Zipcar’s claim to fame is that you can go online and reserve a car, find its location, and use a special card to unlock the doors and go on with your business – all without speaking to anyone in person. Great for on the go entrepreneurs and business owners who may just be in town for a meeting and in need of some quick transportation.

Based on a study conducted late last year, most Zipcar customers are smartphone owners and a large number of those surveyed owned Android devices. The company put two and two together and decided to create an Android app to complement the iPhone app currently on the market. Now, the entire car reservation process is available on Android smartphones and tablet computers. In addition to managing your Zipcar accounts, making reservations, and locating your vehicle via the Google Maps app, the new Android app allows users to beep their horn remotely to further identify the car.  You can even lock and unlock your Zipcar’s doors right from your phone!

The Zipcar app is currently in the public beta phase, but I don’t see it staying there long as functionality like this is what many people envision their smartphones being able to achieve. I predict that rental car companies will follow suit and offering their own mobile apps that can handle a number of functions that normally requite a visit to the customer service desk and a wait in line. No more being stuck without a car while the customer ahead of you makes the life changing decision between an economy, standard, or full-size car.