I recently stumbled across a smart phone app so incredible that I feel it’s my duty to spread the word.  This app is DriveSafe.ly and if you text message or email from your phone you NEED to check this out!

What is DriveSafe.ly™?
DriveSafe.ly™ is a mobile application that reads text (SMS) messages and emails aloud in real time and automatically responds without drivers touching the mobile phone. DriveSafe.ly is the solution to texting while driving.

How many times have you been driving and had a text message come through?  You know how unsafe it is to look down to check it, and even worse…attempt to type out a response!  Not to mention the current distracted driving laws. Wouldn’t it be great if your phone read the text (or email) out loud to you and then translated your voice reply into a return text message or email?  Or sent an automatic reply?  That’s exactly what DriveSafe.ly does!

Features

• Reads your text messages and emails out loud in real time
• Hands Free – No need to touch the phone while driving
• One-touch activation – no complicated setup
• Bluetooth and radio transmitter compatible
• Reads text message shorthand (lol, brb)
• Optional customizable auto-responder

Benefits

• Eliminates texting while driving and reading emails while driving
• Safely stay connected while reducing distracted driving
• Keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road
• Be safer and more productive during your commute
• Lightweight app doesn’t slow down phone or drain battery
• Flexible app allows many customization options

DriveSafe.ly™ offers a free version of their app that limits some of the features but still allows you to utilize the program quite well.  The full featured, pay application has plans for single user, family, or business use and allows monthly or annual payment.  They have a great sale going on right now so check out the prices here!

I’ve been using DriveSafe.ly™ for a few weeks now and I’m blown away by how quick and accurate the read outs and responses are. Considering they offer a free version, I strongly encourage everyone with a compatible phone to try this app.  It’s so convenient and easy to use, you’ll wonder how you lived without it!

DriveSafe.ly™ is currently available for Android and BlackBerry phones and is coming soon for iPhone and Palm.

10/20 Update:  I just got word that DriveSafe.ly™ 2.0 is now out for both BlackBerry and Android.  2.0 allows users to respond to texts by voice completely hands free!

Click here to get DriveSafe.ly™ now!

Multi-table Sit and Go’s are all the rage lately in the online poker world and for good reason. They offer healthy prize pools and give you the feeling of taking down a tourney without having to invest 5+ hours and wade though a fields of hundreds or thousands of players.

Some of the most popular MTT SNG’s are the 18, 45 and 180 man turbos on PokerStars. These games can be extremely profitable if you know optimal strategy. Unlike Single Table Sit and Go’s (6 or 9 players) or cash games, there isn’t much information available on how to beat these 18, 45 and 180 man games. Fortunately SNG Mentors is here to help!

From the SNG Mentors site:

“We are an online poker training site specializing in MTT SNGs (18 Man, 45 Man, and 180 Turbos on Pokerstars). We offer a unique Mentorship program in which our students receive coaching from some of the most successful SNG grinders around. We also provide our students with staking for the games we coach them in, and there are absolutely no up front costs for joining the program. We are looking for students who are dedicated and have ample time to devote to their poker career. If you are interested in joining the program, and fit these criteria, submit an application today. Email vers@sngmentors.com for more info.”

The SNG Mentors coaches sound like a roll call from the SharkScope Leaderboards:

Vers, Shen888, Manhat10ite, Whoopsy_Dazy, Draqq & Jontsef. Vers and star student Reasons14 are posting their blogs on the site and both are great reads so be sure to bookmark them.

Now you know the place to be for MTT SNG’s. Whether you’re a beginner trying to learn the basics or a seasoned grinder wanting to plug leaks and bring your game to the next level, check out SNG Mentors.

I’ve been doing a bunch of research over the past few weeks checking into various web hosts. I’m still not done so any feedback, suggestions, recommendations, etc. are all greatly appreciated. I hear Media Temple is fantastic but they are a bit pricey…still may check ‘em out anyway. I will most likely update this as I learn more or as info changes.

Keep in mind the prices listed are at the time of this post…11/1/2009. Please visit each site for the most current pricing and promotions. Also some of the sites listed like GoDaddy, HostGator and InMotion offer different pricing options and packages to suit the needs of all kinds of users.

10 Top Web Hosts Compared

UpSwong.com comparison chart of 10 feature rich yet affordable web hosts

	Web Host	Monthly Price	Domain Name	Disk Space	Email Accounts	Software Brand	Money Back	More Info
1		$3.45	FREE	Unlimited	Unlimited	cPanel	Anytime	Visit Site
2		$6.95	FREE	Unlimited	2500	cPanel	30 Days	Visit Site
3		$6.95	FREE	Unlimited	Unlimited	cPanel	30 Days	Visit Site
4		$4.95	$15.00	Unlimited	Unlimited	cPanel	45 Days	Visit Site
5		$6.64	$1.99	150GB	500	cPanel	30 Days	Visit Site
6		$5.50	FREE	Unlimited	Unlimited	V-Deck	30 Days	Visit Site
7		$3.95	FREE	Unlimited	Unlimited	cPanel	30 Days	Visit Site
8		$4.95	FREE	Unlimited	Unlimited	cPanel	30 Days	Visit Site
9		$6.95	FREE	Unlimited	2500	cPanel	90 Days	Visit Site
10		$5.95	FREE	Unlimited	2500	cPanel	30 Days	Visit Site

Cyberlean Media is a digital design studio based out of Europe.  From the Cyberlean Media website:

“We collaborate with high profile clients to enhance their online exposure and increase their marketing profitability.  We use the power of design to get in the face of your consumers and ensure you stand out.

We are searching for clients who demand the best and understand the importance of brand evolution.  We genuinely welcome your creative challenges with open arms.”

To see some of Cyberlean Media’s absolutely exquisite work, check out the website of champion bodybuilder and powerlifting world record holder Sam Byrd.

Visit Cyberlean Media

TeleNav…wow, I don’t know where to start.  I’ve spent 10 days fully evaluating every detail of this application and I can honestly say it’s a “must have” for your BlackBerry.  I have used a handful of other navigation apps, both paid and free and TeleNav is hands down the best of them all.  TeleNav offers so many services and options and is so advanced, yet couldn’t be simpler to use.  I downloaded it to my BlackBerry Storm and was getting turn by turn directions within minutes!

TeleNav’s main function is giving voice directions as you drive…and WOW it does this well!  Once you open TeleNav all you have to do is click “drive to” and you get a whole list of options…see the gallery below for a screen shot.  You can pick from options such as recent places, favorites, businesses, airports, intersections, or your address book.  You can also type in an address manually or even call it in.  As soon as you’ve chosen a destination TeleNav begins finding the route from your current location. One of the things that impressed me the most is how quickly the software finds where you are…no waiting 2 or 3 minutes like with some programs.  Before you know it a voice is telling you where to turn or how many miles to drive.  Speaking of the voice, there are plenty ways to customize the audio. You can even make it come straight to your bluetooth headset.  This can be extremely useful if you have a carload of talking passengers, a sleeping child, or would just prefer to have your directions in ear instead of out loud.

While you’re en-route TeleNav is continuously updating your location with on-screen 2D or 3D maps.  You can zoom in and out and choose from a variety of views.  I added some screen shots to the gallery but you really have to see this in real time to appreciate how fantastic it looks, especially on the Storm screen.  One of my favorite features is the display showing estimated time of arrival and how many miles you are from your current location.  At any time you can always pull up your route preview, a full zoom-able map, and traffic summary at specified segments.

The Biz Finder directory really blew my mind.  I was astonished by how many categories there were to choose from.  Gas, food, banks, wi-fi spots, movie theaters, parking lots, universities….again, check the gallery for screen shots of all the categories.  Of course any place you pick, TeleNav instantly pulls up your current location and starts navigating you right there!  The content of the Biz Finder is superior to many stand alone directory apps.

I did over 600 miles of driving with TeleNav and not one mistake!  I was especially impressed with how quickly the software was able to re-route you in the case of a detour, missed exit, or heavy traffic.  TeleNav even does real time traffic checks to help you avoid delays.  I kept trying to trick the software by taking a wrong turn but it’s too smart and would always get me back on course.  Also handy for being on course, TeleNav has a compass with a great looking interface which can be seen in the gallery.  You have to be moving about 5 miles an hour to get a reading.

TeleNav is extremely efficient with memory usage and battery life.  I monitored both using meterberry.  I let TeleNav run all day giving me voice directions and using it in every way possible.   Application memory remained stable and battery consumption was minimal.

So after all this testing I knew TeleNav was genius, but I wanted to see how well it could multi-task.  While my husband drove the car, I had TeleNav giving directions, Pandora streaming radio, was instant messaging on Beejive, browsing the CrackBerry forums on Opera Mini, and took a picture of the sunset out the window.  TeleNav just kept on cranking out the directions, unphased by all the apps I had running in the background.  This is also a testament to the magnificent multi-tasking abilities of BlackBerries.

Another ingenious use of TeleNav is to record your parking spot location.  When you park your car, hit > Tools and Extras > Record Location > Save.  You can give the location a custom label or use the default which is the date.  The location gets saved in your favorites.  When you’re ready to find your parking spot, open TeleNav and go to Drive to > My Favorites > then select whatever label you saved and the navigation will begin.  You can get directions while driving (in a cab, having a friend give you a ride, etc) or on foot.  This would be a great time to make use of TeleNav’s BlueTooth integration and have the directions come right to your headset if you’re in a busy area and want to be discreet or just simply can’t hear.  No more trying to remember your row and section and number in a huge crowded lot.  Oh how I could have used this so many times in the airport parking lot after a week long trip, or in Manhattan when I couldn’t remember which garage I parked in, no less which floor or spot!

Along with TeleNav on your phone, you get your own My TeleNav online account where you can pre-plan trips and sync them to your BlackBerry, manage contacts, and share spots with friends and co-workers.  There’s even a FireFox TeleNav plug-in.

TeleNav has so much to offer that I could go on and on all day with this review but my words and pictures don’t come close to doing it any justice.  I strongly encourage you to take advantage of TeleNav’s fully functional 30 day free trial so you can see everything for yourself.  After that it’s $10 a month which is really a steal for all that the program offers.  I think of a fast food meal or two that I spend $10 on (that I shouldn’t really be eating anyway lol) that is gone so quickly, when instead I could be enjoying all the features of TeleNav all month long!  Check out the TeleNav website for lots more details and information and to get your free 30 day trial!

I originally published this review here on BlackBerryChick.com but TeleNav is hardly just for chicks!  If you haven’t been to BlackBerryChick yet make sure to check out the BlackBerryChick forums too!

Posting from my BlackBerry Storm this time. When I go to add a picture I’m not taken to the gallery, just my file directory.

Round #1 Winner – iPhone

Hopefully the Storm can regain the lead in the upcoming rounds. It’s a very savvy device… But how will it hold up in the swimsuit round?

If you do any sort of instant messaging on your iPhone, check out Beejive. Beejive is a multi-client IM application that is easy to use, exquisitely designed and packed with useful, innovative attributes.  It supports AIM/iChat/MobileMe, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, MSN/Windows Live, Yahoo, MySpace and Faceook Chat all in one application.  No more opening a bunch of different apps and juggling between them to keep up with your contacts.  Beejive handles all your IM needs in one tidy app that is astonishingly light on battery life.

I don’t know where to start because Beejive is just overflowing with high quality features!  The developers didn’t miss a beat and are still constantly evolving the application and responding to user feedback in their support forum. Looks wise you can skin the colors and chat bubbles every way possible and there is full emoticon support.  You can choose a background from your photo gallery or a list of stock wallpapers.  But Beejive isn’t just a pretty face…it has functionality to satisfy even the most hardcore IM addict!  There is file transfer support, custom status messages, full integration with iPhone notification settings, alerts and badges, and auto-reconnect if there is any data interruption. You can even receive push email notification when you’re idle.  Hard to believe, but I’m barely scratching the surface of all the capabilities of Beejive.

Just when I thought I couldn’t love an app more, there were little details I stumbled upon in the options menu that sealed the deal for me and really showed that the development team was making every effort to leave no stone unturned. As an iPhone user who always types in portrait mode, I was thrilled to see that the Beejive wizards integrated an option to lock the screen in portrait or allow landscape typing.  I hate being in the middle of composing a message and having the screen tilt on me!  However, I know that many people feel just the opposite and love using the landscape keyboard so huge props to Beejive for giving users the choice.  Another thing I love is the option to shake your iPhone to switch between chats.

Check out the gallery below to see the many ways you can change the appearance of the IM interface and the huge list of available options.  I really didn’t mean to take so many screen shots for this review but there is just so much impressive content to show off.  I’ve tried just about every instant messaging application available for the iPhone and Beejive is hands down my favorite.

Beejive is available for iPhones and iPod Touches running OS 3.0 and higher and can be purchased for $9.99 through the AppStore.  Absolutely worth the price tag considering the incredible quality, powerful interface and advanced level of customization.  Click here to launch iTunes to purchase Beejive or read more about it.  To see Beejive in action check out these videos on Beejive’s website.