Google

price between which to search, we
had trouble getting it to return results.
In this section of the results
page, there’s a similar price range
filter, only this filter worked just fine
for us. You can also choose which
category and subcategory you want
to search or the online store you
want to visit.
Shopping List & Wish List
If you’re into dropping not-sosubtle
hints for birthday gifts, then
you’ll love the My Wish List feature
of Froogle’s Shopping List. When
you view a product in your Shopping
List, you’ll see an In Wish List
checkbox in the lower-left corner.
When you check that box, the item
not only stays in your Shopping List,
but also goes to your Wish List. The
Wish List is similar to your Shopping
List, but has its own URL that you
can give to your friends or family, so
they have access to gift ideas for
T HE S EARCH
The guide on the left side
of the results page lets
you customize your
search and your view to
best suit your needs.
upcoming holidays or special
occasions.
Right below the line that
lists the price, seller, and
the link to add the product
to your Shopping List is a
brief blurb from the seller’s Web site
that contains your search term in
bold. You can View the
entire product description
by clicking the link
at the top of each
product listing. Beneath
this description you’ll
see a link to other notable
sellers and the
prices they are charging
for the product. If these
suppliers have been
ranked using Froogle’s 0
to 5 scale, those rankings
will also be displayed.
If there are other
suppliers that carry the
product, those will be included in a
link at the very bottom of the
product description. This is a
generic-looking link that will say
something such as, “Compare 18
items priced from $19.95 to $29.95.”
Of course, the number of items and
the prices will vary depending on
what you’re looking
for, but the link tells
you that Froogle has
found suppliers in
addition to the few
The Froogle Shopping
List is an easy way
to monitor products
you’re interested in,
even if you’re not
prepared to buy
right away.
listed that carry the product you’re
looking for.
Beneath some of the product images
you’ll see product ranking and
review links. These are very similar
to the scores and reviews for the
online stores. For instance, that
Logitech MX510 optical mouse we
were looking at earlier has an average
rating of 4.4 out of 5. This
score is based on 86 reviews, all of
which you can read by clicking the
links located in the reviews page to
which you are taken when you click
the product rating.
If you click the product ranking link,
you can see what other people thought
of the product you’re considering.
A Shopper’s Paradise
We would definitely call Froogle a
bargain shopper’s paradise. It’s basically
like shopping hundreds, even
thousands, of stores from your own
computer desk. Froogle’s advanced
search options really allow you to get
specific with your query so that you’re
not sifting through a bunch of irrelevant
results, and you can get a great
balance of product and supplier information
by adapting the view to suit
your needs. The bottom line is simple:
Whether you call yourself cheap,
thrifty, or economical, you’re sure to
love Froogle. RS
BY SAM EVANS
Reference Series / Guide To Using Google 45