Amazon has released a student version of its mobile shopping application, just in time for back-to-school. The free app is available for the iPhone and iPod touch.
The app, Amazon Student, features barcode scanning for comparison textbook shopping. Students standing in a bookstore can look at their syllabus, scan a book’s barcode with the iPhone or iPod touch camera, and determine whether the bookstore is ripping them off. Excuse me, charging a higher than average price. The scanner also works on a number of other Amazon-available items a student may need such as electronics, entertainment and more.
With this app, Amazon wants to alter the way students buy and sell their books.
At the end of the semester, students can use the app to exchange their used textbooks for an Amazon gift card. Like most Amazon Student trade inbookstores, however, items are subject to eligibility.
The buying process is simple and requires no set up. You snap a photo of the barcode and Amazon identifies the book and lets you know if it is eligible. Should the book be eligible, Amazon will foot the shipping bill. You may also be paid less than quoted based on Amazon’s quality determination.
