Called a shopping bot, it's a software tool that digs through data, bringing back answers to directions you've given. When using bot-driven services, it helps to know detailed information about the product you're looking for, such as the manufacturer and model number. Most bots search for the best prices on the Web, presenting you with a table showing the item, online retailer, price and, sometimes, shipping cost and availability. This year, some have a new feature that will send an e-mail or message to your pager or desktop to alert you when the price of an item drops to a certain point. MySimon allows users to search about 2,000 merchants, along with auction and classified listings.
Some merchants pay to have their logos and listings at the top of the search results.
In addition, it offers a tracking service that allows you to receive alerts when a product reaches a certain price. You can download its Notifier software so that an exclamation point on the lower right of your screen blinks when it finds new deals. The service, which generally queries seven merchants per search, lets you specify how often you want to be notified and for how long a period of time. If you know you want a digital camera, for instance, but not which particular one, you could try Active Research's Active Buyer's Guide. But it can be tedious for the casual browser.