Mobile Phones: The Amazon Dilemma Solved
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Paul_Chandler]Paul Chandler When you’re browsing in a bookshop, do you ever wonder: “Is it cheaper on Amazon? Does Amazon have that edition in stock?” This is the Amazon Dilemma The past year has seen a new breed of websites that have arrived to help consumers address this problem and find the best price and availability, whilst on the move, for the price of a text or phonecall. The first is a US site, [http://www.ringfo.com/]www.ringfo.com, which allows mobile phone owners to call a dedicated phone number and enter, via the phone’s keypad, a code found on the bar code of the book (International Standard Book Number or ISBN). A computer-generated voice then reads the current price and customer reviews at amazon.com. British site [http://www.smsprice.co.uk/]www.SMSprice.co.uk relies on SMS text messages to communicate with consumers, this time the ISBN code is sent by SMS and a reply is sent straight back containing the price and availability, from Amazons UK site. Finally Australians are catered for by Buymate, which will return prices from a number of Australian stores. These are examples of how access to Internet information on-the-move helps the consumer make an informed choice in-store. The reason these work as on-the-go services is that the timeliness of the information is key. The consumer needs to know the on-line price and availability while they are still shopping; waiting until they next access a computer is too late if the in-store offer proves the better deal. . It is interesting to note that these sites do not use WAP or 3G Internet technologies but make use of technologies that larger sections of the population are familiar with, text messaging, or in the US where text messaging is not so prevalent, touch tone phones. Both allow a simple interface and the number can be stored in the phone’s phonebook for easy retrieval. These services have been made possible by Amazons open approach to their data. In July 2002 Amazon made their data available to independent developers, allowing them to query the Amazon database from their websites and applications. This is a classic win win situation: independent websites can integrate extra content to their sites; meanwhile Amazons army of developers (over 140,000 according to their website) create new ways to present Amazons data, ultimately drawing more people to the products. All this means that consumers have access to innovative new services, like Ringfo and SMSprice, designed to help them save money. About The Author Paul Chandler is owner of http://www.SMSprice.co.uk a site using SMS text messaging to provide you with instant real-time Amazon prices wherever you are. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Chandler http://EzineArticles.com/?Mobile-Phones:-The-Amazon-Dilemma-Solved&id=163851 generic for ultram tramadol online without ultram no prescription ultram without prescription
