Google Shopper - The NEW Android App

Google just launched their first shopping app for the Android market. There are some other players who have been there already - ShopSavvy, Amazon and C-Net's Scan & Shop. The Google app may be more productive for usability and overall robustness, but not in product selection.

First, with Google Shopper, you can scan, take a photo or even use voice search to find what you need. I've used ShopSavvy in the past and I find it limiting when I can't locate the barcode or there isn't one at all. These features are much more convenient than typing in the product name - which yields varied results to boot. The downfall is that it only applies to books, CDs, DVDs, and video games. Also, there seem to be some bugs. I took a photo of a book that is listed from $3-$595.

Google Shopper also lets you save history for offline use and share products with friends. Drawback - prices are in US ($) only. And don't forget, both the ShopSavvy and Amazon app lets you do the same thing: save items to your wishlist, view history, etc.

So what's the verdict? Although Google owns the Android market and there are some great features with the image capture and voice search, the limitations of only being able to find digital media and books gives ShopSavvy the edge. And as for the other nice features, those already exist. I'm sticking with my existing apps and if I can't find what I need with ShopSavvy or Amazon, I'll try Google Shopper. But by no means is it a mere replacement.

Mobile Tagging - Instant Interactions & Transactions

The future of advertising is here. Well, actually it's in Japan, and gaining traction in Europe. When this technology evolves to the states, it will change how we view ads with the click of a button - on your phone.


Mobile tagging simply means reading out a 1D- or 2D-barcode using a camera in a mobile device. Currently about 70 different types of barcodes and their specific versions exist and are mostly in use in the field of logistics. In terms of mobile tagging, the number of codes is essentially restricted to a dozen types. For reading out 2d-barcodes it is essential to install specific software, a reader, on the mobile device. How does it work? See below.

Now, how can this be applied to marketing or even shopping? Easy. With its seamless interaction, content can be delivered instantly to the consumer. Whatever the transaction (pushing a URL, video/media, "add to cart") this enables anyone with a camera phone and data plan to view content in a more interactive way. Imagine what this will be like once the program moves over to webcams - any camera is a barcode reader and any barcode can be printed out on a sheet of paper and scanned. What if these barcodes were on product packaging? Then you could interact even more with the product, even while consuming it. Talk about interaction.