Bakodo App Turns iPhone to a Barcode Reader

 What is Bakodo and how it works
Do you want to know if the retail price of the product you are about to buy is worth it? Are you a mystery shopper? Do you wish to compare prices of the same product while you are in a store using an iPhone, an iPod touch, or an iPad?

You can transform your iPhone or a compatible gadget, into a live barcode reader and a comparison device. Bakodo Scanner, an iPhone app from Dedoware/Bakodo Inc, made it possible to turn your device into a barcode reader. The application, which according to reliable reviews, is among the best applications available on Apple's AppStore. Contrary to its name, Bakodo is not actually a scanning app if we mean scanning as a method of reading data using laser technology. It is more like camera capturing.

Here how it works: Instead of using the laser-based barcode reading which are typical for inventory counting and POS application, it utilizes the "point-and-shoot" method of digital capturing identical among cellphone and digital cameras. Simply open the app from your device, shoot a desired barcode, choose from any of the options, and get the desired result in real time.

Once the barcode image has been captured, Bakodo can search a database of more than 20,000 retailers. With the app,  you can view product details, compare prices, and which store nearest you offers the best price. You can even search from different online stores such as Amazon.com, Bestbuy.com, Google Product Search, ShopWiki.com, Snooth.com,  and save them to your device or email them to anybody. Just like any standard POS barcode scanner, it reads different barcode symbologies such as UPC A types (grocery barcodes), UPC E, EAN 13(books, DVD barcodes, etc.) types.

Download Bakodo
The Bakodo app is FREE and it is compatible with the new iPhone 4G or any Apple device that has iOS 2.11 and higher. If you don't have Bakodo but met the iOS requirement, you can download it from AppStore. There are other competing apps that performs similar and comparable functions:

iDecoder
Q Reader
Z Scanner
Shop Savvy*
iCody Barcode Scanner
Barcode Scanner Pro
Barcode Ninja
Redlaser

To search and download these utilities, and tons of other apps, visit the AppStore utilities page

*There is a Linux-based Shop Savvy application that runs under Google Android. The application has been available since September 2008. Shop Savvy is not available for Windows mobile yet. For a detailed story, read the latest update here.



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