Epocware Handy Shopper

Reviewed on 09 September 2002


Price: US $14.95
Available from: http://nokia-7650-software.epocware.com/Handy_Shopper.html

Although this was one application which I used the least out of the three (because I don’t do a lot of grocery shopping), I did realise the practicality of Handy Shopper when I applied it to a shopping scenario. From where I first write up a list of things to get from the supermarket, the possibility of adding items when they come to mind, to ticking each item off as I place them into the trolley, Handy Shopper can convenience some of these steps.

Entering information
Compared to both Handy Safe and Expense, there’s not a lot of information that needs to be entered for Handy Shopper - except in the case where you want to add items to the current list of pre-defined groceries.

On the top section of the main Handy Shopper screen, there are two tabs - ‘all’ and ‘need’. Under the ‘all’ tab, a complete list of groceries items are available for selection - to be added to the ‘need’ (or “things to buy”) list. Simply select the items that you want by highlighting the item and depressing on the joystick, and a little trolley icon will appear on the left-hand side of the required item.

Again, you can define your own categories and items with Handy Shopper as well! :)

Accessing the shopping list
Once you start obtaining the items from the supermarket shelf, you can - at the same time - tick them off from your 7650. You can set Handy Shopper to either move the ticked-off items to the bottom of the list, or alternatively have the purchased items removed from the list completely - leaving behind only the things yet to be bought.

If you want to be specific about your purchases, you can also set Handy Shopper to accept the quantities of items required and show the price of each item as well. At the end of the day, it really depends on how you want to make use of Handy Shopper - as a simple shopping list, or one that can estimate the final amount of your weekly shopping?

So what’s the verdict?
For those who use shopping lists to get around the supermarket, Handy Shopper is more than just the piece of paper you may keep on the fridge door. This always-accessible and pen-less shopping list is something that we could always refer to - especially when it comes to remembering what to get while taking the morning train, or when driving the kids to school!

While some hate the idea of a list and rely purely on their memory, Handy Shopper may not be as useful to you. But it might just make your life a heck of a lot easier :)