14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has posted the third iPhone ad this week, ‘Shopper.’ The spot further shows off the various capabilities of the device, thanks to the immense collection of third-party software available in the iTunes App Store, as well as via built-in apps like the Safari web browser, and the phone’s messaging capabilities.
Although the latest iPhone ad should strike more chords among female users, Apple chose a male voice actor for the job. The ad starts out with the iPhone user saying, “I know an espresso maker isn’t the most romantic gift, but my wife really wanted one.” So, he proceeds to browse the web to check out different machine varieties, then sends an MMS to his wife’s sister to consult her on colors, and finally fires up RedLaser, a barcode scanning app, to find the best price for one. The software even includes directions to the place where one can purchase the product they’ve scanned.“I’m much smarter, and faster shopper with my iPhone,” the user concludes.
RedLaser is described by its developer (Occipital) as an “impossibly accurate barcode scanning.” It enables users to shop smarter by searching for low online and local prices from hundreds of thousands of retailers. Thanks to a recent software update, RedLaser now features TheFind Product Search as well as Google Product Search in the US, and the UK.
RedLaser allegedly uses the latest technology in barcode recognition enabling the iPhone to read virtually any product barcode. No requirements are mentioned as far as device models are concerned. Occipital lists the following key features for its app:
- Scans UPC, EAN, UPC-E and EAN-8 (NEW) barcodes! - (US, UK) Searches for prices with TheFind Product Search as well as Google Product Search. - Local search powered by TheFind. - Email a list of products. - Send barcodes as email attachment ― Great for inventory! - Search ANY website using a custom URL (How-To at redlaser.com/apps). - Automatic search localization for USD, EUR, and GBP. - Local search now locates books in nearby libraries.
Softpedia also covered two other recent iPhone ads, “Commute” and “Concert,” in a report dated April 7th, 2010. Check them out here. To watch all the iPhone ads, visit Apple here.