Hands on with the SmartShopper - Product Review

I don't know about you, but I can't stand making grocery lists. I mean, they are usually written on some scrap of paper, only to be lost. For a while, I tried doing text messages on my cell phone, but it's faster to write it, really. Still, there just has to be some technological alternative to grocery lists.

Of course there is! It's the twenty-first century, for crying out loud! The SmartShopper is a device with one primary design: to make grocery lists, and that's all. Simplicity is also the key in its packaging. It came in a box that was shaped for it, with very little instructions. Not that it needed instructions, as the SmartShopper goes from opening to working quite easily. Of course, this is after you install the 4 AA batteries, which are not included.

My wife was creating lists in a hurry as she hit the "Record" button and then say the item she wanted. The voice-recognizing technology in the SmartShopper is actually pretty good, allowing for over 2,500 options. In fact, there is a book that includes all the things you can say, and this book is pretty thick. You can even say "Babaghanouj" if you want, and I don't even know what that is, much less how to pronounce it.

By the way, sometimes you have to really enunciate in order for the SmartShopper to recognize what you are saying. Fortunately, it gives three options for what you could have possibly said. For example, saying "Milk" gives you ROPE, MILK, and COKE. Generally, the first option usually works.

If the item you want isn't in the book, it can be easily programmed in. However, you cannot type it in, but you can spell it out letter for letter verbally. Once the item is in, you can access it verbally as well. I was able to put in "Skittles".

Once you have your list, you can print it out by hitting the print button. The SmartShopper has a built-in printer of mini-tape, ironically similar to grocery receipt paper. It even separates all your items into separate categories, which might come in handy when perusing the grocery aisles.

My only hang-up is that there doesn't seem to be a way to turn the SmartShopper off. Pulling the batteries out simply reset the SmartShopper, but putting them in made it work perfectly once again. Another plus is its magnetic backing that attaches easily to a refrigerator door.

So my verdict is that this device is a time saver, and worth your $149.00 for it. The SmartShopper can be purchased online at www.smartshopperusa.com.