Cool Hunting

Adding to the ever-expanding list of things you can do with your cell phone, a Boulder-based startup called mShopper recently debuted a mobile shopping platform that combines the visual and tactile pleasure of brick and mortar shopping with the efficiency and cost- effectiveness of online shopping. Using mShopper's free service, consumers can easily compare the price of an item they'd like to buy from anywhere they get cell phone reception, and if they find that the price is right, make the purchase.

Say you're in a store drooling over a hi-def flat screen television but wondering if there is a better price elsewhere. Simply enter the first two letters of a brand and model to find out. For example, the search query for a Panasonic HDTV could be "pan" and "hdt", with the option to add more specific product numbers or information.

At present mShopper has more than seven million products in its database and adds countless more each month. The smooth and simple interface was designed from the ground up for simplicity and mobility, and is certain to revolutionize the shopping experience for the Blackberry, Treo and iPhone-wielding masses.

To try it for yourself, point your phone's web browser to shop.mshopper.com.