During this holiday shopping season, all of us are looking for the best possible deal. To find it, we'll spend hours looking through Internet Web sites, advertisements in the paper and even drive from store to store to get the best price.

Well, there is a new piece of software designed just to help you find that best price in seconds.

Here is how it works. Find an item that you like and are considering purchasing. Next, find the bar code and scan it using the camera on your phone. The Shop Savvy software translates the barcode to determine what the item is and then scans the Internet to find the best price for that item. Pretty amazing!

This software has combined cell technology with bar code scanning and then added in a healthy dose of comparison Web site surfing ... all done for you instantly while you continue shopping.

Shop Savvy comes standard on the Google phone. I looked for a similar product for the iPhone, but could not find it. I am sure that an iPhone version will soon be available if it isn't already.

The database of barcodes is still being updated, so sometimes you may get an incorrect answer as Shop Savvy may have made a mistake when interpreting the bar code.

We are clearly looking at one very good example of the innovation that is coming as a result of the smart phone. It is impressive that even how we will interact with retailers to purchase our next game or lamp is going to change.

Software applications for the Google Phone and iPhone are expanding at an incredible pace with games, checkbooks, mapping and camera applications to name a few. Many are free and some have a price tag, with the cost generally $0.99.

These applications are so popular that some investment companies are setting up funds that only invest in this type of software application.

So the next time you are looking for a new phone, don't think of it as just a phone but instead a tool to communicate. The possibilities are almost endless.

Larry Fiorino, the founder and chief executive of G.1440, a Baltimore-based e-solutions firm, writes every week for The Daily Record. He can be reached at 410-843-3800 or at his company's Web site, www.G1440.com.

Originally published by Larry Fiorino.

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