On Wednesday Amazon released Amazon Mobile for the iPhone. The app does most of what you would expect it to do. You can search for items, place them in a cart, and buy them using your amazon account. No big surprise there. If the iPhone’s camera was able to focus (like the G1) you would expect the app to allow you to take the picture of a barcode and use the ISBN or UPC to find the product instead of opening up the search box and typing anything in. In fact there have been several iterations of this type of app on the G1 already.
Amazon is taking this idea to the next level with what is called “Amazon Remembers” in the app. Here’s how it works: You take a picture of the product, it gets uploaded to Amazon, and in a couple of minutes, the app has a link to the product based on the image you took. No barcode needed, just the product.
I was skeptical to say the least when I heard about this. The short version of what I found out is: it works! I took a bunch of pictures: some from our bookstore catalog, some book covers (from odd seminary books to Purpose Driven Life), software boxes (Creative Suite, and the Ideas library 4.0 from Youth Specialties), a lamp in my office, and my white Macbook. It found every one, even a very similar looking lamp!
This is going to change the world of retail for brick and mortar retailers. With amazon’s price in people’s pocket, they are going to have to offer something more (like great, personal customer service!) that online retailers like Amazon cannot provide or face what could be serious consequences. At the very least look for stores to follow Fry’s no camera policy very soon!
In my world, it is going to help my overloaded brain. I can’t tell you the number of times I see someone with a book or thingy in their office that I need (ok, usually want) to buy later and then can’t remember by the time I get back to my home or office, not anymore! Good news for Amazon; bad news for my walet.
The app isn’t perfect. There is currently no way to browse by category in this first version of the software, but it is quite easy to see that as a strong possibility in a future update to what looks to be a game-changing software.
This is a great app. I totally use it. Be careful though, a worker at best buy told me I could take pictures of products in the store. I think retailers are starting to catch on to things like this.
chris