The Good
- Easy-to-use interface
- Robust product listings with user reviews
- Awesome picture feature that identifies products
The Bad
- Barcode scanner only works with auto-focus camera
Amazon.com is the king of online shopping sites, so how does Amazon Mobile (Free) stack up against other iPhone shopping apps? With a number of neat features, the Amazon Mobile app makes it easy to shop for pretty much anything -- right from your iPhone or iPod touch.
Amazon.com, only smaller
To say that I shop at Amazon.com a lot is a huge understatement. At any given time, my Amazon.com wish list contains dozens of items. Fortunately, the Amazon Mobile app syncs up perfectly with Amazon.com, so your cart and wish list are transferred automatically. You can buy items or track the status of an existing order right from the app.
The search tab is easy to use, and it has a feature that guesses what you’re looking for. The product pages contain nearly all the features you would find on Amazon.com, including user reviews. There’s a section called Gold Box that lists the latest deals and discounts. It is usually a pretty random assortment of items, but the Lightning Deals are fun to browse. These deals are only available for a limited time (usually about five hours) and there are only so much inventory available, so you have to pounce on the deals quickly!
Amazon Remembers
Amazon recently launched a new feature in the mobile app called Amazon Remembers. Simply take a picture of something you want with your iPhone’s camera and the picture will be posted on your Amazon.com account. If the picture matches a product that Amazon sells, the photo will include a link to buy it online. I was skeptical about this feature, but it works remarkably well. I took pictures of several items and the Amazon Mobile app found a product match for each item within seconds. It works best if you put the item flat on a table.
I took a picture of a bottle of hand soap and not only did Amazon Mobile identify the right brand, it also correctly identified the scent. That’s pretty cool! This is a great feature if you’re shopping at a store and want to quickly check the price on Amazon.com. Unlike other iPhone shopping apps like GoodGuide, Amazon Mobile’s barcode scanner is only available for iPhones with an auto-focusing camera (currently only the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4). Normally that would be a huge downside for first-gen or 3G users, but the Amazon Remembers feature more than makes up for the lack of a scanner.
The Bottom Line
If you like to shop online, the Amazon Mobile app is a must. It has all the features you would want in an iPhone shopping app, including user reviews and in-app purchases. What really sets it apart, however, is the Amazon Remembers feature. It allows you to quickly check the price of an item on Amazon.com, which will come in very handy during the upcoming holiday shopping season. Overall rating: 5 stars out of 5.
What You’ll Need
The Amazon Mobile App is compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It requires iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later.
