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Developers' New Opportunity — Retailers' Open APIs
snydeq writes "Fatal Exception's Neil McAllister examines the recent trend among retailers to provide outside developers access to open APIs — one that promises opportunity for developers to transform retailer data transparency into lucrative business models. But whether the trend lives up to its potential remains to be seen, especially given the hurdles small and midsize businesses face launching programs similar to those in place at Amazon, Zappos, and Sears. McAllister writes, 'There's a definite "Field of Dreams" quality to any such undertaking. Ask any company that hosts an open source software project how many outsiders actually commit code changes on a regular basis and you're likely to hear a discouraging figure. Similarly, just because a retailer builds an API doesn't mean anyone will actually use it. Given the uncertain prospects of return, it can be difficult to justify such an investment.'"
It's also useful for cataloging software; I own an insane amount of dvds and blu-rays and keep a list on my computer. When I get a new disc, I enter the upc code (it's also compatible with barcode scanners though I don't own one) and it automatically checks numerous sites including Amazon to grab things like the title, msrp, director, actors, publisher, number of discs, cover art, and other stuff.