Google Shopper update for Android plays up “offers”

Google Shopper is an Android app that began its life as a sort of mobile price comparison tool. See an item in a store, but not sure if it’s being sold at the best price? Just whip out your Android smartphone, scan the barcode with your camera and Google Shopper will let you know if it’s cheaper online — or even at another nearby store.
Last month Google rolled out an update adding local “Offers” divided up into Eat and Play categories. These offers allow you to find local businesses that are offering coupons for food, recreational activities, or other items.
Today the company announced a new update which adds to the Offers features with a new “Today’s Offer” tab which will show a different major promotion each day — if you happen to live in Portland, San Francisco, or New York City, where Offers are being tested at the moment.
Honestly, that’s the only major change I can see in the new app although Google’s official blog post would seem to suggest that several other features that have been around for a month are also new. Eventually Google will roll Google Wallet integration into the app, allowing you to pay for purchases with your phone.
Google Shopper is available as a free download from the Android Market.
Google Shopper for Android adds nearby coupons

Google has rolled out an updated version of its mobile shopping app for Android which adds support for nearby offers and coupons. You can still use Google Shopper 1.5 to search for products using online and local stores. But you can also now click the “nearby Offers tab from the home screen to see if any nearby businesses are offering deals.
The offers are divided into Eat, Play, and All tabs. You can view a list or see the offers plotted on a map. And Google Shopper lets you save coupons and other offers for later.
Each offer lets you know at a glance how deep the discount is, when you need to redeem the coupon by, and how far you are from the business offering the deal.
I fired up the app this morning to see if there were any good deals I might want to check out for lunch… and I have to say I’m pretty underwhelmed by the collection of offers in Philadelphia at the moment. But hopefully the number of deals will expand over time.
Google Shopper is available as a free download from the Android Market.
Google updates Google Search, Shopper apps for iOS

Google has rolled out updates for two of its iOS apps today: Google Search and Google Shopper.
The Google Search app snow includes larger fonts, tappable search results, and an option to disable voice search via gestures. But the biggest change is that Google says the app should be up to 20% more responsive. Apparently the company had received complaints that the last update made the app much slower than previous versions of the official Google app for iOS.
Google Shopper 1.2 for iOS, meanwhile, has been updated to look more like the latest version for Android. It includes the new blue color scheme, filters for search results, featured lists for browsing, and support for scanning QR codes and print advertisements. There’s also a new history view.
Both Google Search and Google Shopper are available as free download from the App Store.
Google Shopper 1.4 for Android overhauled, now with Magazine ad scanning

Google Shopper is a mobile app for that lets you search for for the best deals from your phone, either by entering text or scanning a barcode or cover art with your phone’s camera. It comes in handy when you find something in a store that seems a bit overpriced and you want to check and see if you can find a cheaper price online or at a nearby store.
Now you can also use Google Shopper for Android to scan magazine ads and search for feature products. Honestly, this sounds like the sort of upgrade that’s meant to appeal to marketers more than shoppers, but in some way it makes the experience of reading a printed magazined feel a little more like surfing the web. You can’t click a hyperlink on a magazine page to open a new page, but now you can sort of “click” on the ads… with your phone’s camera.
The latest version of Google Shopper also adds support for QR code scanning (in addition to old fashioned barcodes), better filtering, some bug fixes, and new user interface which is a lot more… blue, than the earlier versions. The new UI also shows featured items on the start screen as well as big buttons to start a new search by typing, talking, or scanning. You can also view saved searches that you’ve added a star to, or view your history.
Google Shopper 1.4 is available as a free download from the Android Market.
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Google Shopper now available for iOS
Google Shopper is a mobile app that’s been available for Android phones for a while, making it easy to scan an item at the store and see if you can order it cheaper online. Now Google Shopper is also available for the iPhone and iPod touch.
You can use Google Shopper with your device’s camera to scan a barcode or cover art for books, CDs, or DVDs. You can also tap the Voice Search button and tell Google Shopper what item you’re looking for. Or if you want to be old-fashioned about it, you can enter a search query in the text box.
Search results can be sorted by price, relevance, or seller rating. You can add a star to an item to find it again later. And you can check availability at local stores or online shops. Google Shopper also shows you product reviews and other details when available.
Google Shopper is available as a free download from the App Store. Android users can grab the app from the Android Market.
via ReadWriteWeb
Google Shopper for Android lets you filter by free shipping

Google has pushed out a new version of Shopper, its mobile shopping app. Like earlier versions the new Google Shopper app lets you scan barcodes or cover art to check online prices for an item at a number of stores — possibly saving you from overpaying at the book store or supermarket. You can also search by entering text or do a voice search.

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The new version adds additional filter options, so you can sort listings by relevance or price, or filter by price, store, or brand. The release notes say you should also be able to filter by “free shipping,” but I haven’t actually encountered this filter option yet… although it may only be available for some products. For instance, when you search for “iPod,” the only brand that’s available is clearly Apple. But when you search for “SD Card,” the brand filter offers a wide range of options. Maybe I just haven’t searched for an item where Google is aware of free shipping.
There are also a number of bug fixes, and a front page that looks a little more crowded thanks to a banner showing featured products from Google’s partners.
Google Shopper is available as a free download from the Android Market.
Google Shopper for Android gets related products, YouTube videos

At its most basic level, Google Shopper is a price comparison tool for Google Android phones. You can search for products by text, voice, or by scanning a barcode and Shopper will let you know where you can buy the item online or in a local store and how much it will cost you.

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But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, because Shopper also features product reviews, history (for keeping track of the items you lookup, and in the latest version Google has also added related products and YouTube product videos.
You won’t find related products or videos for every item you look up. But when they’re available, videos can definitely give you a better sense of whether you really want to plunk down cash on that particular item, while the related product links will help you find alternatives. For instance, when I searched for the Eee PC 1005PE netbook, Google showed me listings for several other netbooks from Asus, Acer, and HP, with the average reviews and prices listed in the details.
Google Shopper is a free app that’s available for all versions of Android, but you’ll need to be in the US or UK to find relevant product listings.
Google Shopper for Android adds local store search, UK merchants

Google’s on a roll. Hot on the heels of a Google Maps for Android update, the Google Mobile folks have rolled out a new version of Google Shopper. The app was already one of the best comparison shopping tools around, letting you search for product prices online by snapping a photo of a barcode or cover art or by entering a search term or using the voice search feature.

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Now Google Shopper 1.1 ups the ante with local store search. That means you’re not just limited to seeing if that dishwasher detergent you’re looking at is cheaper online than in the supermarket… you can actually see if it’s cheaper at the drug store down the street. Tap on a local store listing and a screen pops up asking if you want to get directions, turn by turn navigation, view the location no a map, view the store web site, or place a phone call.
The new version of Google Shopper also adds support for UK merchants and prices, and a new links section with links to IMDB, Wikipedia, and other internet sites where you can get more information about products.
Google Shopper is available as a free download from the Android Market.


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