick-up at Sixt – available at our Heathrow collection centre
No setup – no lengthly setup process just connect straight away
Amazing savings – save hundreds on expensive roaming charges
Nationwide coverage – using the UK’s largest network with 98% coverage
Hassle free return – just drop the modem off when you return your car
24/7 service – support is available all day, everyday

If you’d like to try before you buy or just check your emails once you arrive in the UK, simply connect to the wireless broadband in the Sixt shuttle bus.

There’s no need to pre-book your Sixt Fonmigo rental just pick one up when you arrive at Heathrow.

Free Trial for the Samsung Galaxy Tab

Andy Aspden — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:28:26 +0000

Samsung’s latest product, the Galaxy Tab, is currently touted as the latest iPad rival to be released out into the tablet-PC market and starting next week visitors to London will have the opportunity to give them a 48-hour trial. A press release has been distributed to several tech blogs explaining the trial and how to apply and I’ve included the details from Samsung’s press release below.

From Monday 18th October 2010, a limited number of Galaxy Tabs will be available for loan over a two-week period from one of four London tube stations: Liverpool Street, Balham, Highbury & Islington or Ealing Broadway. Each device will be lent for 48 hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week. People wanting to get involved, should apply by sending an email to galaxytab@tubetest.co.uk or speak to a member of the Galaxy Tab team outside one of the four tube stations.

The Galaxy Tab features a 7″ touchscreen running on the latest version of Google’s Android platform and is hoping to try and steal some of the iPad’s thunder by providing a richer web experience, thanks to it’s ability to run Flash, as well as coming in at a cheaper retail price. Although not quite as huge as Apple’s tablet, it does make the Galaxy Tab a more portable option for those not quite prepared to carry a specific case around just for their tablet PC.

Sixt Launch App for Bada OS

Andy Aspden — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:10:40 +0000

Ever since the launch of the iSixt App on the iPhone last year, we have tried to provide our customers with as many ways to book a car using an application on as many platforms that we can. Our developers have been hard at work rolling out applications for both theAndroid and Blackberry platforms and we are pleased to announce that we now have a presence on Samsung’s Bada platform. Our Bada app is already receiving good reviews and is currently featuring as one of the best apps for the platform according to tech site T3, which you can read here.

Samsung bada is a platform developed for the latest range of Samsung smartphones released this year, starting with the Samsung Wave. The aim of the platform is to provide a “smartphone for everyone”, by being a cost effective OS that the phone manufacturer can use across its full range of future phones.

Sixt maintains a vision to improve the application for all smartphone platforms and are always striving to add new features to help our customers use our service wherever they may be.

Google Adds Sat Nav to Maps Application

Andy Aspden — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:51:43 +0000

Google's Navigation for Maps: Directions overlaid onto Street View

Google have rolled out the latest Beta version of their Maps application on their Android platform phones in the UK. Allowing all Android users, who are on version 1.6 and above, to use their mobile phones as a fully featured Satellite Navigation device. Over the last few months the Maps app for smartphones has seen extra functions added to it including individual layers of information, such as live traffic updates, that can be overlaid on top of the current view and now with this new version available to download it is set to become the must update application for Android phones.

Google Navigation for Maps: Satellite navigation integration with information layers

The application combines all of the features of Google’s powerful Maps service, including Street View, and integrates full voice guidance to provide an impressive free application. When linked up to their impressive search by voice app you can also simply say your destinations into the phone and it will find the route you’ve requested, adding a rarely seen function outside of integrated Sat Nav systems.

Google have said that the Maps application is used by close to 50 million people on a daily basis, thanks to the increase in the number of people shifting from their old phone to the current generation of smartphones and with the decrease in costs for data contracts the figure is expected to grow even further. Currently the application takes the data and loads the maps from Google’s vast data centres, however if you are worried about roaming charges outside of the UK then you can download your route before setting off.

Although initially released just for Android phones both Blackberry and the iPhone should have their own versions in the works fairly shortly.

Top Blackberry Apps to beat the Ash Cloud

Andy Aspden — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 09:24:22 +0000

Having recently posted an article about our favourite iPhone and Android apps, we realised that none of the staff here have any idea of what is going on in the world of Blackberry phones. This is simply because the people in our office don’t have one and didn’t think we should be trying to decide on our favourites without being able to try any of them.

Luckily we have managed to find a fantastic list produced by Jason Hesse, who writes for the Real Business website, that covers some of the most useful Blackberry apps for people currently stuck in other countries because of the Eyjafjallajökul volcanic eruption. The list covers everything from hotel locators and car hire apps to WiFi locators and a trip itinerary app. You can read the rest of the list in his Top 10 Blackberry Apps to beat the Ash Cloud post on the Real Business site.

Meet Sixt at the Mobile World Congress 2010

David Jackson — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:00:32 +0000

Check out the latest Sixt Mobile Apps at this weeks Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

You probably already know that Sixt is the forerunner in mobile technology within the car rental industry. To further develop this position, we will be participating in this years Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Together with BlackBerry we will introduce the Sixt App for Storm, Curve, Bold and Pearl. In the latest version 1.2.0 Sixt customers can enjoy a variety of new features including the ability to send reservation requests directly to the branch. The vicinity search has also been improved and can now function without a GPS net. The online check-in tool also allows users to select the exact model they rent prior to arriving at selected branches.

Also on show at the Mobile World Congress will be the latest version of the iPhone App “iSixt” which is already available from Apple’s Appstore. The App has been improved with a host of new and interesting features.

The Backend of the Android App has been extended and provides a faster more efficient booking service. Furthermore the mobile web page for customers that don’t use an iPhone, BlackBerry or Android has recently been revised offering a completely new booking engine.

The MWC 2010 stats today in Barcelona and runs through until the 18th of February. You will find us in hall 8 together with BlackBerry. Opening hours of the conference are Mon 15.02., 09:00 – 17:30, Tue 16.02., 09:00 – 18:30, Wed 17.02., 09:00 – 17:30 and Thu. 18.02., 09:00 – 16:00. Opening hours of the fair are Mon 15.02. – Wed 17.02., 09:00 – 19:00 and Thu 18.02., 09:00 – 16:00. Tickets are available from €599.

Interested in going to the show? It’s not too late to register!