How do you shop on your iPhone or iPad? Do you browse websites in Safari on your device the same way you would on your desktop? Or do you use dedicated apps? From Apple’s own Apple Store app to Best Buy to Walmart to Bloomingdales, a lot of big retailer have dedicated apps in the App Store these days. Even the big online retailers like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy, the ones that made their fortunes on the web, have dedicated apps. Some of them are pretty sweet too, with slick interfaces and cool effects that make the shopping experience just that much better.

If you have the option, do you prefer to create an account or just check out as a guest? There’s certainly convenience to having a frequently used store like Amazon keep your shipping and even payment info recorded, but for smaller stores without big brand names, privacy might be more important.

Do you typically pay by credit card or do you prefer services like Paypal that sit in the middle? Most credit card companies have fairly good fraud protection, but Paypal can be easier and quicker to simply log into.

What about the checkbox for customer mailings, do you like getting sent special promotions and newsletters, or do you just want to shop as you so wish and be left alone and not bothered afterwards?

It’s really nice to be able to shop on your iPhone when you’re on the go, or curl up and browse on your iPad when you have a moment’s peace. Which one do you prefer to shop with, and how do you prefer to get your shopping done?

The latest patent filed by Apple shows a possible Ping-like social networking tool for the retail shopping world. It would allow for iPhone owners to share comments, opinions and recommendations for different products from different stores for their friends to view. Like any patent there’s no telling when, if ever, this particular one will find its way into a real, shipping product, but it does hive us a glimpse at what Apple is working on.

Basically what it would entail is using your iPhone while shopping to gain product lists from a kiosk located inside the store. Those products and any information about them would be viewable in the proposed social networking app. Once you view a product you could ask your friends their opinions on the item to help you decide if you should make the purchase or hold off for the time being. Your friends can rate, review, or check yes or no for the products you share.

Apple feels it is a lot of work trying to coordinate shopping with friends or gaining the attention of a salesclerk. Personally I think I can handle shopping for myself but what about you? Do you need Apple’s help in deciding what to buy in the form of yet another social network?

[ Apple Insider ]

Amazon has released Windowshop for iPad. If you use Amazon as frequently as I do, you may already realize that the current iPhone and iPad offerings are pretty grim.  I’ve never been a huge fan of the Amazon app as it seems to just be a mobile version of the site shoved into an app.  Windowshop seems to bridge that gap quite nicely on the iPad and it’s now available in the App Store as a free download.

It does an extremely nice job of separating categories and allowing you to quickly switch between them.  To me, this is a lot less tedious compared to weeding through search results and refining them.  Your categories will simply appear at the top and you’ll be presented with columns of search results.  From there, you can simply pick the best category at the top that best suits what you’re looking for and just search within that section.  If they could make a scaled down version of this for the iPhone as well, I’d be all set!  Pick it up and give it a shot, and of course, let us know what you think!

[iTunes Link]

Cali Lewis and GeekBrief.tv interview Greg Grunberg of Heroes, Lost, Alias, and Felicity fame who’s conceptualized Yowza!! A location-aware, iPhone specific coupon app. Participating businesses can use a simple back-end web system to set up discount offers which are then displayed on the iPhone app based on current location and/or deliberate search. iPod touch users get a local storage option, and Grunberg announces a special holiday surprise towards the end of the video as well.

It’s a trifle long, but interesting to hear both how the app came to life, and how the iPhone can be used to save money and, of course, revolutionize the world…

For more info, check out getyowza.com.

Anyone tried it yet?