Useful Mobile Apps

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Getting the best bang for your buck is a sought after skill and isn't for those who aren't willing to put in the extra effort, well that was until now. The work that goes into finding a product and comparing it in different stores and over the Internet has always been a time consuming ritual, but the latest technology has brought about several smart shopping apps to assist those looking for the best deals with little effort necessary. Let's take a look at some of the best and most reliable mobile apps available for deal checking and finding the best deals out there.

RedLaser

This quick and accurate barcode scanner is unique by standing independent of any particular retailer or price aggregator. RedLaser provides a free service, allowing users to search a variety of online sources for the best prices which combined with its incredible scanning ability makes for a hugely successful app on any iPhone 4 or newer device.

This app also offers keyword search and voice search functionality to find the best deal around when you don't have the barcode of a product right in front of you to scan. This is a great feature for those who want to price check on the spot. Another feature worth mentioning is the ability to send product information as an email attachment after scanning a product, providing an excellent way to keep track of your inventory and price points.

ShopSavvy

An alternative to RedLaser, this powerful price comparison engine is a good second option for in-store deals and generally is able to find a lower price than its competitor. No barcode? No problem. You can simply search by title or keywords instead.

In some cases, in an effort to find the lowest price online, you have to search long and far. This app searches across more merchants in North America and Europe than any other app available. You also have the ability to fix anything you see as incorrect in their system. For example, if you're physically at a store and you scan the price and it comes up with a different number than what you see in front of you, you can edit to ShopSavvy and submit for review.

FoodScanner

For anyone looking to keep track of what they're eating or to change their eating habits, this is the app for you. With a database of 200,000 foods, this is hands down the best app for tracking your caloric intake.
The FoodScanner app is equipped with good scanning technology, a useful calorie-counting concept and an interface that's sufficiently streamlined to make the awful process of keeping a food diary actually tolerable. It's the quickest and easiest way to find foods and track the number of calories you consume throughout the day. You also have the option of syncing the app with a DailyBurn account for advanced macronutrient breakdowns, nutrition history, calorie goals and more.

Shopper

Shopper organizes shopping lists, suggests recipe ideas and helps save with grocery coupons and store flyers. This is a one stop shop for anyone who is on a budget and likes to stay organized. Key features of this app include simple and quick list making and syncing with friends and family, compiling coupons, store flyers and daily deals from top brands and retailers, budgeting solutions and tax calculations for multiple rates/countries. You can also use the scanner to quickly scan any item in your pantry and add it to your list or look for the best deal in a store nearby.

Imagine the time you could save by scanning a single barcode with your mobile device and it generating all of the information that it would have taken you at least a half an hour to do manually. Not only is using a barcode scanning app a time saver, but these apps help to find you the very best deals, leaving more money in your wallet and one less thing in life to stress out about.

Patricia Goldbum is a technology professional who loves to try the latest gadgets on the market, constantly trying out new apps. She recently purchased hanging sign solutions to improve visibility at her business, helping with productivity and organization.