TUAW's Holiday Gift Guide: Shopping apps
Welcome to the TUAW Holiday Gift Guide! We've sorted the treasure from the junk and are serving up suggestions to make your holiday gift-giving a little easier.
Tomorrow officially begins the holiday shopping season in the States, and that means recycled air, linoleum floors and Orange Julius stains on your Quacker sweater. Of course I'm talking about the mall, which is best experienced in limited doses this time of the year. To help you get in and out, we've compiled some shopping apps to bring along with you. Here's what we found.
Best bet -- avoid the mall entirely
Some people enjoy the bustle of a holiday mall. Others prefer to stay at home. For the latter, we offer these handy apps.
Windowshop (Free, compatible with iPad)
Windowshop for iPad provides an iOS-friendly front end to Amazon. The entire selection is available and sorted by category: electronics, books, the Kindle store, movies, clothing ... 34 main categories in total, each with several sub-categories. Tap any item to pop up an information panel with photos, a description, customer ratings and, of course, the Add To Cart button. You can even add to your wish list and share items via email, Facebook or Twitter. Finally, a search field lets you avoid all of that scrolling and tapping. It's a tidy app that provides iPad-optimized access to Amazon's immense collection of stuff.
Those with an iPhone/iPod touch will want to check out Amazon Mobile.
QVC (Free, compatible with iPad, iPhone and iPod touch)
Ah, home shopping television! Where else can you watch a grown adult praise a pencil for nine solid minutes with bone-jarring enthusiasm? Laugh if you like, but it's a huge business, and the iOS app is a worthy companion. You can use it to browse the item that's currently being offered (even stream live programming), the daily special and other items that have been (or will be) presented within a 24-hour period. Tapping an item brings up its information sheet, including name and photo gallery, reviews, description and cost. The "Speed Buy" feature works like Amazon One-Click, offering speedy checkout once it's been set up. QVC fans (or "The Q" as the cool kids call it) will love this app.
For the brave -- venture outdoors
Here are a few apps for those who like the holiday bustle.
Target for iPad (Free, compatible with iPad)
I'm not convinced you'll want to walk through a retail store with your iPad on your hip, and the Target app (Target is a discount retail store here in the U.S.) is more for pre-shopping prep work. Use it to browse the weekly flyer, find a store near you, create a shopping list and browse items by category or feature. The UI is very attractive (imagine a store flyer, notepad, etc. strewn on a desk) and features a bobble-head dog for some reason. Perhaps to entertain the kids or distract you from the soul-crushing wait in line.
While you're at Target with your iPad, why not pick up another iPad?
Coupon Sherpa (Free, compatible with iPhone and iPod touch)
How many times have you entered a store only to realize you've left that 40% off coupon at home? Coupon Sherpa eliminates that issue by pulling hundreds of store-specific coupons to your device. To use it, navigate to the store you're in and find the list of available coupons. At the checkout counter, hand over your iPhone and let the cashier scan the displayed barcode. There's even an option to note if the store accepted the virtual coupon or not, which sends feedback to the app's developers.
You can also use Coupon Sherpa to create a list of preferred stores, share items with friends and find stores in your area.
Shopper (US$0.99, compatible with iPhone and iPod touch)
Our first paid app is well worth the measly 99 cents it requires. Shopper offers coupon tracking, barcode scanning, local and chain-store deals, lists and favorites ... the features list goes on and on. There's also a tax calculator, product recall notifications and a cool feature (U.S. only, we're afraid) that lets you scan the barcode of an item you own to add it to a shopping list.
RedLaser (Free, compatible with iPhone and 4th generation iPod touch)
RedLaser lets you comparison shop on the spot. Simply scan the barcode of an item you're interested in, and RedLaser finds the retailer that has it at the lowest price in your area. No more driving from store to store. It's a definite must-have for those who want to save money.
myStarbucks (Free, compatible with iPhone and iPod touch)
Caffeine is the fuel that keeps a shopper going. Use myStarbucks to find the store closest to your location. There's also a food menu with nutritional information for those seeking more than a drink.
There you have it: several apps to make the holiday shopping season more palatable. Have fun.