The Google Shopper app for Android does a pretty good job of letting  you stroll through the aisles of a store, scan the barcode on a box of cereal and find out if it’s cheaper at another store. But ScanLife is a new app that goes a bit further.

Scan to download

You can use ScanLife’s Android app to scan virtually any barcode or QR code to get more information about a product. The service will then search for online prices for new, used, and refurbished versions of the product. You can also find user reviews, coupons, and other information.

I tried scanning a few items around my house, including an old (but classic) video game box, and even a box of staples. ScanLife had no problem recognizing each item and finding relevant data — although I didn’t notice a lot of reviews.

There’s also a “Related Products” tab, which appears to be a bit of a work in progress. It told me that “Time Out with Britney Spears” was related to my box of staples.

ScanLife is available as a free download from the Android Market, but after you scan a few barcodes, be prepared to fill out a brief survey to keep using the app.

via Android Community

Brad Linder

Brad Linder is editor of Liliputing and Mobiputing. He's been tinkering with mobile tech for decades and writing about it since...