The iPhone Mom

For some reason Shopping Buddy Talking Shopping List reminded me of a Sesame Street cartoon that I aired when I watched Sesame Street as a child. A little boy’s mother sent him to the store with his list – a loaf of bread, carton of milk and a stick of butter. The little boy (or was it a girl?) repeats the list over and over to himself, picturing the items in his head, trying to remember it all. A loaf of bread, carton of milk and a stick of butter. Shopping Buddy is billed  as the “grocery list app that talks” and as I was listening to the app play my voice reading my grocery list I thought of that cartoon from so long ago. A random thought for a Wednesday evening.

When you start using Shopping Buddy you’ll need to begin from scratch, enter in your store names and their aisles. None of the aisles are preset so you’ll need to type them in. On the plus side you can put in just the aisles you want. On the negative side, it’s going to take a little bit of time. When you’re done you’re ready to enter in your shopping items. When you first created your store the app should have asked you if you wanted to fill it with standard items or create an empty store. If you chose standard items you’ll automatically be given a list of basic store items. If you went with the empty store you’ll need to enter in all of your products. It’s a matter of typing in your items and assigning them to an aisle. Here’s where the “talking” part comes into play. As you are adding items you can record yourself saying the name of the item. My son thought this was a hoot and helped me get a few things onto my store list. Once items are in the store you can tap on them and add them to your list. Then it’s time to shop. You tap the word “Shop” at the bottom of the screen and an image of a robot appears.  Tap the screen and you’ll hear the name of the aisle and the things from your list that are found on that aisle. A loaf of bread, carton of milk and a stick of butter. Double tap the screen to hear the item again then swipe the screen to move on to the next aisle.

The basic version of Shopping Buddy is free and has the features that I’ve mentioned above. If you upgrade to Shopping Buddy Pro for $1.99 you’ll be able to  enter in lists for more than one store, create a quick list that doesn’t talk and make notes about the different items.

The concept behind Shopping Buddy is a good one, it gives you a grocery list app that doesn’t require you to do a lot of tapping while you’re shopping. I’m sure there are many people who would benefit from an app that talks to them and reminds them what they’re looking for as they wander the aisles. The talking feature could come in handy and I know my kids would enjoy using this list but unfortunately this isn’t the grocery app for me. To be honest, I don’t think I’d be able to hear the list over my children asking me over and over for this and that while we shopped. I also need an app with a few more features, one that lets me rearrange store aisles, mark coupons and enter in the prices of items as I shop. That being said I think “the perfect grocery list app” means different things to everyone and maybe this one is for you. It never hurts to try out a free app.

Price when Reviewed: FREE for basic version and $1.99 for upgrade to Shopping Buddy Pro

Seller: The Mental Faculty

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this app for review purposes.

Keith, the developer of GroceryList-The Fastest Way to Make Your Grocery List, has donated four promo codes for a giveaway. If you’d like to try out his recently updated app please leave me a comment. You can also read what he has to say about the updates here. I’ll randomly select four winners at the end of Friday, 4/30.

*Promo codes only work in the US App Store.

The app GroceryList has undergone an update and the developer has implemented some changes that make the app easier to use and personalize.

* “More Lists” – you can now create more than one list which means I can have a list for Costco that’s separate from my regular grocery lists. Each list allows you to edit and change the aisle order for the stores. I like this feature because I’m a creature of habit and I shop the store in the same pattern each time. If I vary the pattern, I get off track and am much less efficient. Sad, I know. I also like having my list displayed in the order of the aisles that I visit and now I can in this app.

*Checking things off the list is easier to do now, it’s just a simple tap and the items is removed from the list and put into the shopping cart. It’s a much simpler process.

You can read about what I liked in GroceryList here. Several of the things I didn’t like have now been updated which is great news!

Price when Reviewed: $4.99

Seller: Helium Foot Software

I originally tried out the Point Inside app last November. This app provides a “Smart Map” for shopping malls. At the time I first tested it out I thought it was a great concept but it crashed on me constantly, locking up my iPhone. I tried Point Inside out again this week and they’ve made some updates and improvements. Here’s what’s new and improved.

-Landscape Mode – You can tilt your phone on it’s side and see the mall’s map more easily.

-If you tap on the map it will pull up the name of the store that’s located where you just tapped. Tap on the name of the store and you’ll see the phone number, web address, details about the store and it’s hours.

- You can choose to have the map automatically mark where the restrooms, restaurants and ATM’s are in the mall.

-You can set your location on the map. I didn’t have a chance to actually go to the mall and try out this particular feature so I’m not sure if the icon moves with you or stays in the original spot where you set it.

-With the Search feature you can search for stores and services. It looks like you can also search events and promotions but those options weren’t available in my mall.

-The app no longer crashed on me!

Point Inside has definitely improved and best of all, it’s still free.

Price when Reviewed: FREE

Seller: Point Inside, Inc.

Kijiji in the United States is now eBay Classifieds. The app allows you to browse and search eBay’s classified ads. The ads are organized into categories that make it easy to find what you’re looking for.  You can also refine your search with key words and a price range. The app also lets you post your own ad straight from your iPhone. I gave it a test run while I was at soccer practice this week. I thought it had a nice ease of use,  worked smoothly and did a nice job finding classifieds in my surrounding area.

Price when Reviewed: FREE

Seller: Marktplaats, Inc.

Shop Ethical! is an app out of Australia that gives you information about a company’s record regarding the environment and social issues. You can search for a product by name or browse through the different categories. You’ll be able to view a list of products sorted alphabetically or by their ethical rating. Next to the products will be a symbol showing what the rating is. The app also provides information about industry alerts and principles for shopping ethically. When you begin using the app you’ll want to go through the “Get Informed” section. This will explain the information in the app and where it’s been gathered from. You’ll also want to take a look at the app’s legend so you know what the symbols next to the products and companies represent.

If you’re interested in making an impact through your shopping and you live in Australia then this might be the app for you. I’m hoping the developers will let me know if the app begins featuring products from other countries.

Price when Reviewed: $2.99

Seller: Outware Mobile

FoodEssentials Scanner is the best app that I’ve seen for those suffering from food allergies and intolerances. It allows you to scan the barcode of a food product and it will then display all sorts of information about the food. You get your nutrient information (calories, fats, sodium, etc.) but you also get information about allergens and additives. The app will pull up the possible allergens and flag them as not listed, possible and listed. You can tap on the allergen and find out exactly what ingredient is the culprit. The same is true for the additive list. There’s no need to scan the label on your food and then search for the five syllable ingredient or additive on your own. The app does it for you. If you’d rather not use the barcode you can also search by product name. The same label information will be displayed.

When FoodEssentials finds your food it also pulls up products in the same category. I asked the developer how they choose these products and as of right now they’re pulled up in no particular order. They’re working on enabling sorting of these screens so you can see the most popular products first. That will be a nice improvement. You can flick between these screens to compare what’s in each one and this will be very useful when you can narrow the screens down to foods that are really similar. You can also scan in similar products and then shake your phone. Now all the similar products that you’ve scanned will show up on screens that you can access with that sideways swipe. This is a great way to compare what’s in different breads, cereals, ice creams, you get the idea. The app also saves everything you’ve scanned or searched for in a list.

Now here’s the part that I thought was pretty darn fantastic about this app. You have the ability to customize what you see on the labels it pulls up. You can go through each section – nutrients, allergens, additives – and turn on/off what you’d like to see. For example in my house we’ve got some dairy issues and I’d absolutely make sure that was turned on to show up. But we never eat fish and I don’t need to see that allergy so I turned it off. I think it’s terrific that you can expand (or condense) the list of what you see.

According to the FoodEssentials website a big update is coming around March 29th. They’ll be doubling the list of products and will soon be adding additional allergies.  The update should also give you the ability to select an ingredient (from more than 30,000) and make it a custom ingredient that will show up on your labels. I’ve been told that the success rate (accuracy) of the scanning is going to jump with the next update which will be fantastic.

I have a few reasons that this app is going to be a big help for me. First for my baby. I’ve mentioned before that we’ve been dealing with acid reflux and food intolerances pretty much since the day she was born. We’ve got the acid issues handled but the reflux is still out of control some days.  We’ve begun venturing into the world of baby foods but it’s slow going and we’re still on elemental formula and cereal plus a limited number of other foods. We try a new food and then cross our fingers that it’s not going to end up on the intolerant list. She usually lets us know it’s a no go when she has a big reflux flair up the next day. I’m hoping (really hoping!) that the day is coming where we can begin to try regular baby cereal and some other things. But realistically I know we’ll be dealing with her food issues for some time to come. FoodEssentials is going to be a huge help when I get the G.I’s green light to start introducing “normal” food. Especially when the new allergies and ingredients are added to the app. I’ll be able to find out (while I’m in the store) if something is safe for her or not. My second reason is personal. I’m one of those lucky (oh so lucky!) people who get migraines. It seems like I’m constantly learning about my triggers but I know with certainty that several additives/ingredients are guaranteed to make my head explode. I would love to see some sort of migraine trigger list incorporated into the app. At the very least I am hoping that MSG and aspartame make the 30,000+ ingredient list.

Sorry for the lengthy diatribe, I probably just shared much more than you’d want to know about my family’s issues. Especially all that talk about baby spit up. Right now FoodEssentials costs $4.99 and that covers a one year subscription to the app. Personally, I think the ease of use and the straightforward way the information is presented would make the price worth it for me. The updates that I’m hearing about are really going to set this app apart and I’m excited to see where it goes next.

*I really only touched on the allergy prevention potential of the app. If you’re concerned about cholesterol, saturated fat, etc. then there’s plenty of information here for you too.

*Another note – I’ve received word that the developers monitor the searches that return no results and then work on including those foods. For me those empty searches were for some store brand products. It’s good to know that these empty searches are monitored.

Price when Reviewed: $4.99

Seller: Food Essentials

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this app for review purposes.

My Grocery Master is a shopping app for those on specialty diets. It lets you search for foods falling into Kosher, Kosher for Passover, Gluten Free and Lactose Free diets. First you select a classification (that’s what they call the diets) and then you can choose a category (baking, candy, deli, etc.) or leave it blank. You can also nselect more than one classification and category. Enter in your address or have the app use your GPS location and select how many miles out you want to search. Now enter in a key word and the app will search grocery stores located nearby to find products that fit the classification, category and key word. When you tap on one of these product names you’ll see the store where it’s been located at. Tap on that and you can see a mapped location, get directions or call the store from the app.

It’s also possible to save your searches so you can pull up the information later on. Finally, there is a section that allows you to enter in an OU Kosher ID and verify if the product is certified by the Orthodox Union.  The app features inventory from some big name grocery chains – Albertsons, Safeway, Trader Joes, Whole Foods and Walmart to name a few.  For my area only Walmart and Albertsons apply so the app was somewhat limited in what it could do for me. Those of you who live in an area with more shopping choices will have more success searching for products.

If you’re on a specialty diet and you don’t want to drive from store to store looking for groceries then this app could be a big help. Right now the My Grocery Master database features over 100,000 products, more than 360 of them are name brands. The developers are planning to update the app to include Diabetic, Vegan and Organic diets too. This will give the app an even broader appeal. My only advice before you spend the $4.99 is to check out the store list and make sure you have a few nearby so your searches pull up results.

Price when Reviewed: $4.99

Seller: Nosh Maven, LLC

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this app for review purposes.

Shop Healthy! lets you look up nutritional information for foods you’ll find in the grocery store. The idea is to use the app to help you make healthy, informed choices about your groceries. At the time that I’m writing this review there are over 100,000 products included in the app’s information.

It’s a good idea to read through all of the information on the “Info” screen when you first use Shop Healthy! When it comes to searching for foods you can look for them by name or see them sorted by grocery store aisle. To look up a specific food tap the “Products” button and then type in the name of what you’re looking for. The app pulls up everything it’s got that fits your search. Next to each name on the list are three apples. The apples are colored green depending on how healthy the food is. Three green apples is the best rating. You can tap on the product’s name to see more information including serving size and calories per serving. There is a button that shows you nutrition facts like those seen on a product’s package. Another button says “view factoid info” and this tells you some basic information about the type of food product you’re viewing. Back on the product’s detail page you are given a list of other products to consider as an alternative to the one you searched for.  So if what you searched for had a dismal 1/2 green apple rating you could browse through the list of suggestions and make a better choice.

You can also view foods based on their aisle in a store. To do this tap on the “aisle” button at the bottom of the screen. Now you’ll see four columns – Fruits & Veggies, Breads & Grains, Beverages and Canned Foods. In each column are different types of foods, represented by a picture. Tap on the picture and you’ll get a list of foods, each with a green apple rating next to it. Tap on the food to see the same detail information that I mentioned above for the products button. I really liked the detailed pages for the fruits and veggies. You pick a fruit or vegetable to look at and the app tells you how to select the best one, how to store it and some fun facts about it. I find that information very useful myself. The only change that I’d suggest here is to add a way to navigate back to the fruits or vegetables list after looking at a detail screen. There’s no arrow to get back to the list, you have to tap “Aisle” and begin again. There are arrows for the other foods, but not for fruits and veggies.

As you’re browsing through foods (and probably learning more about what’s in them than you might like to know) you can mark them as a “favorite”. These items will show up on a list that can be found via the “Favorites” button. The app is easy to move through and the layout is clean and makes the information easy to follow.

I thought that Shop Healthy! was a nice tool for comparing different foods that fall into the same category. It’s not going to do you much good if you want to compare fruit juice to ice cream, but if you’re trying to decide between different types of juice (or in my case, ice cream) it can help you make an informed decision before you load up your grocery cart.  Personally, I always set out for the store determined to make healthy choices and especially to avoid the sweets. But by the time I survive shopping with my kids the sweets have become a mental health necessity. Perhaps Shop Healthy! can help me choose between the lesser of my sweet evils.

Price when Reviewed: $.99

Seller: SmartNow.com

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this app for review purposes.

When Keith, the developer of GroceryList, contacted me about his app he’d already read my thoughts on the other grocery list apps that I’ve tried. He told me right up front that it didn’t have many of the features I’m looking for (multiple lists, syncing with another user, price information) but he also told me why he thought I would like it.  He said “it’s like a paper list, but much faster, more orderly and always in your pocket”.  I haven’t found the app yet that suits me perfectly so I thought, why not try it out?. And since one of my issues with the other apps is dealing with multiple screens to make a list I wasn’t going to say no to an app that claims to be fast.

So what did I think? Here are the things that I liked about GroceryList.

*It’s fast. The app comes with a “master list” and all you need to do to add an item to your shopping list is tap the plus sign next to it. Tap more than once to add  more than one of something. The items come with an aisle already preset. This will determine the order the items show up in for your shopping list.  You can change the aisle by tapping on the name of the item and then the blue arrow that appears. Now you can assign a new aisle and also add notes that will show up on your shopping list.

*The master list is thorough. Absinthe? Covered.  Whoppers? Yep. Trash bags? Would you like drawstring, drawstring scented, handle tie, outdoor or twist-tie? Like I said, it’s thorough. You can also add your own items to the list with the plus sign at the top right corner. All you need to do is type in your item and select the aisle it’s located on.

*I like the way the master list is organized. It’s alphabetized and the alphabet shows up vertically on the right hand side of your screen. Tap on the letter you want to jump to and you’ll get a list of beginnings of items. For example if you tap on “O” you’ll see Oatm, Onio, Ora-, Oran and Oven. Tap on the beginning that’s closest to the item you’re searching for and you’ll jump to that part of the list. It’s much faster than scrolling through a really, really long master list. You can also perform a search of the list.

*The aisle list is impressive. Usually I have to add in aisles like baby items and greeting cards but they’re covered here. You can drag the aisles up and down to rearrange how they’ll appear on your list. You can also add in your own aisles too. (To get to the “edit aisles” option you have to tap the “Go Shopping” button.)

Now for the things I didn’t like so much.

*As of right now you cannot delete items that came on the master list. You can delete the items that you add but not the original items. When you tap on the item name you’ll see a trash can icon but it doesn’t work yet. Keith tells me this is going to change in version 1.2 which should be coming by the end of next month.

*At the top of the master list is a button that says “My Common Items”. Tap on this and you’ll see a predetermined list of items. Right now you can’t manually add items to this list. But as you create shopping shopping lists the app will add the items you shop for most frequently to the common items. You also can’t delete the predetermined “common items”. Keith tells me this is also going to be changing in version 1.2. I like the idea of having the app automatically adding the items that I use most. That saves me a step but I also want some control too.

*In other apps, when you have items on your list (but you don’t have the app open) the number of items shows up in a red circle near the app’s icon. That was a long sentence. The point is, GroceryList doesn’t have that feature yet.

*The $4.99 price seems a tad too high.

Ok, now that I’ve gone through all of that I’m going to tell you that I plan on keeping GroceryList on my phone. I really like the basics of it and I think with the tweaks that are planned it’s going to be a nice, easy to use grocery list. Keith tells me that he is also working on creating a multiple list feature which is a big thing for me. I want to be able to separate my Costco list from my regular groceries. Overall GroceryList is fast, there’s something to be said for being able to create a list with a few taps and it absolutely beats a crumpled paper in the bottom of my purse.

Price when Reviewed: $4.99

Seller: Helium Foot Software