iPhone compliance pending

ShopSavvy, an app that launched on Google's Android mobile platform in October, has unveiled its 3.5 release.

The app enables users to scan barcodes with the Android-powered phone cameras to get pricing information. Users can also comparison shop over the 'net from their handhelds.

The 3.5 update, nicknamed "Rodan," provides support for 1,000 new retailers and 750,000 new products. It is also better optimized for battery life, according to TechCrunch, which provided a list of other enhancements accompanying the Rodan release:

• Faster barcode scanning, load times, animation and search
• WiFi and GPS setting retention
• In-stock or out-of-stock notifications for a given product
• Search by title if product cannot be located
• Integration with Google Product Search
• Ability to visit retailer websites beyond ShopSavvy
• Optional registration and an improved user interface

Big in Japan, ShopSavvy's development house, says ShopSavvy is already capable of comparing over 20 million products across 22,000 different retailers. The company is also working on an iPhone-compliant version of the app.

Last month, Google integrated barcode scanning capabilities into Google Product Search. The feature enables users to scan certain barcodes with Android handsets in the US and UK. According to Google, the technology currently works best with electronics, movies, video games and books.