Google Shopper Android Application – Compare Prices by Scanning Bar Codes

Google has announced a new Android mobile app called Google Shopper. Here’s a quote from the blog post announcing the Google Shopper Application

Speak the name of the product you’re looking for. Use (Google) Shopper to make smart decisions about what to buy, what price to pay, and where to buy it. You can star items for later and share them with friends. Shopper also saves your history so you’ll always have product and price information at your fingertips, even when you don’t have a signal.

Interestingly, Google doesn’t appear to allow that the app might also be used with the new QR codes, like the one that allows you to search for apps in the Adroid Application Market. Seems like it would make sense since those QR codes are appearing sporadically on products in print publications, on some store displays and some product packaging. Seems reasonable to be able to scan either standard UPC bar codes or QR codes since they are both a part of many shopping experiences.

It also seems like they are underplaying the social aspect here since that would boost early adoption via social media channels – but the ability to share via Twitter and Facebook is built in to the app and will very likely be used by early adopters to share their tweets and facebook posts with everyone – not to mention Google Buzz (they didn’t).

Nobody should doubt that Google will incorporate all their own services into the application, including Google Checkout, their own payment system. Google Commerce Search (retailer facing program) is inevitably buried in the code and search function to make searching more relevant experience if you happen to be standing in a store that is participating. I’m also anxious to see the iPhone version and hope the Google spat with Apple doesn’t extend to keeping really useful apps like Google Shopper from appearing for iPhone soon.

Below is the demo video with Google software engineer Daniel Switkin demonstrating the Google Shopper Android app

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