Here are the apps: Red Laser, Walla.by and Larky.
Let's start with Red Laser. When the screen opens it offers an Internet deal, such as for flowers, but scroll down and it offers deals at stores near where you are standing.
Standing next to a Bed, Bath & Beyond, it offers me six deals there, including one for a bed bug killer.
Now, here is where things get good. We take O'Keeffe's Working Hands Hand Cream that was purchased for $6.99. Then we let Red Laser read the bar code and right away it knows the item. It tells you everywhere you can buy the product and what the prices are.
Scroll down and you find the hand cream is selling for $5.39 on eBay to as much as $17.48 at Unbeatablesale.com. Red Laser is not new, but it works.
Now let's look at my second app -- Wallaby. You tell it which credit cards you carry and then when buying an item Wallaby tells you which card will get you the most money back or reward points.
You know how some cards give you points for gasoline this quarter and the other one for movie tickets? This keeps track of all that. You're buying wherever you're buying, but you make sure you get the most points for it.
Next stop, Fisherman's Wharf to show you the app called Larky. It keeps track of all the programs you've signed up for that offer rewards. Here I have Bank of America, Hilton Honors, my health insurer, Best Buy and Costco.
Now I want lunch, who will give me a deal? The Rain Forest Café will give me 10 percent off because of the AARP card I carry. Larky keeps track of deals online and off.
All three the apps are free. Red Laser and Wallaby are available for both iPhone and Android. Larky is now available only on iPhone, but they say they will release an Android app soon.
