As we announced last November, millions of people have downloaded Google Shopper for Android to help them shop on the go. Today, we’re excited to let you know that Google Shopper, our popular Android shopping application, is now available for iPhone as a download in the App Store. Google Shopper turns your iPhone into a shopping assistant, so you can:
Learn more about products and read relevant user reviews
Compare prices at online and local stores
Save and share products for later consideration
Let’s say you’re planning a special meal for Valentine’s Day – but you need a cast-iron skillet to get the recipe just right. With Shopper, finding one is easy enough: just type in “cast iron skillet” or say it using Voice Search. Then, from the results, you can choose a specific product that appeals to you. Alternatively, if you were in the store and wanted to see product reviews, you could also scan the barcode of a particular product.
Once you’ve selected a product result, you can compare prices across web retailers, and even find where you can purchase the item nearby, which is especially useful for those of us who are last-minute shoppers. For some retailers, we also provide inventory information so you can see if a particular store branch has the item in stock, has limited availability, or if the item is out of stock and you should head to a different store.
If you’re not sure about making a purchase or are building out a gift list, you can “star” products for future consideration. You can also share items with friends across your social network to let them know about products you love or great deals you’ve found.
You can download Google Shopper for free in the App Store. Shopper is available for iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 with iOS 4.0+ in English only for the United States and the UK.
We hope you enjoy shopping with Google Shopper!
Posted by Richard Hung, Senior Product Manager, Google Shopper
We first introduced Google Latitude to help you stay in touch with your friends and family by making it easy to share where you are. For the 10 million people actively using Latitude each month, this “where” has been a location on a map. Starting today in Google Maps 5.1 for Android, you can also connect that location to a real place by checking in there using Latitude.
Connecting your location with places You can still use Latitude to automatically update and share your location, but check-ins let you add context to the location—like captions to a photo. For example, I live in San Francisco but often travel around the world. Until today, sharing my location let friends and family know if I was across the globe or in their neighborhood. Now, check-ins let them see the cool restaurant I’m trying in Taipei or join me for a latte at the cafe nearby.
See where your friends are on a map and where they’re checking in.
Not your typical check-ins Because you can use Latitude to automatically detect your location, we’ve added a few twists to checking in to make it really easy:
Notifications: Turn on check-in notifications in Latitude’s settings and get a notification to check in at a nearby place once you arrive. Never forget to check in again.
Automatic check-ins: Choose to automatically check in at specific places you designate, and you’ll be checked in when you’re there. You can talk to friends or finish your bagel without fumbling with your phone.
Check out: Once you leave, Latitude knows to automatically check you out of places so friends aren’t left guessing if you’re still there.
Explore your world one check-in at a time Latitude is built right into Google Maps for Android so check-ins work across Latitude and Maps seamlessly. For example, check in at that new hamburger joint, and you’ll see its Place page with reviews to help you order. When friends check in at a place, you can go straight from their Latitude profile to its Place page to learn about it, fire up Google Maps Navigation (Beta) for turn-by-turn directions to them, and more.
You can also check in at a favorite place to earn special status there; you’ll see if you’ve become a “Regular,” a “VIP” or a “Guru” on its Place page. Keep checking in to hold onto your status or reach the next level.
Latitude check-ins are built right into Google Maps and Place pages.
Of course, we thought carefully about how to make checking in to places quick and easy while giving you control over your privacy. Just like when sharing your location with Latitude, checking in is 100% opt-in, and you can choose to share any check-in with your friends on Latitude, publicly on the web and your Google profile, or just yourself. Learn more about checking in and managing your check-ins with Latitude in the Help Center. Coming later this week, you’ll also be able to see your complete history of check-ins using the optional History tab at google.com/latitude from your computer.
Choose options for individual check-ins or turn on and off notifications in the Latitude settings.
Start checking in by downloading the latest Google Maps from Android Market (on Android 1.6+; tap here if you’re on your phone) and then joining Latitude from the main menu. You can check in everywhere Maps and Latitude are already available. If you’re using the new Latitude app for iPhone, you’ll see your friends’ check-ins, and we’ll update the app soon so you can check in too.
Just the beginning… Checking in from Latitude is just one step in helping you connect the places you go with the people you care about. We believe in letting you use or share your location however you like, and we’re working on making location and check-ins useful in more places—across Google and the web.
Posted by Joe LaPenna, Software Engineer, Google Latitude Team
In this video, I continue my series of Google Android videos and discuss the Twitter application, Twidroid. Twidroid is one of the highest rated Twitter applications on Android Marketplace, which prompted me to try it. I was not disappointed. Twidroid does the basic Twitter functions well. It provides easy access to replies, direct messages, and timelines. New tweets come in via the fantabulous Google Android notification system and allows you to drill down to the appropriate timeline. User functions are there and you can follow, unfollow, show profile, favorite, and send DMs. Twidroid handles pictures fairly well with the integrated camera. Overall, I can see why Twidroid is the top rated Twitter app for Android and I recommend it to G1 owners. Enjoy!
