7 Top Apps for Holiday Shopping
NOV. 19, 2010— -- Let the countdown begin! Thanksgiving is a week away, and already, Black Friday deals and holiday shopping tips are flooding the airwaves and the Internet.
But before you hit the mall, pick up your smart phone. Whether you have an iPhone, a BlackBerry or an Android phone, dozens of applications are ready to help you with your shopping list.
Some make it easier to comparison shop and score the best deals, others help you find the stores you're looking for or identify the best gifts for the hard-to-please. And, best of all, many of these hand applications are free.
Take a look at a few of our favorite shopping applications below.
1. ShopSavvy
One of the original barcode-reading applications, ShopSavvy uses your phone's camera to scan and read product barcodes to automatically compare prices among tens of thousands of online and brick-and-mortar retailers.
It generates a list of retailers in your area where you can buy the product, and even gives you a map to the store's location. You can also check out reviews, save items to a wish list or create a price alert so that you're notified when the price of a product drops below a certain level.
Cost: Free for the iPhone and Android Phones
2. FastMall
How many times have you gone round in circles in the mall, trying to find that little boutique or the ladies room? FastMall is an app that helps you find, then be guided, turn by turn to restrooms, stores and restaurants at shopping malls around the world, without using GPS or Wi-Fi.
Once you download your local mall, the phone stores the information, including the location of stores, escalators, exits and restrooms.
When you find the store you're looking for, all you have to do is tap it, and it will calculate the best route for you, taking into consideration whether you need an elevator for a baby stroller.
You can also record messages that remind you where you parked the car, and check in to stores to get discounts and coupons.
FastMall provides full interactive maps, and includes most of the largest shopping malls in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, France and hundreds of other countries.
Cost: Free for the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. (An Android version will be released next month.)
