Shopping with Froogle SMS

Imagine standing in a store, trying to figure out whether to buy something, and having the power of Froogle in your hand. You no longer need to wonder if you are getting a good deal. Simply send SMS messages to Froogle using Google SMS to search the prices of millions of products indexed by Froogle. You can compare prices or simply find products (see Figure 29.9).

Figure 29.9: Find prices on almost anything you can think of through Froogle SMS text messages.

Note 

The results are not ads. These are the same results you get by using Froogle on the Web.

Format your Froogle text messages like this:

• froogle product

• price product

• product prices

Tip 

You can use the shortcut “F” or “f” (for Froogle) to find product prices.

The product in your text message can take many different forms. It can include a product name, such as MP3 player; or a brand name, such as Singer sewing machine. Searching for a book won’t require you to type in the entire title, possibly giving you the wrong results. You can simply type in the 10-digit ISBN of the book, and Froogle lets you comparison shop for the book. Most online booksellers include the ISBN of books they sell. You might first want to find the ISBN at an online store, then perform a comparison search.

You also can use Froogle to query products and prices by typing in the 8- or 12-digit number found beneath and represented by the bar code on the product, known as the UPC (Universal Product Code). Just find the bar code on the product, type the number into a Froogle text message, and find prices across the Internet.

Here are a few examples of Froogle searches using text messages to Google SMS:

• froogle dvd player

• f dvd player

• price dvd player

• dvd player prices

• 0470097120 (the ISBN of this book)

• price 0470097120

• 018208252145 (UPC code for a pastry blender)

• f 018208252145

• price 018208252145

Your search may result in multiple “pages” requiring you to view several text messages. Remember that Froogle returns only the top three results using Google SMS.