Google Shopper, an app that makes it easy to search for products and find web retailers or local merchants and compare prices is now available for free on the App Store, Google announced. The app makes use of Google’s voice recognition as well as either cover art or barcode scanning using the built-in iPhone camera (or text input) to identify and then compare the item.
Users can also access reviews, videos or technical specifications of the item in question, and locate nearby merchants using Google’s maps. In some cases, the app can even tell shoppers the inventory level of a given item at a given store. While web merchants were usually the absolute lowest price in a quick test of the app, local retailers are often extremely competitive — often making it worth the short trip to obtain the item quickly over ordering and waiting for it to arrive.
Shoppers also have the option of “starring” an item they are interested in for future consideration, or sharing what they are searching for or bought with friends across various social networks. At present, the app is only available in the US and the UK, and requires an iPhone 3GS or 4, or an iPod Touch, running iOS 4 or higher.
