boreders

I use a fair few apps, but generally I don’t post reviews. I thought I’d start. Downloaded Red Laser – www.redlaser.com – by Ocipital, purely on a whim and because it was in the Top Apps. Yes, I’d normally be cautious of that, but it turned out well…

Basically, when you start the app, you hit a lightning button and then hold the camera over the barcode. An onscreen guide assists in getting the right spot – and when steady the app auto-scans. Once done, Red Laser searches your local Amazon and Google for the best deals.

Firstly, no gushing here. I noticed that a couple of reviewers have said they have been unsuccessful scanning anything; but, my experience has been about 85% success, about 10% scans that identify the item or manufacturer but no detail, and 5% are just wrong. It might prove less than that, as I’ve only scanned a few dozen items and suffered just one truly bad result. So, no it isn’t perfect.

I have found books, DVDs, CDs and games work best – so, I’m not sure what the negative reviewers have been trying to scan. If it’s on your localised Amazon site – you should have no problem.

However, in addition, I’ve had good results with niche food items. It would be good to have a way to search in tandem with a supermarket site; but, despite no such link, I have managed a successful scan of Kraft Vegemite, Anchor Chicken Salt (knew what it was, but no current seller), Skippy Peanut Butter, and even Free & Easy Dairy Free Cheese Flavour Sauce Mix. Yes, the app thought a Tesco’s own brand Tomato Puree was some kind of inflatable ring – but that was the only complete fail. Even where no offer existed, it got the manufacturer of other product right.

Scanning is pretty simple and I’ve had results from barcodes that looked positively unreadable. With the assistance of my Griffin Clarify case, the scanning becomes even easier on the 3G. It isn’t always instant, but more often than not that’s because my hand isn’t steady or the light is poor.

I shop a lot and comparing prices against Amazon means typing the ISBN in again and again. With this, life should be a lot easier.

I hope to see some extension of function to include other search sources; and, I’ve raised a query about Amazon outward links with the developer. Otherwise, I thoroughly recommend this app and look forward to future developments. For £1.19, I don’t feel cheated. This app will get used many times over and it’ll save my poor fingers from all those ISBNs.

France seems to thrive on l’exception culturelle, running against the grain of what the rest of the world might consider commonsense. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has, of late, shown a very different approach to personal relationships while in office, the sort of thing that would see uproar, crazed media assaults and impeachment around the rest of the world. In the UK when a business declares job losses you might expect unrest and a spot of light industrial action from the unions, but in France you can expect riots and acts of arson.

Now, Amazon has raised hackles in France because they offer discounted books and, woe is me, free shipping. The Lang Law of 1981 protects small publishers and booksellers by enforcing tiered discounting – basically making competition nigh on impossible without breaking the law. Amazon’s offer, of combined discounts and free shipping on new titles, exceeded the lawful 5% – and following court action, where they lost, they have now chosen to ignore the law and the decision of the court, while paying off a fine in neat little chunks of $1,000 a day. You have to accept that you can’t rescue everyone by force of law – the smaller retailer either has to find a niche or move on… you can’t coddle them and wrap them in cotton wool.

Expect burning books quite soon, probably lit by enraged book stall owners.

Nigella Lawson seems to have a lot to answer for. Aside from being a kitchen tease and a bit of a MILF, she has set the country a-racing to try something different with a bit of gammon. There can’t possibly be any other good reason why I found myself wandering past the jam section of Tesco today to find a man weighing up the difference between two jars of Ginger preserve.

I guess it isn’t a surprise that Nigella Express has topped the bestsellers lists at Amazon and Waterstones, beating Jamie at Home by a long shot. I have to admit to buying a copy for my wife and searching round for the best deal on Ginger Beer at the supermarket today. It’ll be gammon for us too in the New Year!

So, whatever will TV cooks come up with next, exciting we home chefs into a giddy frenzy to do something just a little different? They’ve had us conjuring up special things, basic stuff and now we’re doing it in a hurry – next? Rustic style? Everything steamed? All prepared underwater?

Can’t wait.

Now, where did I put my Nigella video and that stainless steel reamer?