iOS shopping apps: bar code scanners

(Credit: CNET)

CNET - This week’s post is a special early edition of my weekly iOS app collection. Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, and though I can’t help you beat the lines or navigate through the crowds, I’ve rounded up a few apps that might make your holiday shopping a tiny bit easier.

These apps are made for price-checking on the go, so you know you’re getting the lowest price for the item in front of you. The best apps in this category are the ones that locate the item online and in nearby stores, but even apps that are only strong at scanning will definitely help to organize your holiday shopping and will hopefully result in fewer Black Friday headaches.

This week’s iOS app collection is all about tools for holiday shopping. Get quick access to a huge database of products and prices and some helpful shopping tools.

Amazon Mobile (Free) is a great one-stop-shopping or price-checking app on the iPhone and will be familiar and intuitive to use for many because it closely resembles the popular online shopping destination. You’ll need a strong data or Wi-Fi connection to browse Amazon.com’s vast database of merchandise, but you’ll generally be able to find anything you need that the retail giant sells. Deals, recommendations, and other tools you find on the Web site have also made it into this app, and you can log in to see your wish lists and shopping cart if you have an account with Amazon. Best of all, you can buy products with a touch of your finger–especially useful if your credit card information is already on file at the Amazon Web site.

Apart from the usual searching and browsing, Amazon has given its app special mobile powers that make the most of the iPhone’s features. In addition to taking photos of items for later reference and purchasing, you can also search for items by scanning the bar code. Like other apps in this category, Amazon Mobile uses the iPhone camera to perform the task, then matches the results (surprisingly well) to its database.

Overall, if you’re out and about shopping for the holidays, Amazon Mobile is a great and familiar companion to have for quick price checking and searching for better deals.

 

The scanner quickly scans barcodes 

and QR codes or you can shake the 

phone for a random deal.

(Credit: Screenshot by 

Jason Parker/CNET)

 

 

Shop Savvy Premium Barcode Scanner & QR Reader (Free) is one of many in the iTunes App Store, but its fast scanning and unique added features make it a handy shopping companion when checking prices. Like other apps in the category, ShopSavvy lets you use your iPhone camera to “scan” a bar code, then view the item and prices from various locations, and you can scan QR codes at the touch of a button. The interface is set up to be as simple as possible, but it offers nice touches such as the ability to initiate a scan by swiping upward on the product display screen.                 More