The top Android sites around the web banded together to create the Android Network Awards. I am pleased to announce ShopSavvy was the winner in the shopping category. Rock! Thanks to all of you who voted for us, we certainly appreciate your support!
Lots of ShopSavvy users twitter their savings (just search Twitter for ShopSavvy). Here are just a few people that do:
[this post has been updated] We have been hearing reports from Vodafone users that ShopSavvy isn’t working over 3G. Strangely we have just as many reports that it IS working on Vodafone 3G. We originally thought it had to do with a proxy that Vodafone was using and we are close to confirming this.
Vodafone has three levels of internet service for their mobile phones (at least for the Android phones). The second tier is called “Vodafone Live! InternetFlat” which costs 4.95 Euros for 3 months, 9.95 Euros from then on (the REAL internet plan is 9.95 Euros for 3 months, 19.95 Euros from then on). It appears that with “Vodafone Live! InternetFlat” you can only visit WAPenabled web pages (of course we are still researching this). This means that since ShopSavvy (and many other applications) is NOT a WAP site it won’t work. We are working on a work around, but for now, if you have “Vodafone Live! InternetFlat” you will just have to use ShopSavvy on WiFi. If we figure out it is something else we will tell you as well.
The new Android phone from Samsung, the i7500, has been out in the wild for a few weeks (evidently secretly). How do I know? I have been getting emails from users complaining that our barcode scanner doesn’t work on the phone. Evidently the inclusion of the LED flash interferes with our focus process preventing ShopSavvy from scanning barcodes with the device. Good news, we will be able to release a new version that fixes the problem. Bad news, we won’t be able to release a new version until AFTER we have an actual i7500 in our hands to test with. Our contacts at Samsung have been strangely silent these past few weeks (I suspect due to the impending launch of the device).
Reports are surfacing that the general public (on O2) will be able to purchase the phone next week. I assume Samsung will be sending us a device soon thereafter so check for updates. In the meantime, i7500 users can always use the manual entry or title search feature on the phone. BTW – the phone looks awesome. Great work Samsung!
Last night I was surprised to hear that Jimmy Fallon from Late Night demonstrated ShopSavvy. Turns out he scanned a book. Rock! The emails have been relentless:
The video is below, check the 12:20 minute mark on last night’s episode: http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/episodes/#vid=1144256
With the pending launch of ShopSavvy on the iPhone we have learned a great deal about Apple’s policies related to the app store. I think I am beginning to understand their difficulty. It was just a year ago that Apple launched the iPhone App Store (July 2008) and since then more than 65,000 applications have been published. Ever wonder how many have been submitted and rejected? iPhone App Store workers have accepted more than 250 applications per day since the store’s inception a year ago. How many man hours does it take to review an application? When we review an application it can take at least 5 man hours assuming nothing is out of the ordinary. Let’s say that Apple can do it twice as fast – 2.5 man hours per application. Apple would need 104 people just to review the applications that are accepted. Assuming they reject a fair number of applications it isn’t inconcievable that they would need 125 people on staff. Let me tell you, getting 125 people to do anything is difficult. So Apple, I feel your pain. In light of the popularity of your platform I think you have done an admirable job. On the other hand I think there is room for improvement. Biggest areas?
Slash Lane has an interesting article suggesting that Phil Schiller from Apple decided to talk about a specific application that was rejected and later accepted called Ninjawords. His response? It doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that Apple is breaking their own rules. They should either engage in explainations with all developers who have been sanctioned, rejected or removed or not. They shouldn’t comment on some and not comment on others. Why? It drives everyone nuts. There are likely a hundred developers who read Schiller’s explination and now want to ask about their own application. Anyway, Apple is in an almost impossible position.
FYI – Apple, please approve our application. 
Include the top five online retailers in order on the blog in the comments section. I think you might be surprised to see one particular retailer.
This week has been a busy one (and it is only Tuesday) here at the Big in Japan offices. Last night we held our monthly startup happy hour AND the Mobile Monday developer event.
This afternoon the State Department brought a group of bloggers from Azerbaijan by for a little cultural exchange.
Amazon’s barcode scanning application is proof positive that Amazon doesn’t want consumers to be able to compare their prices with other local and online retailers. Last year Amazon invited me to Seattle to demonstrate our barcode scanning, price comparison application – ShopSavvy. The conference room was completely full. They loved the application and at one point one of the executives in the room asked, “Would you be interested in selling?” I immediately responded, “Yes.”
Over the next hour the balance of the room began debating whether or not ShopSavvy would be a good fit. Their concern? The fact that prices from other retailers were in the application. They asked if we could restrict prices from competitors. I laughed thinking they were joking, “Um, this is a price COMPARISON application.” I questioned the value of ShopSavvy if it ONLY displayed Amazon prices. The value of ShopSavvy, I explained, was that we could be a neutral provider of prices from all online and local retailers. Paul Graham, head of Amazon’s mobile strategy, gave me a wink and at the time I didn’t know it, but he was planning to prevent ALL mobile applications (including ShopSavvy) from accessing Amazon’s prices.
For 10 years Amazon has shared their prices using their wildly successful Associates program with thousands of websites, but for some reason Amazon is scared to death that mobile users armed applications like ShopSavvy will realize their diry little secret. What secret you ask? That their prices aren’t competitive. How do I know? Our users scan between 600,000 and 1,000,000 items each day – 94% of the time Amazon’s prices are higher than other online retailers. 80% of the time they aren’t even in the top three. 30% of the time local retailers (i.e. brick and mortar stores) have better prices. Ouch. Who knew?
94% of the time Amazon’s prices are higher!
Amazon is an amazing retailer. Their value? They have almost every item people scan. That is something no other retailer, with the exception of Walmart, can boast. So if you are looking for a book or DVD and you are sitting at your computer you are likely to go to Amazon first – Amazon depends on this. They don’t depend on being the price leader. Users armed with applications like ShopSavvy are more likely to discover prices before retailers – this is what Amazon doesn’t want you to see.
In any event, I am baised, but I really do believe their app sucks. Here are just a few things that bother me:
To conclude, I think the application will be successful – because Amazon is a beast. I don’t think the application competes with ShopSavvy – hopefully you agree. Love your thoughts on this…
