Pic2Shop iPhone app now includes library results from WorldCat

pic2shop logoIn case you haven't heard the news from earlier this week, the Pic2Shop iPhone app has recently done a new release that now incorporates library results, thanks to the WorldCat Search API and WorldCat Registry APIs. It is a barcode scanning app and requires the camera portion of an iPhone, just like the RedLaser app does. What are the differences between these two apps?

  • pic2shop works globally, and right now RedLaser provides results for U.S. only (although we're working on having enough server capacity to support a global RedLaser roll out)
  • pic2shop is a free download (that includes advertising) and RedLaser is US$ 1.99 without ads

Both services return results for books only at the moment...but both apps are looking to expand the scope of materials they can support, too. There are more mobile apps in the pipeline that use WorldCat data to help remind people that library materials are available at no cost. If you don't have an iPhone, remember that the WorldCat Mobile pilot provides library results for any Web-enabled phone in the UK, U.S., Netherlands, Germany, France and Canada. That is, it will work on any phone with a browser. So even if you have a regular phone phone (not a smart phone), you can still get library results on the go. Go to www.worldcat.org/m on your phone and it will automatically sniff your phone type and serve you up the right app or Web version that is compatible! See screen shots of the different country views for pic2shop on the WorldCat.org Facebook page. Check out the video that Pic2Shop's partner, Appency, created to show a typical user experience. Then download the app from your country's iTunes app store.