NeoMedia Technologies, Inc (NEOM)

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Shopping and Search Merge: Google Shopper to Exponentially Grow M-Commerce

http://mobile-barcode.tmcnet.com/topics/mobile-barcode-innovations/articles/76504-shopping-search-merge-google-shopper-exponentially-grow-m.htm

By TMCnet Special Guest

February 23, 2010

Thomas Hinterleithner, Director Business Developmet, NeoMedia Technologies


“Google (News - Alert) Shopper,” a mobile application from the proprietors of nearly everyone’s favorite search engine, hit the market February 18. The application expands the functions of “standard” mobile barcode readers (if such a term can be applied to a radically diverse industry that innovates at whiplash speed) to scan not only barcodes, but also to access prices, reviews, and specs through image and voice recognition.
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The Shopper can be used to for making smart decisions about what to buy, where to buy it, and how much to pay for it. It also allows users to store and share product information with friends. The Shopper automatically saves user history to the smart phone, so one always have product and price information at his fingertips, even when he doesn’t have a signal.

This bookmarking function is what primarily differentiates Google Shopper from the earlier, similar Android (News - Alert) application Goggles. Some disgruntled bloggers, such as Matt Buchanan of Gizmodo, have complained that Google would have been better off integrating these functions into Goggles instead of offering a separate application. Buchanan posits that the decision is a symptom of the Google Shopper’s being positioned with “more of a direct Amazon-competitive slant.”

Here is a link to a video in which senior software engineer Daniel Switkin demonstrates how the application’s various features:

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As is evident in the video, the Shopper takes a large stride forward in the mobile search industry by offering voice-activated search.

With the Shopper, Google has taken mobile barcode reading technology, patented by NeoMedia, to a new level of consumer convenience and opportunity. Google Shopper is now available for download on all Android devices. However, it is likely that Google will extend the application to other platforms in the future.

To download Google Shopper to your Android-powered phone, scan the QR Code below, or search for 'Shopper' on Android Market. You'll see a green icon for Shopper by Google.

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