Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
First Look: Grocery IQ for iPhone
Since most people travel everywhere with their iPhones, it is only fitting that an application would come along that would allow you to create a grocery list. Now if you want, you can shop in the store while listening to tunes and looking at your shopping list -- Grocery iQ [iTunes link] allows you to do this and more. To add an item to your list, just tap the "+" button in the top right corner. When you start entering the name of an item, Grocery iQ will start searching its database of more than 130,000 items. This is amazing, because everything that I threw at it, it recognized! The database even has brand-name items, if you prefer to search that way. You can enter the quantity of the items needed (from 1-100) and some notes about the item. Something that sets this application apart from others is the ability to sort items by aisles -- and the app automatically tries to match your item to an aisle (however, you will probably have to re-arrange this to match the layout of your preferred grocery store).
Another nice feature added by the developer is the ability to email the list to yourself or someone else! It doesn't just email a plain 'ole list either, it formats it to look just like it does in the application (with sections and everything). The application also keeps a running history of the items you purchase -- from this list, you can easily re-add items to your shopping list.
This application should be on any iPhone/iPod touch owner's to-buy list if you forget items at the store, or just want to track your shopping list a little better. It would be nice to see a simple calculator in the application, so you could add up your list as you go through the store (or perhaps cache the recent price of the item). This application costs $4.99 at the iTunes App Store and weighs in at 7.2 MBs. Be sure to check out our gallery of screenshots to see the application yourself. An application update is expected soon that will add support for multiple lists/stores, and add even more information to the item database.
Gallery: First Look: Grocery iQ for iPhone


![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)


Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Palo said 5:22PM on 10-04-2008
First Look: Grocery IQ for iPhone.
Would it have really been so difficult to make the headline read: "First Look: Grocery IQ for iPhone/Ipod Touch."
Or next time why don't you write the headline as: "First Look: "Grocery IQ for iPod Touch," then bury the fact that it also works on the iphone in the 4th paragraph.
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Maldaen said 6:19PM on 10-04-2008
Somehow, I think people buying the iPod touch are going to find less utility for an app like this. Plus, anyone and their dog can tell you that the touch is eclipsed by iPhone marketshare, so this is just bellyaching for the sake of bellyaching. If your distaste for the iPhone is so large, why would you rather they promote its knock-off appeasement device for people who can't/won't sign with AT&T/Vodafone/O2/etc? Seems a bit silly to me.
puhsitch said 7:06PM on 10-04-2008
It sounds like you think that TUAW is prejudiced against iPod Touch owners and is actively trying to exclude them..
Michael Rose said 10:28PM on 10-04-2008
Palo, we do try to note when apps work on both flavors of devices. "iPhone and iPod touch" doesn't work so well in a headline.
Palo said 12:13AM on 10-05-2008
t sounds like you think that TUAW is prejudiced against iPod Touch owners and is actively trying to exclude them..
The Fring post and this one seems to suggest TUAW often overlooks the ipod touch and only mentions it as an afterthought.
Palo said 12:13AM on 10-05-2008
"Palo, we do try to note when apps work on both flavors of devices. "iPhone and iPod touch" doesn't work so well in a headline."
Unless your goal is providing information rather than sappy headlines.
So try my second headline.
Palo said 12:30AM on 10-05-2008
Somehow, I think people buying the iPod touch are going to find less utility for an app like this.
Is this an attempt at humor?
"Plus, anyone and their dog can tell you that the touch is eclipsed by iPhone marketshare, so this is just bellyaching for the sake of bellyaching."
My dog not so much. It makes no difference which one has the greater market share at the time-when it is so simple to include both in the headline.
If your distaste for the iPhone is so large, why would you rather they promote its knock-off appeasement device for people who can't/won't sign with AT&T/Vodafone/O2/etc?
Huh? If I did dislike the iphone I would rather t promote its knock-off appeasement device. I like both items
Seems a bit silly to me."
You seem to be the one with an iPod Touch problem.
That does seem silly to me.
fishbert said 12:44AM on 10-05-2008
"The Fring post and this one seems to suggest TUAW often overlooks the ipod touch and only mentions it as an afterthought."
That's because the iPod Touch *is* an afterthought. Seriously, without the development effort for the iPhone, there would be no iPod Touch. So file your discrimination suit or accept the facts as they are and move on... either way, stop whining.
Palo said 1:21AM on 10-05-2008
Fishy!
It seems like I hit a nerve.
Try the decaf dude!
oZone said 1:32AM on 10-05-2008
Stop complaining about the damn title. You read the article and read that it was available for the iPod touch, what seems to be the problem? Shut the fluck up.
Palo said 1:38AM on 10-05-2008
@Ozone
Bite Me!
Big John said 10:34AM on 10-05-2008
...really?
That's the complaint you have?
You seriously didn't know it worked with the iPod touch because of the headline? I feel sorry for you.
Palo said 5:50PM on 10-05-2008
@Bigjohn
I want TUAW to tell me right up front in their posts if an app works on the iPod touch especially when they only mention the Iphone in the headline.
Is that so hard to understand?
Mike D said 1:32AM on 10-06-2008
Palo... Stop being a douchebag.
Craig McCreath | fusedreality said 5:38PM on 10-04-2008
There's also http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=287932487&mt=8 (Grocery Gadget Shopping List [previously called Flixshop]) that i've been using for a while that I have enjoyed using. It's about the same price - costing £1.79 in the UK store.
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mark said 5:44PM on 10-04-2008
I'm sure this application will help some. I've been using my iPhone since 2007 to grocery shop using the Notes application alone. Everything in my list is in store order so I'm not criss crossing around, and it only takes a minute or two to enter the list.
You could also just have a list on your Mac and use Air Sharing to transfer it over. However, I like the ability to remove things from the list as I pick them up.
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OmniGeno said 5:43PM on 10-04-2008
Oh! You buy Bertolli Sauce too?
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totoro said 5:45PM on 10-04-2008
This looks pretty cool-I like the database idea-big chains like Safeway and Whole Foods should really get in on this to nail their customer bases, esp. as they have pretty standardized layouts.
I have been using Evernote for a shopping list. The formatting/checking off stuff isn't very good for this, but I use it because it has 2 pretty important features (to me, at least)
1) A desktop client, so I (or anyone in my family) can add stuff to the list as it occurs to them during the week.
2) Syncing from the desktop to the iPhone on the fly-in case someone wants to add something to the list while I'm enroute/shopping.
The email-out feature of Grocery IQ is nice, but I'd like an email-in feature to be truly useful. Again, my need is for a list that is a bit more collaborative-Grocery IQ looks like most of the other shopping lists available so far on the App Store in that they seem targeted at single shoppers.
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Rupert said 5:54PM on 10-04-2008
It's a shame that this is only available in the US itunes store - looked pretty good...
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Sam said 5:58PM on 10-04-2008
Is it so hard to ask for one with pricing or rounded up to the dollar or so pricing so that you can do some budgeting??
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