With the Shopzilla deal, Dealio is branching out from its initial focus on consumer electronics into a range of product categories including jewelry, clothing, and furniture. Brands and merchants with listed products on Dealio's toolbar include Sony, Target, Circuit City, Dell, Best Buy, and Overstock.com.

Unlike comparison-shopping Web sites, the Dealio toolbar, which can be minimized on command, travels with a consumer throughout the Web and provides comparative shopping data while the consumer is actively shopping for a specific product at e-commerce sites. By entering a ZIP code, which is stored on the computer, a consumer can see the total "true" price of any product, including tax and shipping.

Once a user locates a specific item while shopping online, the Dealio toolbar automatically alerts the user to the lowest prices on the Web for that item. Clicking on the "alert" button in the navigation bar opens a sidebar within the browser window, providing the consumer with a list of alternative sites where they can purchase the same product, and the prices at which the product is available at those sites.

Users can also conduct "manual" searches by entering a specific product make and model or a general category term like "plasma TV" or "digital camera."

Vendio, long popular among eBay sellers, actually launched Dealio last summer as an alternative to Shopzilla and its rivals, as well as intrusive spyware and adware.

"The tool's purpose is clear and transparent," Rodrigo Sales, Vendio's founder and CEO, said upon Dealio's launch. "It doesn't track consumers' individual Web movements or adversely affect system or Internet connection performance, and it doesn't generate pop-ups or any other advertising on a consumer's computer."

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