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MARKET LOGIC: Nonprofit organizations looking to stretch their budgets should check out Free-Mail. The service, offered by the Glendale-based Web magazine Community Wire, provides free e-mail services to such nonprofit organizations as churches, schools, community, civic and service clubs in Glendale, Burbank, La Canada Flintridge, Pasadena and South Pasadena. Those applying must have previous access to the Internet, which usually provides an electronic address. But like voice mail, it's nice to have a backup. For more information about the service, send a blank e-mail message to free-mailcwire.com, check out the group's Web site at http://www.cwire.com/free-mail.htm or call [phone].

THE NAVIGATOR: Hertz Corp. has found the satellite-navigation systems it's been testing in a few of its rental cars popular enough that the company just ordered 7,500 more of the units. Hertz said it will pay Rockwell Automotive $23 million for the units, which will be installed in cars available by this fall in 16 cities. The first shipment of the devices was put on 500 cars for rent in Atlanta during the Olympics. The Hertz NeverLost units combine global-positioning system (GPS) satellite and mapping technologies to pinpoint a car's exact location. On a 4-inch color monitor, you can get maps with directions on how to drive to thousands of locations in the region around the airport where the car was rented. A voice calls out directions as you approach intersections or freeway exits.

BATTERY POWERED: As cellular phones have gotten smaller, the pint-size batteries that power them have shrunk, too. That means shorter battery life. Ironically, cellular users are often close to a power outlet while attending meetings or traveling. The idea behind a new battery charger from Chatsworth-based Ora Electronics is to take advantage of those times when a cellular user is near an AC outlet. The $70 Travel Charger allows cellular users to attach the phone to an AC outlet, furnishing unlimited talk time. The device also serves as a quick charger, keeping the battery, whether it's a nickel-cadium or nickel-metal-hydride, topped off and ready to furnish full power at other times.

WEB LINKS

CLEARING THE AIR: Confused about some of the things politicians are talking about this election year? Try browsing through Clarifying Issues '96 (http://www.accesspt.com/civic/voters-guide/), a well-designed voters' guide created by the nonpartisan, nonprofit group The Public Agenda Foundation. Tackling eight hot-button topics in a Q&A format, the guide offers voters a chance to compare their point of view with a traditionally conservative, moderate and liberal perspectives. The subject matter ranges from the economy and juvenile crime to immigration and the federal deficit.

FILM WORKS: Only Steven Spielberg could get Jennifer Aniston, Quentin Tarantino, Penn & Teller and Katherine Helmond on a CD-ROM project. His ``Director's Chair,'' an odd blend of game-meets-studio house, lets users create their own film. To promote its release, the Spielberg crew invite people to answer this question: You've got big bucks, big stars and the world's best crew, now what kind of movie are you going to make? A hundred entries - due by Aug. 26 - will be selected and the winners will get copies of the CD-ROM. The person who creates the best movie with the game wins a day on the set of ``The Lost World: Jurassic Park,'' Spielberg's next film. Contest details and entry forms can be found at http://www.directorschair.com.