Google Android – G1 – Making shopping for bargains easy

The HTC G1 from T-Mobile is the first smart phone with Google's new Android mobile platform. The coolest application that’s sure to attract holiday shoppers looking for the best bargains, is the bar code scanner feature. You could be at any store, see a product you want to buy (DVD, book, anything with a UPC barcode) and in just mere seconds you can check the lowest price online or in a store nearby. The G1 turns the camera into a UPC bar code scanner. Just point it at the barcode on the product packaging or label and up pops a menu with the cheapest prices for that exact same product. Here’s the best bit; if the product is cheaper at a local store, hit another icon and Google will pop up driving directions.....all in seconds. Very cool! The G1 is currently only available on T-Mobile but sure to be a ubiquitous feature on all phones in the future. Google’s competitive advantage is of course its integrated applications, from Android to the Google search to Google maps, all working together to produce a result to a search in just seconds. That’s a combination that is tough to match on say an iPhone, which would require Apple to make some strategic deal to have access to search and mapping. Post a comment or e-mail me at businessissuestoday@gmail.com