Together with mobile

Sprint Nextel has debuted a new service allowing shoppers to compare and buy products using mobile phones, reports The Associated Press.

The Mobile Shopper lets people use their phones to compare prices on products from a variety of retailers, both large and small. If they find the right product, customers can then buy the products right from their phones.

Sprint, which does not take a cut of the purchase, is using the service to attract and retain customers. The company is hoping that mobile shopping, once confined to ringtones and wallpapers, will resonate with customers just as online shopping did.

The process of making handheld purchases has seen some sophistication of late. PayForIt, which enables users to charge select services via mobile, recently debuted in the UK. Google has patented Gpay, dubbed a potential "PayPal of mobile," and Apple's browser- and wi-fi-ready iPod and iPhone enable users to purchase items directly from the internet and at Starbucks.