In a world of big box stores and crowded parking lots, shopping can be a delicate balance between time invested and dollars spent. Now there's the Google Shopper iPhone app (free) to ensure that your scales are never out of whack.

The app is as easy to use as it is handy. It consists of a seemingly endless database of products that includes everything from electronics to clothing to food items. To search an item, simply scan its barcode, or say the product name into your phone.

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I searched a dozen different items, and the app produced a match for each of them. But where the app really shines is product information. Not only does it pull up the product, it also pulls multiple retail locations where it's available, as well as the price points for each.

As such, shoppers no longer have to stand in a shopping aisle agonizing over whether they should purchase an item on the spot, or whether they might find a better deal down the street. You're not only saving money on the product itself, but also on gas (or bus tokens, depending on your mode of transportation)!

The app automatically saves your search history, so if you need to return to something, you can easily find it. You can also "star" items for easy researching.

So stopping wasting time running around town, when all the shopping research you need is available on your iPhone.