Thu 10/Jul/2008

   Thu 10/Jul/2008

   Saving Money with Coding Mashups

   What is a coding mashup? Wikipedia defines it as : A mashup is a web application that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool; an example is the use of cartographic data from Google Maps to add location information to real-estate data from Craigslist, thereby creating a new and distinct web service that was not originally provided by either source. - Wikipedia From this trend, there have come several useful sites that should make your life a lot easier (except for maybe keeping track of all these new tools). The most popular mashups have been pioneered by Google Maps; revolutionizing how we visualize spatial data. Coders were quick to adopt the ability to map any location and put them readily into their web applications. In addition, we have seen the birth of the "Comparison Shopping" Sites. You might not have noticed, but the Comparison Shopping site is the ultimate Mashup. Many of major e-commerce sites already use internal mashups of different information systems to create what you see on the web; allowing you to compare prices against their own distributors and sellers in their networks. Some current key players in the comparison shopping game are obvious ones (the giants as I like to call them): Amazon, Ebay, Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc. If these resources aren't enough, there are the first tier of comparison engines based on the web mashup concept. For instance, some sites for comparing prices in this fashion are MySimon, Shopzilla, Sortprice, and Nextag. If you have not used these resources, I would recommend you check them out as well; they are all useful in comparing prices online. In addtion, there is occasionally a few smaller players that deserve some mention as well. In this case, it is SaveOnAtoZ.com The goal of this site is simple: to save money on everything. The site connects to various APIs and helps you conduct product searches based on keywords. The different result sets are segmented and / or listed on the same page according to your preferences. You can bookmark and compare the items side to side. The result sets can be loaded in to the same page without page refresh. The results are drawn from Amazon, Ebay, Half, Shopzilla, Buy.com, Best Buy, Shop.com, Google Base (Formerly Froogle), Nextag, Sortprice, MSN just to name a few of the engines. I think, this makes it a "Meta-Search". In any case, you can seriously check across all these sites within a few seconds. In addition, it seems the result sets are still expanding. I spoke to the coder of this project, Mauricio Zuniga, who said, "The goal of this project is to provide you the most comprehensive resource for comparing prices and saving money. With today's economy in a downward spiral, and gas prices rising, I am hoping SaveOnAtoZ.com will be the tool you are looking for." Related Price Comparison links: http://www.Nextag.com http://www.Shopzilla.com http://www.SaveOnAtoZ.com
http://www.SaveOnAtoZ.com