Android Scan: shopping nirvana for books, DVDs and CDs

I'm surprised that brick and mortar bookstores still allow me to step foot in their establishments. When I'm not buying eBooks, I'm usually hitting up stores to look for books. After finding one I want, it's not uncommon for me to whip out my iPhone and see how much the book is on Amazon. Depending on the deal, it's a 50-50 shot that I purchase the book from the store I'm in: half the time I walk up to the register, the other half, I complete the order process at Amazon. Yup... the Borders and Barnes & Noble folks just LOVE me. ;)

Now what if you took my approach by leveraging a web-enabled smartphone, the Google Android OS and Android Scan, an open source app written by Jeffrey Sharkey? Well to get the full effect, you have to hit this video demo. I did and I could swear that Jeffrey wrote the app just for me.

The software allows you to snap the picture of a barcode for a book, CD or DVD using your Android-run phone. Using the data connection on the phone, the well-designed software then provides information on the title as well as detailed reviews from Amazon. It also provides search results for pricing at both online and traditional retailers, with local stores highlighted for you. There are links to those retailers websites or you can tap to initiate a call to your local shop and verify stock. There's even more, but my description can't match the video, so I highly recommend it.

Android Scan was chosen Google as one of the top 50 Android apps, so hats off to Jeffrey for showing us what he and this forthcoming OS can do!

(via SvenOnTech)

Comments

[Oliver]

Not meant as personal criticism or anything, but I am sure you realize that Android Scan in the case of book stores is just killing itself: Borders isn't exactly doing well (they put themselves up for sale) and a lot of independent booksellers at least here in CA have in recent years gone out of business. And if more people followed your approach, they'll soon find no more Borders to go to (to look for books before buying them elsewhere).

Yes, I buy from Amazon, too. :)

[TateJ]

Cool ,James.

[Mike Cane]

Didn't I see a demo of this for the iPhone in the past few months? Back then, it wasn't something I was impressed by. Now that the economy is in the toilet, I've reconsidered!

[John Hancock]

A few yeas ago I was looking for the 3 volume hard cover "The Complete History of Middle Earth" and could not find it anywhere in Australia. One of the local bookstores pointed me to abebooks.com (bad mistake on their part - I have not been back since) and ever since I have only ever purchased books from there.

Abebooks seems to be a clearing house for a plethora of independent booksellers around the world. They sort on price and often the books are ex library or on one occasion a "Not For Sale" review copy. Mostly I select New or good condition books and I have never found the description far from the description. They have both new and second hand.

And my hard cover series .... I got it new in wrapper for $30 less each than the local price (if they were available) including freight and one cover was slightly bent on the corner from the shipping.