• Android (Tattoo, Lancaster – i.e. non-AF cameras) – April 2010
• iPhone (2G/3G – i.e. non-AF cameras) – March 2010
• Windows Mobile – May 2010
• Blackberry – May 2010
• PalmOS – June 2010

Based on our current workload and staff these dates seem reasonable. Of course, our iPhone version took us almost three months longer than we expected (and we still don’t have the 2G/3G working well).  We get LOTS of emails each day, hopefully this update will help.

Alex,

I was in Haiti a couple of weeks ago rescuing people after the earthquake when I was looking for a way to make the donation money that was tricking in go further to buy more shovels and water for the rescue efforts.  I pulled out my iphone and used ShopSavvy to find a great deal at the local Target on rope and a torch blower.  It helpd us save 4 peoples lives.

Chad

Of course I am confident Chad would have been able to save those four lives without ShopSavvy, we appreciate the story.

I think we are now on our 3.6 version of ShopSavvy for Android and it seems as though about 1% of users have the ‘force close’ issue.  For most a simple uninstall, reinstall and reboot solves everything.  For some of you this doesn’t work. Again, we have never been able to repeat this force close issue (and we have a LOT of Android phones).  If you can go to the Android market and download the Log Collector App and then run ShopSavvy the app will collect the crash report.  Get ShopSavvy to crash a couple of times and then open the Log Collector App and email the results to support@biggu.com.

In both cases users that send us a crash report with a ShopSavvy issue will get a ShopSavvy t-shirt and associated schwag.  Just send us your address and shirt size.

Are you an entrepreneur? Do you work for a startup or small business?  Looking for a job?  Looking for a partner?  Looking for angel investment?  Come on by for a drink and some fellowship with like-minded folks from North Texas.  The event is in the INFOMART (1950 Stemmons Freeway) at the corner of Oak Lawn and I-35.  We get started around 5PM, hope to see you there.  Just RSVP here.

(2G/3G users will have to wait a few weeks for the same speed 3GS users are experiencing)

• product reviews
• product videos
• wishlists
• price alerts
• side-by-side product comparison
• product news
• maps and store contact details

This rich experience isn’t possible on the small screen size found on the iPhone and Android smartphones – but fits easily on Apple’s new iPad.  While the iPad doesn’t come with a built-in camera, it does have a slot that can be used for an aftermarket web camera that ShopSavvy can exploit for scanning barcodes.  While running ShopSavvy the iPad treats the user’s iPhone or Android device as a barcode scanning peripheral.  Fire up ShopSavvy on your iPhone (or any smartphone running ShopSavvy), scan a barcode and the results show up on your iPad.  Users can now use ShopSavvy as a tool for compiling lists of products including: groceries – i.e. to build a grocery list, books – i.e. to build an index of books, dvds – i.e. to build an index of your dvds and so on.

Here is the full release:

Big in Japan, a Dallas-based idea factory for mobile applications, announced today that it will release a native version of ShopSavvy for the Apple iPad. The iPad version of ShopSavvy will retain all the features the application’s millions of users have grown to love, while incorporating new functionality to enhance the shopping experience.

ShopSavvy is a barcode-scanning mobile application that enables users to comparison shop on the go.

After downloading ShopSavvy for iPad, we anticipate that many cost-conscious consumers will carry the tablet with them as a constant shopping companion

“The iPad enables ShopSavvy to really spread its wings as an application for users who want the power, ease of use and size of this touchscreen tablet,” said Alexander Muse, co-founder of Big in Japan. “After downloading ShopSavvy for iPad, we anticipate that many cost-conscious consumers will carry the tablet with them as a constant shopping companion.”

ShopSavvy for iPad will extend the application’s price-comparison focus with new capabilities, including video product reviews, side-by-side comparisons of scanned products, in-depth product information and other features, the company said.

Big in Japan also said that it has added the iPad as a prize option (in addition to the Google Nexus One) in the recently announced ShopSavvy video testimonial contest.

Ranking as one of the most popular apps on Android phones since its launch in September 2008, ShopSavvy became available on the iPhone in November 2009. More than 1 million ShopSavvy users scanned more than 18 million products on Black Friday weekend alone, Nov. 27-29, 2009.

ShopSavvy enables users to comparison shop on the go for more than 20 million products at more than 20,000 retailers worldwide, simply by scanning the product’s barcode using the phone’s built-in camera. Using the barcode information, ShopSavvy searches the Web for the best prices on the product, displaying the lowest prices online as well as at nearby brick-and-mortar retailers. ShopSavvy looks up product reviews to further assist with purchase decisions.

Mobile users may download ShopSavvy at one of the following links:

ShopSavvy for iPhone: bit.ly/shopsavvyiphone
ShopSavvy for Android: bit.ly/shopsavvyandroid

• record a short video telling your story (2 minute max)
• make sure you show your phone running ShopSavvy at some point
• you need to be in the video (no actors)
• give us the details (your location, the store, the product, the savings)
• include your name, address and shirt size in your email)
• email to sales@biggu.com

We will select the winner from the first 100 entries (the 101st and greater entries won’t be eligible for the Nexus, but will get the schwag as supplies last).  For sending us your ShopSavvy story on video we will send you a bag of ShopSavvy schwag (i.e. t-shirt, stickers and other stuff).

• Applicants who have sales experience and a college degree are preferred.
• Effective communication and persuasion skills are important.
• Compensation is primarily performance-based with a base salary.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics: Including commissions, median annual wages for all advertising sales agents were $43,480 per year in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $30,750 and $64,320 a year. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $22,620, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $93,600 a year.  Depending on education and experience you can expect to earn between the median and top 10%.