Editor’s Rating:

Price: FREE
Category: Utilities
Features:

• Popular Apps: Overwhelmed by the App Store? Our list of Popular app changes lets you browse a list of only the apps that other AppShopper users think are worth looking at.
• What’s New: Track all the latest changes to the App Store: price drops, updates, and new apps.
• Wish List: Add any app to your own personal Wish List and get notified of price changes or updates by email. With Push Notifications, you can get the latest updates sent directly to your device.
• My Apps: Keep track of the apps you already own. With Push Notifications, you can get the latest updates sent directly to your device.
• Syncs with AppShopper.com: Wish List and My Apps automatically sync with AppShopper.com so you can manage your lists in a web browser.

Being in the business of App reviews, AppShopper has been a staple in our ability to snag apps at a great price in order to test and review them. The app provides a way to watch the App Store for price drops & version updates on the most popular as well as some of the most elusive apps available. You are able to sort how apps display based on many factors: What’s Popular, What’s New, Paid & Free, Free, Paid, Updates , New & Price Changes. Once you have your “sort” feature configured, and you stumble across an app that strikes your fancy but it happens to cost too much, you can add it to your “Wish List”. Once you have done so, AppShopper will send you push notifications, if you choose to allow them, any time a price change occurs [increase or decrease] as well as any time the app has an update available.

Whenever you view an app from within AppShopper, many pleasantries are available to you that are not directly available in The App Store. AppShopper shows many screen shots of each app [I've seen as many as ten], allowing you to get a much better sense of what your getting with your purchase. Descriptions are comparable to The App Store, if not identical, so no real excitement in that arena. One thing that is unique to AppShopper and not necessarily available in The App Store, is the ability to view “App Activity”. for each app, AppShoppers displays a clear and concise “change log” for the apps history. The list includes the date the app was released, dates of any and all price changes, and the dates of all updates. This truly enables you, the consumer, to make smart purchases. Because you can track the patterns of price changes, you are able to get a good feel as to whether the developer will make the app available at a lower price, or even for free, in the future. The history of updates also gives you a good idea of the level of support the developer is devoting to it’s customers. It is Appsolutely empowering to have this information at your fingertips.

The one downside/drawback to AppShopper, is not that it is ad supported, but that the ads appear in such an obtrusive manner. As you are browsing on AppShopper, there will be no ad displayed and then…BOOM! Your entire screen shifts downward to display some sort of ad. This is extremely frustrating due to the fact that you could be ready to tap an item, only to have the apps interface shift .25 inches downward as you land your finger on the screen. The result, is unwillingly entering an app that you had no intent on checking out in the first place, having to go back a screen, finding the app you did want to view, and hoping that the UI does not shift this time as you attempt to open the apps info page. Visually it is slightly confusing, as well, until you get used to it.

Although we have found ups and downs for AppShopper, we like to do our best to end on a positive note. AppShopper for iPhone is fully integrated with the website www.appshopper.com, once you register for an account. As fun as browsing on the iPhone can be, it is always nice to have the option to browse  from your desktop for added speed and functionality.

Overall, AppShopper got this one right. Remove the ads, or even create a paid non-ad supported version, and you’re golden!

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