I heard on Slashdot (actually via slashdotreview) that Amazon Japan is soon going to work with barcodes sent to them via cameraphone pix and will automatically show their price on a product.
How cool is that?!?!
Power to the Consumers! But just think of the possibilities, if some price comparison search engine (I’d even be willing to pay a small yearly fee for a service like this, if it was good enough) did this with anything from electronics to groceries, do you know how much dough you could save!? (god I would love to go to best buy, CompUSA, or Sams Club and have instant access to Froogle, pricewatch, etc and see how much the brick n mortar places are trying to take me for [or how much I am saving with the rebates]). I have tried to write down prices etc of products while at the store and see what they are at other places (sometimes works with gadgets but with groceries I always get lazy) but this would make it worlds easier, they could even give you stats on what you scan the stores as a whole (does Wal-Mart really have all “everyday low prices”? Doubtful) or where you could save the most etc, and all by snapping a quick picture of a product! God that’s sweet. For a business model they (price search engines) could even keep track of what you scan and advertise accordingly (which I would have no problem with so long as it was anonymous)
I am not sure why it hasn’t caught on but why isn’t there like a combination of a Sams Club and Amazon Grocery service? Yeah the perishables would be a problem but you could order buckets and buckets of non-perishables and have it delivered, all for less than it would could at a regular grocery; and if you figured in time, gas, stress (well for me anyway), you might be saving even more! Oh the possibilities…
This is not nearly as cool but it is a start (in for in the US) google is beta testing "Froogle Wireless" which would just allow you to search froogle a bit easier via your net enabled mobile device.
I have also heard that there is rumor going around that google is looking into making a price comparison tool that would say let you put in something like "cheetos" and then have it give you back all the places near by that have cheetos for cheaper, Whoa!!!!
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