Mobile commerce-enabled applications are changing the way consumers use their mobile devices. Mobile phones, particularly smartphones, are turning into personal shopping tools, helping consumers be savvy shoppers.

Here are some of the applications that really stood out in 2010, in no particular order. Popularity, usability, utility and user interface were all taken into account when compiling this list.

Ebay Mobile – Shoppers can shop eBay from all of the mobile device operating systems out there: Apple, Android, Windows Phone 7, BlackBerry, you name it.

What is most noteworthy about the application is the ability to scan and compare a variety of products such as electronics, movies and video games.

In addition, shoppers can research sale trends, list items and manage listings. Sellers can search for completed listings to see what similar items recently sold for.

Using the RedLaser scanning technology, repeat sellers can scan a product and list it on eBay in 60 seconds or less.

Fandango – Comcast Interactive Media’s Fandango is available across several platforms. Its various applications let film fans browse from their couch or the local coffee house for showtimes, fan reviews, exclusive clips and trailers, and ticketing information for movies.

Fandango claims that its movie showtimes, ticketing and information applications have been downloaded more than 10 million times across various devices and platforms, including iPhone/iPod touch, Google’s Android, Research In Motion’s BlackBerry, HP’s Palm WebOS and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.

Amazon Price Check – Amazon lets consumers compare in-store prices with those from Amazon.com and other online merchants via an application that poses a threat to store retailers.

The Price Check application lets consumers search across different categories including toys and consumer electronics. Customers can scan a bar code, snap a picture or say or type a product name to receive instant prices for that particular item.

ShopSavvy – ShopSavvy lets consumers not only to see information from its price comparison engine, but also add their own deals, discoveries, ratings and reviews to the company’s database.

The application also offers instant sharing on Facebook and Twitter. Find a hot deal? Tell friends on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks with a tap of the screen.

For advertisers, ShopSavvy offers AdOns – advertising, coupons, warranty offers and promotions at the point of highest purchase intent, when users are standing in a retail store with a potential purchase in hand.

AdOns combine location- and product-specific data to deliver precise marketing content to users.

Foursquare – Foursquare is a social application that encourages users to let their friends know where they are.

Users collect points, prize badges, and eventually, coupons, for going about their everyday business. At the grocery store down the block? Check-in and earn rewards.

PriceGrabber – Experian’s PriceGrabber lets on-the-go consumers search for products and then be redirected to a merchant’s Web site to make a purchase. Shoppers can use the application to scan bar codes and read product reviews.

EBay Classifieds – Ebay  Classifieds lets smartphone users in the United States discover deals and local listings by simply scanning the area around them using mobile augmented reality.

Using keyword and pinpoint geographic filtering, users can discover eBay Classifieds listings around them through an augmented reality viewer.

HSN – HSN Inc. lets consumers make purchases using their handset via a cross-platform application.

The HSN Shop application has a library of original videos, enables users to customize their shopping experience with their favorite categories and save preferences for future visits.

QVC – QVC Inc.’s mobile applications are designed to keep the consumer connected to programming anytime, anywhere.

Consumers can browse and shop the application, making secure purchases through it. It is packed with videos. The user interface is simple and clean, making it one of the coolest apps of 2010.

HBO – Home Box Office Inc. uses its mobile applications to drive purchases of mobile content. The HBO application is designed to provide users with an in-depth, interactive experience that includes a variety of branded entertainment including video clips and an interactive episode guide.

Consumers can buy video content and merchandise through the iTunes App Store and Amazon.com by hitting the “Buy Episode” button.

The application lets consumers navigate through programming schedules, view short-form video clips and episode guides, create reminder alerts for programs of interest and buy full-length episodes and other content on iTunes and Amazon.com.