Amazon Launches Experimental Mobile Shopping FeatureAmazon Launches Experimental Mobile Shopping Feature

Amazon.com has launched on the Apple App Store an iPhone application that makes it possible to take a picture of a product and then send it to the online retailer, which will try to match it with products in its inventory.

Amazon said its new mobile application was made available on the App Store on Wednesday. The software is meant to simplify shopping on the iPhone and the iPod Touch, which can access the Web through a Wi-Fi hot spot. The application offers access to other retailers, such as Target and Macy's, but its features, which include "one-click" shopping, are focused on Amazon.

"We designed the Amazon app to be a quick and easy way for iPhone and iPod Touch users to shop, browse, and buy with Amazon.com," Sam Hall, director of Amazon Mobile, said in a statement.

The experimental feature called Amazon Remembers helps users keep track of items they see while away from home. The feature tries to match photos of products taken with the iPhone with what's in Amazon's inventory. Pictures are automatically uploaded to Amazon, which tries to find the same or similar items. When users receive the results, they can purchase items immediately or store them for later in their Amazon accounts.

"Customers can build visual lists of things they want to remember, buy, or even learn more about," Hall said.

Amazon in April introduced a mobile service called TextBuyIt that lets customers with Amazon accounts find and buy products by sending a text message to the online retailer. Users only have to reply to the response and confirm the order in order to purchase items.