Mobile shopping price comparison service Pongr aims for entire mobile market
Pongr is a mobile service that allows shoppers to check the prices on items while in the store. Users can manually enter a product barcode or name, and in some cases just take a picture of the product. Pongr then returns a list of the best prices for that item, both online and in nearby stores. Pongr then allows you to buy the item from your phone, or from the MyPongr on-line portal.
What we think?
The smartest choice Pongr has made is about where and how it works. Quite simply, Pongr should work for anyone, anywhere. It allows you to send them product barcodes via SMS and mobile email, as well as through apps that can be downloaded onto the most popular smartphones. Now, this does mean that actually checking products on Pongr can be a bit laborious, as in most cases you have to manually enter the entire product barcode. However, that slight awkwardness is more than made up for by the fact that ANY mobile device can use Pongr, even non-WAP or Java enabled phones (do those even exist anymore?). There are services out there already performing this service, but most of them require camera-phone toting smartphones with a web connection.
The main complaint about Pongr is that a lot of the time it simply doesn’t work. Searches return no responses, or images scanned in return the wrong item. But it should be born in mind that this is still a Beta service. The problems mostly seems to be cataloging issues, and as the size of the Pongr database expands this won’t be an issue anymore. It’s a very useable service, so I really hope it survives beyond the stilted Beta stages.
I wonder if Pongr is aware of the following NeoMedia patent?
http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT6651053
Patent #6,651,053 — Interactive system for investigating products on a network
An interactive search system for use with a global computer network, e.g., the Internet, using a search identifying barcode to rapidly and effectively obtain a supply of related information for presentation to a user. A computer, either landline based or mobile, may be used to input a UPC code, taken from a package or advertisement or prestored in the computer, to an implementing server on the network. The server contains a database of product and manufacturer identifying UPC codes and uses the input UPC code and the database to identify the manufacturer and is programmed to then perform a search of the network to locate sites relating to or operated by the manufacturer. Also, the server may search the network on a product basis to locate other sites containing the UPC under search. Using “parsing” technology, the server “pulls out” the product description, transmits it to and places it in a random access memory (RAM) or storage of the computer, and proceeds to perform further searching relying on the product description to uncover relevant information. Accordingly, using a single input, a collection of product-related and manufacturer information is quickly assembled in the computer available for a user’s consideration all at once at any time.