Nov 18, 2008 4:41 pm US/Pacific
New Cell Phone Service Helps You Shop Smarter
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ―
Imagine having an environmentalist, chemist and even a political expert by your side to help you shop. A new service lets your cell phone help you become a smarter shopper.
Dara O'Rourke and his team of Phd's, scientists, and computer whizzes with
GoodGuide.com are volunteering to go shopping with you. Actually, they are giving access to their FREE service providing consumer information about products on store shelves.
They've compiled research from government agencies, academics, and watchdog groups and make it available in a matter of seconds.
"We want to give you the full story like are there any toxics in your product, the pollution from the factory, climate change associated with the product, Do they test it on animals," he asks. "How do they treat there workers, women and minorites? Does the company contribute more to republicans or democrats?"
It even reveals the actual dollar amounts that went to each party, their political causes and candidates. It's detailed information culled from public records and connected to barcodes.
Those are the 12 digit number sequences given to every product on store shelves. Consumers can scan the numbers for information. right from the store aisle. Text to 41411 - Gguide and send the 12 number barcode. The GoodGuide program searches through its database. For now there are 60,000 personal care and household cleaning products. Food, toys, and electronics will be added soon. Within 3-5 seconds a text returns with a 0-10 rating.
O'Rourke believes GoodGuide will give consumers more power to influence what manufacturers put in their products. It's all enticing but for Teri it's a hard sell.
The San Francisco company is working on a cameraphone feature that will let users take a snapshot of the barcode from any phone to retrieve the consumer information. Right now, the feature is limited to certain handsets.
The iphone currently features Goodguide in its apps store. But, the service works from any cell phone that sends and retrieves text messages. There is no advertising on the website and the service is free.
Goodguide was backed by socially conscious investors and may make money in the future by charging large companies and institutions to use it's databank of consumer information.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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