WIZTEC Inc.: 2010

ShopSavvy is one of the most polished shopping apps I came across, and it's
available for both iOS and Android. Scan any bar code and find online stores
and nearby retailers selling any particular product, along with competing prices
from all locations. ShopSavvy can calculate the location of the nearest retailers
carrying a desired item and provide maps and directions. It can also tell you
whether or not the product is actually in stock at a given location. Additionally,
there's a Deals feature that offers up shipping promos, coupon codes, rebates,
and weekend sales.

Barcode Hero is an iOS app that lets you use the camera of the iPhone or iPod Touch

to scan the bar codes of products that you see on store shelves. It then provides

instant recommendations, product details, and price comparisons from a variety of

online and brick-and-mortar retailers.In addition to the scanning functionality,

you can browse and search for products by category, share items with friends

or family to get real-time feedback, and share wish lists. You can also save

items as a reminder to purchase at a later time.

If you want to take the stress out of shopping for the handymen (or -women)

in your life, Aisle411 is a great place to start. This feature-packed and

easy-to-use app is designed to help you navigate large retail locations,

such as Home Depot and Lowe's.The app has many functions, but what stands

out are its list and location features.

TheFind's Beat This Price app for iOS lets you search for a particular item at a given

price and then populates a list of competing prices from other vendors. It also uses

LBS to help you find the nearest retailer selling the product.

Wednesday 24 November 2010

iPad Killers

10 iPad competitors to watch...

iPad launch

The Apple iPad has re-energized the market for tablet computers but it has gone nearly all

of 2010 without a serious challenger. That will soon change. Here are 10 upstarts taking

aim at the iPad.

Samsung Galaxy Tab

Based on a similar design to the Samsung Galaxy S smartphones, this 7-inch Android

2.2 tablet is loaded with strong specs and will be available on multiple carriers.

It will likely be the iPad's most serious competitor to arrive before the end of 2010.

Cisco Cius

Primarily an enterprise communications and collaboration device, the Cisco Cius

is an 7-inch Android tablet with a heavy layer of Cisco customization on top.

Consumers won’t be interested, but existing Cisco customers who want a corporate

-controlled tablet might be.

BlackBerry PlayBook

Aimed at stopping the iPad’s momentum with executives and business professionals,

the 7-inch BlackBerry tablet will be built on its own QNX operating system and is flush

with power with a 1 GHz dual core CPU and 1 GB of RAM. However, battery life may

be an issue and it won’t arrive until 2011.

Toshiba Libretto

One of the more innovative tablet competitors is the Libretto with its dual

7-inch multi-touch screens. One screen can be used entirely as a virtual

keyboard while you work on the other. It runs Windows 7 acts a little more

like a netbook than a tablet but it’s an interesting concept.

ASUS Eee Pad

Now one of the world’s top five computer makers and one of the leaders in design, ASUS has talked

throughout the year about launching various iPad competitors (branded “Eee Pad”) from 9-inch to

12-inch models, running Windows 7, Windows Embedded Compact, or Android. ASUS has promised a tablet will be coming in the first quarter of 2011.

Lenovo U1 Hybrid

One of the big hits of CES 2010, the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid is a convertible tablet with a multi-touch

screen that detaches from a hardware keyboard. The main system runs Windows 7 but the detachable

11.6-inch screen turns into a standalone tablet running Linux. It has been delayed until 2011,

but Lenovo says the standalone tablet will be released separately as the Lenovo LePad in December.

Archos 10

Archos is a PDA and tablet company that has been trying to break into this market for a

couple years with several different form factors and operating systems. The company could

have a moderate success with its 10-inch tablet running Android 2.2

Viewsonic ViewPad 100

This 10-inch tablet dual boots Windows 7 and Android 1.6. It has an LED display, 1 GB of RAM,

a 1.66 GHz CPU, and a 16 GB onboard SSD drive.

Toshiba Folio 100

This 10-inch tablet runs on the Nvidia Tegra processor and Android 2.2. Unlike the

Toshiba Libretto, this is a standard slate form factor. It’s a vanilla tablet that Toshiba

will try to price as low as possible.

Acer's big guns: 10", 7" and dual-screen tablets

Acer's 10-inch Windows 7 tablet, coming February 2011, will run on a next-gen AMD processor.

Wi-Fi and 3G will both be available, and twin front and rear-facing 1.3-megapixel cameras will

take care of any chat/snapshot needs.

The Windows Tablet comes with its own docking keyboard, transforming it into a mini-workstation.

Another view of the Tablet in the docking configuration

In addition to a Windows model, Acer will also be offering Android tablet models,

like the one shown here.

The Android tablets will debut later--April 2011--and will run off

Nvidia's Tegra 2 dual-core processors.

Both Windows and Android tablets will be compatible with Acer's also-announced
Clear-Fi network, which will share content wirelessly in a home environment.