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Microsoft is joining the coupon craze popularized by sites like Groupon and LivingSocial with the launch of a new service called Bing Deals. The program is not an in-house creation built from scratch, but is being made available through a partnership between Microsoft and The Dealmap, a deal-tracking service that aggregates local deals, coupons and discounts from over 300 different sources and daily deal websites.

Bing Deals will work both on the desktop and mobile (via m.bing.com) and is also heavily integrated into Bing's search engine itself.

AT&T has announced ShopAlerts, a new location-based service featuring ads and coupons from major retailers which are sent directly to subscribers' mobile phones. Initially, the service will be available in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco with sponsors including HP, Kmart, JetBlue, SC Johnson, Kibbles 'n Bits, Nature's Recipe and the National Milk Mustache "got milk?" Campaign.

What makes this new, opt-in service unique is that the alerts are only sent to users' devices when they are near a participating store or brand.

When Google released Google Shopper last year, we asked "Is there any business Google doesn't want to be in?" The simple answer, of course, is "no" and now the company is bringing this same shopping app to the iPhone.

Just like you might expect, Google Shopper does all your favorite on-the-go shopping maneuvers - it scans, it compares and it saves - but now for the iPhone.

Have you ever arrived at your local grocery store only to realize that you had left your trusted stash of carefully clipped and saved coupons at home? That may no longer be an issue with today's launch of geo-targeted mobile grocery coupons that work with mobile application Cellfire's network of 5,000 grocery stores here in the U.S.

Now, instead of browsing through the newspaper for coupons to clip, you can opt to receive a real-time alert on your mobile device of the coupons available to you, as you enter the grocery store itself.

Today eBay has launched its new local shopping site called GiftsNearby, while Google continues to hunt for a local e-commerce service after its $6 billion buyout offer was rejected by coupon site Groupon earlier this month.

The new eBay site integrates technology from eBay's acquisition of Milo.com, a local shopping startup bought by the auction giant for $75 million at the beginning of December. Milo, which calls itself the "anti-Amazon" helps consumers spot local deals in real-time by tracking the product inventory at over 50,000 stores.

Don't worry - Apple isn't trying to launch the next Foursquare - but the company has developed its own check-in service that integrates with Apple's in-house applications. The new service went live this week.

The lineup of Apple-owned applications that make up the service includes "Concierge," a push-enabled app used by employees to receive notifications of customers with appointments entering the store and an app called "Scout" used by managers to establish precise physical locations within the store as part of the setup process.

Today Amazon has launched Windowshop, an iPad application the company describes as "a complete rewrite of Amazon.com specifically for the iPad." The app does not appear to update or replace Amazon's previous iPad application called Amazon Mobile.

Instead, Windowshop is a new standalone experience with a completely different, more visual interface than its predecessor.

This morning, eBay announced its recently acquired mobile barcode scanning application Red Laser will now support QR Codes, also known as 2D barcodes. In addition, the updated version of the price comparison shopping app, available now in the iTunes App Store, will also incorporate eBay Marketplace and Half.com listings in its product results section.

This news comes on the heels of another big-name barcode scanning app update: Amazon Mobile. Only yesterday, Amazon announced its mobile application would now offer barcode scanning.

Is a barcode scanning battle brewing?

Tecca, a new mobile comparison shopping application, is the first company to launch from the digital media fund set up by electronics retailer Best Buy with Fuse Capital. The app focuses only on electronics, which makes sense, given its backing. Available now on both iPhone and Android with both a tablet app and mobile website in the works, Tecca offers pricing information, ratings, reviews and even a barcode scanner.

Startup conferences - like last week's DEMO Conference in Santa Clara, California - are great opportunities for young companies to not only gain some exposure, but to network with other like-minded entrepreneurs. One company I spoke to at DEMO, Zappli, makes a social shopping app that leverages many existing services through partnerships and APIs - a strategy many young startups could benefit from.