Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Is it equivalent ?

Web Service for the brand unconcious
 
(+2, -2)
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This is a webservice your mobile phone could use to give you assurance in everyday choices. Probably a minimally paid service via subscription as it would need accurate content.

The way it would work is that you type in what the new thing you are confronted with and compare it with the old thing. For example, is new "Eco 95 fuel" like old "Green plus" when filling up at the same gas station ? By storing your preferences, the answer could be "Yes, practically the same for use in your particular car".

Likewise for groceries. The human mind is great at adapting to change, but not so good without Google. Googling whilst in the supermarket could push your recommended daily aggravation beyond tolerances so it would be nice to know the new packaging doesn't disguise an incipient trace of nuts.

bigsleep, Apr 24 2009

[link]






       This is incredibly similar to the other idea that was posted recently about changes in food packaging. Besides, I can already Google with my phone. A lot of phones can. Maybe there's not a website exactly like this, but you can find out comparisons for just about anything with Google, so I'd say your idea is awfully close to Baked, if not burnt.   

       Just so you know, there's also a webservice available for the G1 and iPhone called ShopSavvy that lets you get alerts sent to you whenever the price of a product you're interested in drops, and another called CompareEverywhere that lets you scan barcodes with your phone's camera and checks online stores and local stores to find you the best price for whatever product you scan.
21 Quest, Apr 24 2009
  

       me thinks me sees a pattern
blissmiss, Apr 24 2009
  

       The title follows fashion but the idea is different. More similar to the 'keep the old box on the shelf' idea 21Q was refering to, but still different enough from that due to its broader scope.
bigsleep, Apr 25 2009
  

       This might prompt a lot of similar copycat sites just like this one.
Ian Tindale, Apr 25 2009
  

       Actually, I do see a pretty substantial difference here. While the idea I mentioned before compared different products of the same brand, this compares equivalent products of different brands, which makes price shopping a whole lot easier. For instance, if you input Tylenol and Wal-Mart brand acetaminophen, it could tell you if they're similar enough to go with the cheaper brand. It would probably work best with a phone that has a barcode scanner. Currently, barcode scanner services check online for the cheapest price of whatever BRAND item you scan. This would check for the cheapest equivalent PRODUCT you scan. [+]
21 Quest, Apr 25 2009
  

       right...
goodmars, Apr 25 2009
  

       left...
blissmiss, Apr 25 2009
  

       wrong…
Ian Tindale, Apr 25 2009
  

       2 wrongs do not make a right... but 3 rights make a left.
21 Quest, Apr 25 2009
  
      
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