Real Time Mobile Reviews from Retrevo

There’s nothing like the holiday season to get you in the gadget shopping mood. However, even if you’ve done all your homework on what to buy, sometimes it’s hard to avoid the impulse purchase, particularly when there are so many shiny toys in all the store windows. Earlier this year, gadget site Retrevo launched its Real Time Review feature to simplify the research process. Now, the company has added on a mobile component. See something you’re tempted to buy? Text or tweet it to Retrevo (texting is new; tweeting is not), and you’ll get a near-instant response with information on whether the product is a strong buy, a recommendation on a fair price to pay, and a range of prices for the product available online.

Testing the mobile feature out myself, I was shocked at how quickly I received a response to each query. Return messages are short, sweet, and to the point. Retrevo relies entirely on quantitative data for its reviews, which means you don’t get any nuanced product information (like reliability comparisons between netbooks and other laptops). However, you do get a quick snapshot on any given device. The price recommendations are particularly helpful. Should you pick up a product at the store to avoid shipping costs, or is there a better deal online? Retrevo can tell you.

There are three ways to try out the Retrevo mobile service:

1. Send a text message to 41411 with the word retrevoq followed by the make and model of the device you’re researching. Ex: retrevoq Apple iPod Touch
2. Tweet a message to @retrevoq. Ex: @retrevoq Apple iPod Touch
3. Send a direct message on Twitter. Ex: dm @retrevoq Apple iPod Touch

I’ve followed Retrevo for years and am amazed at how the company continues to grow. The quantitative analysis you get from Retrevo is a useful twist on information that other CE sites provide. I’d love to see a mashup of features from Retrevo and the Rojas/Block-backed gdgt site. And speaking of partnerships, a Retrevo exec does say there are some partner announcements on the way. In the meantime, the site seems to be doing quite well enough on its own. Retrevo is projecting six million uniques in December, which would double last year’s number.