A Very Useful App for the iPhone
Recently I was perusing the “Top Grossing” iPhone apps in the Apple Store and came across one that really caught my eye which has now surpassed the $1mil mark. It’s called “Red Laser” and is amazingly useful for helping you know if what you’re buying is sold elsewhere for cheaper. How does it do this? Simply put, it scans barcodes of just about any product and compares prices on the internet…and more.
For example, let’s say you’re shopping at B&N and happen upon a book that catches your eye – “Born to Run”. You read a few pages and then tell yourself, “Man I gotta buy this and take it home. Shoot I wish I knew if Amazon or another website sold if for cheaper. Or maybe the library has it? Aaah, forget it. I’m here, now, ready to buy.” Cha-ching.
Meanwhile, what you didn’t realize is that your impatience made you gloss over the reality that there were about a million other options besides Barnes and Noble that were way cheaper, which you could’ve found out with Red Laser. The app could’ve shown you that scores of websites are selling the book for $10 cheaper after shipping. And wait. DANG IT! Even the library has the book in stock, which is a feature available on RL.
Yes, you read it correctly. It even scans local libraries near your location for the book! Way cool.
This app is not just for books, though. Say you’re at Best Buy and looking at purchasing a Blu-Ray movie on sale for $20. Even though it’s on sale, it’s nice to know whether or not other companies are selling it for less. Just scan the barcode and compare.
For $1.99, it’s definitely worth it…especially considering the amount you just paid for the Starbucks drink at Barnes & Noble.
01/13/2010 at 8:44 am
great app! does it work for other things besides books?
01/13/2010 at 10:45 pm
Yes it does. Thanks for the question Ev. I have added some more info to clarify.