Consumer Reports' Mobile Shopper a mixed bag

This is the second foray into iPhone territory by Consumer Reports. The first app pretty much duplicated the currently-available online content, and was free. This second app, called Consumer Reports Mobile Shopper is US $9.99, and puts the impeccable brand and product reviews in a more iOS-specific form.
The app allows you to browse through CR ratings of thousands of products, and allows searches by brand name or model. You can also scan the UPC bar-code using the iPhone's camera. The app also gives you best prices both online and locally using PriceGrabber for online price comparisons and Milo for local purchases.
It all sounds great in theory, but there are some rough edges. I thought the scanning worked well enough, and it's a fast way to get to the product you're interested in. Typing product names is easy enough too. Of course you won't find details on everything, since you're always limited to what they've reviewed. In some cases there are big holes -- if you go to the car category, all you get are tires, batteries, and GPS units. Huh? Aren't cars one area where CR has a tremendous amount of information?
Gallery: Consumer Reports Mobile ShopperContinue reading Consumer Reports' Mobile Shopper a mixed bagConsumer Reports' Mobile Shopper a mixed bag originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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