eBay acquires RedLaser barcode app for iPhone

Digital marketplace eBay has acquired technology startup Occipital, developer of the popular iPhone barcode-scanning application RedLaser. Financial terms were not disclosed. The Occipital solution combines computer vision algorithms with mobile devices to create a human-computer interface augmenting user vision--RedLaser, developed last year, enables consumers to scan barcodes to compare product prices and access related shopping information. RedLaser downloads from the App Store now top 2 million--eBay said it will transition the application from a premium download to a free service, at the same time adding 200 million eBay listings as well as product inventory from over 7,000 global merchants on Shopping.com. In addition, eBay will integrate RedLaser's barcode-scanning tech into its own eBay Marketplace, eBay Selling, StubHub and Shopping.com apps for iPhone.

eBay said it is on pace to generate $1.5 billion in gross merchandise volume via mobile commerce channels this year. Its iPhone, Android and BlackBerry applications are now available across 190 countries and eight languages--users now make a mobile purchase on eBay every two seconds.

For more on the eBay/Occipital deal:
- read this release

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