Check the Buzz on Blogs Before You Buy

Jason Lee Miller writes on Web Pro news today about a new phone from Toshiba that asks blogs what they think about new products, giving shoppers a quick check before they buy.

“Have trouble making purchase decisions? Toshiba has developed a mobile phone technology that scans product bar codes and collects an overall product rating based on what the blogosphere has to say about it.

As illustrated by the AP snapshot, the technology is a mobile buzz barometer that can search for up to 100 product reviews on weblogs, calculate an overall mood (positive or negative), and shoot back the results in about 10 seconds.

Using the camera feature on a mobile phone to take a snapshot of the product, indecisive shoppers will have a personal shopping aide. Blogs with higher traffic will also show up on screen.”