ShopSavvy Locations Get More Savvy with Skyhook

2946007392_9081dddff3Your T-Mobile G1 handset with Android might sport a GPS radio, but that sucker can eat the battery alive. Actually, from what I hear, just using the phone for a few hours does the same, but we can’t solve every problem with a single post. ;) Joking aside, if I owned a G1, I’d generally leave the GPS off to save battery life. That of course begs the question of how to use location-based applications in a situation like that.

ShopSavvy is one of those applications. Using it, you snap a pic of an item’s barcode on your G1. The software then determines the item and shows price comparisons online as well as in stores close to you location. Therein lies the rub: no GPS signal and your G1 is lost in the woods.

Enter Skyhook Wireless. They’ve compiled what’s arguably one of the largest databases of WiFi and cell tower location information available. That info is now integrated into ShopSavvy, so your G1 can get a general idea of your location (or enhance the GPS location) and still return item pricing relatively local to you. Current ShopSavvy users will need to upgrade to version 3.3 for the new Skyhook Wireless functionality.

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