Shopping Smart with VOShoppingList 3.2 [Archive]

View Full Version : Shopping Smart with VOShoppingList 3.2

Philip Colmer

01-20-2003, 08:00 PM

Regular supermarket shoppers generally use a list of some sort, often written on a scrap of paper. That goes against the grain of a true PDA user – after all, it is hardly a high tech solution! Shopping list software has the advantage of being reusable and often offers other features. Has VOShoppingList, a Pocket PC Awards 2002 Finalist, got what it takes to handle my weekly shopping needs? <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/colmer-jan03-voshopping-1.gif" /> <!> VOShoppingList is a Pocket PC Awards 2002 Finalist and has received promising reviews on the Handango Web site. In practice, though, it has flaws that are quite readily discovered in real-life use. Where To Buy The software can be <a href="http://www.handango.com/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&platformId=2&productType=2&catalog=0§ionId=0&productId=20559">downloaded from Handango</a> or purchased for $14.95 (affiliate link). There is a 10-day trial version available. After the trial is over, you can purchase the software or install AdWare which will play a 7 second commercial before the program starts. There is a desktop version of the software that is available free to registered owners of the Pocket PC version. Strong shopping feature set VOShoppingList has a comprehensive list of features that looks good compared with that old piece of paper:<li>Quantities for each item <li>Location in the store for each item <li>Whether or not you've got a coupon for the item <li>How much the item might cost - this is useful for building up an estimated final bill for your groceries <li>Whether or not the item is taxable; a single tax rate can be specified and is added to the estimated final bill <li>Whether or not the item is a one-off purchase; such purchases are permanently removed from the list when purchased <li>Categorization of each item; this can be used to filter the display of items to buy <li>Easy selection of items to include in your shopping list <li>Easy marking off of items as you buy them <li>Synchronization of items & categories through ActiveSync <li>Integration with the desktop version through ActiveSync<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/colmer-jan03-voshopping-1.gif" /> Figure 1: Main screen for VOShoppingList Setting up the shopping list The first thing that needs to be done is to add items to the list. The user interface is quite straight forward: <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/colmer-jan03-voshopping-2.gif" /> Figure 2: Adding an item to your shopping list From here, you can enter your information into the appropriate categories, outlined above. A new category can be added by clicking on the <New Category> entry. Categories in general are managed through the Category window. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/colmer-jan03-voshopping-3.gif" /> Figure 3: Managing your categories The Location window has an identical look and feel for those location names that don't fit into the supplied method of a number in the 1 - 30 range. However, only the first two characters of the location text are displayed in the main display. Once you've built up a list of items, you can enter "Choose items" mode to decide which entries in that list you actually want to buy. Here, everything starts off as being present on your list. Clicking on an item in the list greys it out and removes it from the list: <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/colmer-jan03-voshopping-4.gif" /> Figure 4: Choosing items for shopping While in this mode, you can incremently increase or decrease the quantity by clicking in the quantity column rather than having to open the whole item window – a useful shortcut. If you've got more items on your list than will fit on a single screen, you can move through the list by clicking on the turned corner icons. Going shopping As you do your shopping, getting the items on the list, you mark the items off by simply clicking on the description. This puts a line through the item (as shown in figure 1). However, because the item remains visible, the screen can become cluttered, making it hard to see what you've got left to buy. The software allows for an alternative, which is to hide the purchased items. This mode is toggled on and off by clicking on the shopping trolley icon. One frustration of this otherwise useful feature is that you can only turn it on after you've selected at least one item. You can further manipulate the way the software displays your shopping list by filtering the category shown, from all items down to individual categories. You can also sort the location or the description by clicking on the column heading, with the current sort being bolded. Gotchas There are, however, some very irritating bugs in the software. <li>When you add a new product, the window opens with the input focus in the Name field but the SIP isn't displayed. This means that for every item you add, you have to open the SIP, which gets quite annoying after a while. <li>Another bug in the same window is in the way the software handles auto-completion. The feature is very useful, matching what you are typing against the known products and therefore reducing what you have to type, but it doesn't work properly if you are using the letter recognizer. Supposing you wanted to enter "toothpaste". If you are using the letter recognizer, the letter T requires two strokes - a downward stroke (which is initially recognised by the Pocket PC as the letter L) and then a sideways stroke to change the letter from an L to a T. The problem with the auto-completion algorithm in this software is that it sees you enter the downward stroke, decides you have entered the letter L and immediately moves on to the next letter of the item name. It simply is not possible to enter two-stroke characters like T or I unless you use the keyboard SIP instead. <li>Selecting/deselecting items from the main interface is not very responsive. Sometimes, there is a definite lag between clicking on an entry and it being shown as selected or deselected. This lag can often be long enough to make you wonder if you've actually tapped the screen in the right place … which means you then try tapping again! <li>There is a "Choose Items" icon (the blue tick) but while clicking on it toggles between the two modes, the icon itself doesn't show you which mode you are in. The software instead indicates this by displaying "Choose Items" at the top of the list. This is a minor glitch but goes against the way lots of other products handle this sort of feature. The shopping basket icon suffers from the same problem, which is even worse because there isn't a visual indicator of whether or not purchased items are being hidden. <li>The user interface doesn't tell you how many pages your list fits onto, or where you are in the list. This is a big oversight.Conclusions There is no doubt that using a PDA to manage a shopping list can offer big advantages over more "traditional" methods such as scraps of paper. VOShoppingList goes a long way to supply and support those advantages, but it is let down by bugs and a poor user interface in places. There are some very well thought out features, such as support for ActiveSync, categorization and an estimated shopping bill but, in its current state, I wouldn't be prepared to carry on using it.

wrightca

01-20-2003, 08:05 PM

Birdman

01-20-2003, 08:23 PM

I use ListPro to manage my shopping lists and I am very happy. I now have in excess of 150 items on the list and I have it set to "Don't Show Checked Items". As I need things during the week, (eggs, milk, etc) I will "un-check" each item. Usually, by the end of the week or so I will have 10 or 15 items that are un-checked and therefore "visible". As I shop, I check the item and it disappears until needed next time. I find it works very well.

Bob Anderson

01-20-2003, 08:30 PM

There are, however, some very irritating bugs in the software.

When you add a new product, the window opens with the input focus in the Name field but the SIP isn't displayed. This means that for every item you add, you have to open the SIP, which gets quite annoying after a while.

Another bug in the same window is in the way the software handles auto-completion. The feature is very useful, matching what you are typing against the known products and therefore reducing what you have to type, but it doesn't work properly if you are using the letter recognizer.

There is no doubt that using a PDA to manage a shopping list can offer big advantages over more "traditional" methods such as scraps of paper. VOShoppingList goes a long way to supply and support those advantages, but it is let down by bugs and a poor user interface in places. There are some very well thought out features, such as support for ActiveSync, categorization and an estimated shopping bill but, in its current state, I wouldn't be prepared to carry on using it.

Nicely done review.... but I do have a few points I'd like to make, particularly with regard to the comments I quoted above.

1. The bug pertaining to entering a new product / the input field NOT having a SIP displayed: YES... This is a major pain. I can't wait for it to get fixed. I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed this problem (I was just to lazy to contact the developer to complain about it :oops:

2. The "autocomplete" feature: YES... I can see how this would be a problem. I use transcriber, which for me has minimized the problem, but certainly this could be fixed/addressed.

As for the program in general... Let me just say it has been a true joy to use. I noticed in the review that Philip shows adding items and then using the categories to break items into different groups (Bread products, Fresh produce, etc.) and while that would work out nicely, I use the categories for each store I shop at. So I have grocery stores, Costco, computer stores, Office Depot, etc. all as categories. When I think of something I need at a store that will require a special trip, I simply enter the item (and whether it's a one-time purchase or not). Then, when I make my shopping trip to Seattle, I can hit all the stores I need to, knowing I won't forget anything!

Another note, VOShopping List interfaces with Pocket Cook for your Pocket PC, so if you like to cook, and need any easy way to migrate your receipies into shopping lists, look no farther.

I highly recommend this software. And Upgrades are free !!!

Ekkie Tepsupornchai

01-20-2003, 08:32 PM

To me, this seems a bit of overkill. I've always been very happy just to use regular old notes for my shopping list, actually, any list I have. It's nothing more than an exact duplication of my scratching it down on paper. I don't see the need to be so fancy, other than for geek-ness.
I agree somewhat. I'm sure there are those that would appreciate the extra functionality included (price totals, coupons, items from various locations, etc.). Plus, the larger the list, I think the easier it is to manage when you have your PPC automatically removing items from the list when they're "crossed" (this beats a regular notes app). So, this kind of specialized shopping list app I think will appeal to some...

I would recommend though, that for anyone truly serious about lists, I think a more versatile list app such as ListPro may be a better buy.

heyday

01-20-2003, 08:32 PM

I want to know what the heck PARCETAMOL is????

(Look at the shopping list)

heyday

robspahr

01-20-2003, 08:33 PM

I am a recent PPC convert, having received an Axim A5 for Christmas and moving from my trusty HandEra 330. Most programs I have found suitable replacements for, but the one prgram I miss most from my Palm OS days is HandyShopper.

I am currently using VOShoppingList, but agree with most of the review's stated drawbacks to this program. With HandyShopper it was very easy to add items, sort by stores, check them off, toggle between purchased and not, etc. And it is WAY better than paper lists. (And HandyShopper was even free!)

VOShoppingList is the closest analogue I could find and does most of these things adequately, but without the ease of use found in HandyShopper. Speed is definitely an issue, but perhaps this can be fixed in future releases.

As for ListPro, I found it to be less intuitive, even for an moderately advanced tech person such as myself.

Would I recommend VOShoppingList? Sure. I purchased it (the AdAware stuff would slow down this already sluggish program even more!) because I haven't found anything better for the PPC yet. But I hope they keep tweaking and improving.

Philip Colmer

01-20-2003, 08:44 PM

I want to know what the heck PARCETAMOL is????

(Look at the shopping list)

heyday

Spelling mistake aside, it is a painkiller that is quite popular in the UK.

<off-topic>
I've got a nagging feeling it might not be available in the US. One of the reasons might be that you can overdose on it if you aren't careful, and you die quite a while afterwards due to kidney (or is it liver?) failure. There are versions of paracetamol that include enough antidote to make it impossible to overdose, but for some reason they are incredibly hard to find!
</off-topic>

--Philip

Ekkie Tepsupornchai

01-20-2003, 08:46 PM

As for ListPro, I found it to be less intuitive, even for an moderately advanced tech person such as myself.
Funny. I initially bought just based on all the rave reviews I kept hearing. Once I got it, I didn't really use it for a few months for the reason you mention. It's just not something you can pick up and really make good use of immediately.

After having sat down with it one afternoon and just fiddling around, it is now one of my most valuable apps. One of my top 5 definitely.

Green Dragon

01-20-2003, 10:39 PM

<getting way off topic>
Paracetamol is Acetaminophen is the US. No idea why it's called that in the US though.
</getting way off topic>

Steven Cedrone

01-21-2003, 12:21 AM

There is a desktop version of the software that is available free to registered owners of the Pocket PC version.

I haven't been able to find anything about a desktop version? How do registered users get this?

Steve

Kati Compton

01-21-2003, 12:39 AM

<getting way off topic>
Paracetamol is Acetaminophen is the US. No idea why it's called that in the US though.
</getting way off topic>

You're saying that's Tylenol?

timothyt

01-21-2003, 01:51 AM

Hi all,

First of all, the desktop version is available for download here:

http://www.voscorp.com/voshoppinglist

It can be purchased separately or used for free as a companion product to the Pocket PC version (in other words, while the PocketPC is connected to ActiveSync). The desktop version has the advantages of using a full sized keyboard, printing, and emailing your list.

The review is fair, and there are definitely a few of the newer features that are still a little rough around the edges and will be fixed in the next release. In particular, the Auto-completion and the SIP issue mentioned will both be addressed, as well as some synchronization issues with the stand-alone desktop version that will be improved.

Unfortunately, as with all development projects, there are never enough developer resources to get all the features in that we'd like to, especially with all the languages we've been adding (currently it supports English and French, and we have translations now for German, Hungarian, Italian, Portugese and Spanish). We've also got VOCalendar (http://www.voscorp.com/vocalendar) 3.0 and VOBenchmark (http://www.voscorp.com/ppc/vobenchmark) 3.0 scheduled to ship in the next two weeks, after which the VOShoppingList 3.5 upgrade will be released. (All upgrades are free for registered users).

We are ALWAYS open to suggestions for improving the program! Now that the translations are in (v3.5) we are preparing for a feature upgrade (v4.0) in March. Users can send feature requests to [email protected] or [email protected]. Not all requests will make it in to the software but we do our best to incorporate the best and most requested items as soon as possible.

Both the Windows and the Pocket PC versions have 10 day free trials so you can try the program out before you buy. As I mentioned earlier, all upgrades are free; we've always looked at existing customers as our greatest marketing tool.[/url]

Kati Compton

01-21-2003, 05:07 AM

I'll post this here since you're reading the thread, and because I'm interested in seeing if anyone else feels the same way.

One thing I'd like is the ability to store multiple separate lists, then choose which list to add to the main shopping list.

Basically, the separate lists would each store the ingredients for a specific recipe. Then the user can select what they want to eat for the next few days, and the necessary items are automatically added to the list. Sometimes I think of what I want to eat when I'm already at the store (usually when I see an ingredient that reminds me), but I'm stuck because I can't remember how much of what to get. Plus, then you can create your shopping list without opening the cookbook...

The main difficulty I see with this is adding item quantities together. For example, one recipe might say 1/2 stick butter, and another might say 2 Tbsp butter, so that should really total 6 Tbsp butter, or 3/4 stick. But really, I think it would be fine if those were not combined - at that point mental math is probably sufficient. So it would list both 1/2 stick butter and 2 Tbsp. butter.

This feature would make me buy the program.

dean_shan

01-21-2003, 05:54 AM

Looks like a nice program. I like how it looks notepaper. I think that I'd would buy it if the cost was a little lower, but for now I think that I'll stick to the Notes program that's built into the system.

wrightca

01-21-2003, 01:29 PM

I want to know what the heck PARCETAMOL is????

(Look at the shopping list)

heyday

Spelling mistake aside, it is a painkiller that is quite popular in the UK.
--Philip

We have something like that in the US. It's called Wild Turkey.

kellys26

01-21-2003, 04:31 PM

So far I like this program alot, I have even mapped one of my buttons to it. I seem to add things to my grocery list daily, and I keep a seperate list for Costco and add things to it for my monthly trip there.
There is supposed to be a feature where this works with Pocket Cook (which I purchased yesterday), but I haven't had time to play with that yet. I keep my menu planning in List Pro at the moment.
Still playing!
Kelly S

Steven Cedrone

01-21-2003, 06:08 PM

First of all, the desktop version is available for download here:

http://www.voscorp.com/voshoppinglist

It can be purchased separately or used for free as a companion product to the Pocket PC version (in other words, while the PocketPC is connected to ActiveSync). The desktop version has the advantages of using a full sized keyboard, printing, and emailing your list.

Thanks for the link!!! I was looking in the Products page, and didn't see it mentioned at all...

Steve