RedLaser is a wonderful iPhone app available on the app store for, currently, £1.19. It works remarkably well and is extremely accurate. The app uses the built-in iPhone camera to scan barcodes on products. Once a barcode has been recognised by the app, it searches for the product on Amazon and Google and returns back a list of prices in order to provide a possible cheaper price. Each item in the list can be clicked to view full product details from the merchant’s website, using the built-in browser.
Additionally, you can manually enter a UPC or EAN code, and the app will search for the correct product from Amazon and Google.
So far I have used the app for fun and it has provided me with no real use, but that did not stop me from appreciating the ingenuity, technology that has clearly gone in to this app. I’m sure if I was out and about, shopping on impulse, and I saw something I wanted to buy, then I would definitely use this app to check if the price was cheaper online.
The app is developed by Occipital who seem to be focused on developing apps based on visual recognition technology and from reading their website, it seems they have some new future ideas which sound quite promising and hint at augmented reality. Occipital are allowing other developer’s to use their technology to develop their own apps or perhaps develop services to enhance the existing app.
