Frucall, mobile shopping comparison search

Frucall, mobile shopping comparison search

Frucall, a Cupertino, Calif. company is offering a convenient way to check prices for all kinds of products from your cell phone while you’re shopping.

Today, in addition to letting you search prices with voice — by calling 1-888-Dofrucall — it also launches price search via your mobile WAP browser and texting (SMS).

We tried it out at Starbucks the other day, and it worked great. We found an Italian espresso machine on the shelf, typed in… Continue Reading

Buzzillions, offering “power reviews”

Buzzillions, offering “power reviews”

Have you ever searched for product reviews online at and come away unsatisfied?

We have. Sometimes we can’t find reviews for a niche product. At Amazon for books, or at Yelp for restaurants, we often get that sneaky feeling a reviewer is biased (written by a friend of the author, or owner). And for cameras or computers at CNET or Yahoo, we’re not sure whether the revenue is targeted to an expert, or beginner. We’re dependent… Continue Reading

The courtesan sisters of comparison search, and Thefind

The courtesan sisters of comparison search, and Thefind

Updated

If you’re searching to buy a product online, there’s no single “branded” engine that stands out — and for a reason. All of the major shopping engines sites have sold out to advertisers.

This may represent a grand opportunity: If a Google-like search engine emerges in shopping, perceived to be without bias, it could be hugely popular. It could “become the ubiquitous brand,” said Dan Ciporin, the former CEO of Shopping.com, calling this a “missed… Continue Reading

Wize.com, the search engine that ranks products

Wize.com, the search engine that ranks products

Wize.com, a San Mateo start-up, has launched yet another search engine for consumer electronics and other goods.

Wize’s promise hangs on a single, skinny thread: Its “Wize Rank” concept. Wize Rank is a numeric ranking of products (from zero to 100). Each product is rated according to how well users and reviewers judge it, along with the buzz it’s getting. It is a cute play on Google’s concept of “Page Rank.” The exact “Wize Rank” formula… Continue Reading