While consumers make their holiday list -- and check it twice -- package shipping company UPS has ramped up its mobile offering for the company's 101st holiday season.

To obtain shipping information while on the go, UPS has upgraded UPS Mobile, its suite of mobile shipping applications that is compatible with most mobile platforms, online browsers and devices, including the Apple iPhone.

"This is a big enhancement," said Bob Dubois, online channel mobile manager for UPS, Roswell, GA. "We had something rudimentary and these enhancements improve the experience for smartphone users.

"The strategy is to provide more customer service so that they can access shipping information at any time," he said.

The new mobile features simplify navigation, enable tracking of freight and small-package shipments, give access to stored tracking numbers and identify drop-off locations, according to the century-old company.

Mobile users can visit the enhanced UPS Mobile site at http://m.ups.com.

Users can search for UPS stores nearest to them by ZIP code. The listings page has click-to-call functionality, so users can find, click and call the branch nearest to them to find out any additional information.

Also, for the first time, mobile site users are able to calculate how long their package will be in transit, assuring the packages get to their destination on time.

Users can calculate how much it will cost them to send a package according to where it is going and how much it weighs.

Mobile users can also sign in to view their My UPS accounts right from their mobile phones.

UPS expects its busiest day overall this year will be Thursday, Dec. 18, while its busiest day for handling air packages will likely be Dec. 22.

"If a consumer cannot access their desktop at work or at home, typically they have their phone on their waist [or in their purse]," Mr. Dubois said.

"The experience is very different from the old one," he said. "When you open the site in your phone's browser, everything you need is right there on one screen."