I’ll start off by saying I love POIFriend! 

I was contacted by POIfriend.com and I was rather intrigued. As you might suspect POIfriend.com (pronounced like boyfriend) is all about points of interests. Essentially, it is a social network that allows users to create and share their own POIs within their group of friends or with the entire community. With POIfriend, you can create your own POIs, download them to your GPS unit, iPhone or Blackberry, and share them with others site users and even with friends who aren’t members. Best of all, it’s free.

“The advantage POIfriend has is that you are in the driver’s seat — quite literally,” says Bill McLean, co-founder, POIfriend Inc. “We often don’t realize the sentimental value associated with the places important to us. Places are just places until they take on more of a personal, helpful, or intriguing aspect for us, so we’ve created an online community to share just that.”

“POIfriend.com is an essential tool for everyday life. It offers accessibility and sharing of your favorite shops, sporting events, restaurants, gas stations, bank machines — whatever it is that keeps your world ticking,” adds McLean.”

Since POIfriend.com is constantly updated by you, the user, the information is always current and fresh. Uploading your own POIs means that there’s no limit to the groups that you can create or the friends that you can involve. POIfriend allows you to share and grow your world, on the go, all the time. However, as exciting as this is, I feel there may be some inaccurate data. Either way, it is a great service and it is absolutely free. Here are a few more features:

– A one-stop shop for a broad-range of POI destinations
– Avoiding the hassles of store-locator navigation
– 100% FREE
– Connect with everyone you know and those you don’t
– User-friendly compatibility (works with most portable GPS-enabled
devices)
– No GPS required
– Stripping away the techno-babble from GPS and POI data
– No bio necessary – just an email will get you started
– Users have full control over the places they wish to share
– Compelling connection between businesses and your community

So what are you waiting for? Go sign up today!

I think the instant messaging applications are starting to get big again, or perhaps it is just because I am starting to use instant messaging apps more frequently. Either way, there are quite a few of them out there so it is always important to be a little different than the others. How much more different can you be messaging a friend? Two words: Goober Networks.

Goober is an instant messenger developed by a team of Germans based in Delaware that’s going up against the big guys (Skype, MSN, ICQ, etc.) with a desktop client that overflows with features. Available for Mac, Linux, Windows, and cell phones, you can practically use Goober anywhere. In addition, like many of the instant messaging apps, Goober incorporates their network, MSN, ICQ, and Jabber. Interestingly, AIM is not part of the protocol group. 

The application comes equipped with voIP, so making and receiving calls is a nice addition. Users can also send text messages, and MP3s. Unfortunately, video is not yet included but I am sure that will be added in the future. Still, it seems like your normal application, right? Look a little closer and you’ll find that Goober differentiates itself primarily by providing a suite of widgets that can be used to communicate through the client. 

An email widget can be placed in the signature of messages and a “portal” widget can be placed on social network profiles and other webpages. This is rather cool because instead of the other person getting the application, they can instead go to your site, Facebook, or wherever else you placed the widget and chat with you. Both options present buttons for one-click instant messaging, VoIP calling, and file transferring with the user. An additional “classifieds” widget assists those trying to conduct business online who want to be reached through more synchronous means than email.

There is more – if you are looking to listen to a little music while you chat, so be it. Like AIM, Goober has also integrated entertainment music and video into the client. Goober scours the internet for free video channels and radio stations found on the internet and allows for the playback of them at the bottom of the client. I love this feature but unfortunately, the quality is subpar. 

Overall, Goober is a pretty decent IM client. Unfortunately, I won’t be a switcher quite yet. AIM is not included. However, those who regularly communicate across several protocols should check it out, especially once Goober adds AIM and Gtalk support. It is currently in beta, so many features and changes will be taking place. Fortunately, your phone and other computers won’t be left out to collect dust with their multi-platform upgrade system. Speaking of phones, if you own an iPhone, I was told that there are more great features coming soon in conjunction with the iPhone so stay tuned. I do application reviews at iPhone Matters so be on the lookout when this feature is released.

I have spent a number of years following backup services and discovering new ones. Some are good, some are bad, but one that slipped under my radar was a service called SpiderOak. I was contacted by Ethan Oberman, co-founder, for this relatively new service and I was, of course, ready to experience a new backup service with open arms.

As our digital media grow, it is imperative that we all find ways to keep it forever. I was once a strong believer that I could never be a victim of hundreds of important files lost. I saw more clearly my mistake when I lost some of my most valuable pictures, videos, and music years ago. To keep that from ever happening again, I backup to several places so in the event that anything fails, I have a backup somewhere else. SpiderOak has made the list of saving my most important files, and doing it well.

For For $10 a month, you can store up to 100GB; this can be further increased with another $10 per 100GB increment not just for one computer, not two, but all your computers! If you are like me, then you’ll take it and run with it. One thing that $10/month will get you is advanced security. SpiderOak has one of the most advanced security systems that I have used in a backup service. Many people have their security concerns, so the SpiderOak team takes great pride in protecting their customers. In fact, because of its strong encryption, the program is currently available only in the United States. MacNN, a favorite site of mine, mention: “While it’s unlikely that employees will browse through your files, the possibility is always there, which means you lack true privacy. That’s why the site uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), a US government algorithm, for encrypting your data on its servers. In theory this not only halts local access, but means that if the password is lost or forgotten, even you will never be able to retrieve your files ever again.”

I would probably suggest you always remember your password . Also unique to SpiderOak is a feature I absolutely love. Versioning is a wonderful feature that all backup services should use in my opinion. Imagine you save a document, and you decided to change some things within the document and resave it. Most services would replace the backup copy with the new one, however, SpiderOak not only keeps that version, but any previous changes you have made or will make. Brilliant.

SpiderOak also takes great pride in giving users the ability to share their files. You can designate specific files to share, assign a password to them, and then anyone with the right password can access your files over the Internet. Simple as that! With such a simple program, anyone can use it and not only am I talking about any person being able to use this program but any operating system can use it as well. This cross-platform program can have you backing up on your Mac laptop, Windows PC, or your Linux computer.

I am not particularly fond of the look and feel of SpiderOak, but in my conversations with Oberman, he made it easily understandable when he said, “this has been as issue that we have discussed at length internally. However, given that one of our top priorities from the beginning was to be completely cross platform, we wanted to provide a consistent look and feel within the application regardless of platform. Therefore, if you are on a Mac, a Windows machine, or working in Linux, the SpiderOak application will look and feel the exact same.”

That is when the saying, Never judge a book by its cover comes to mind. Despite its unpleasing facade lies a great functional program that not only backs up your files (as it is suppose to do) but also does so with security that even you cannot access without the password. SpiderOak is also joining the “Cloud.” “The company allows users to create a ‘SuperCloud’ that protects them against data loss, makes all stored information available by browser on a 24×7 basis, offers password-protected ‘ShareRooms’ for easy family/friend/colleague access, and provides a variety of technical advantages for efficient and cost-effective data management.” 

I have tried a large number of social networking tools, and have remained unimpressed. Twitter’s desktop tools fail to astonish me, and selections for other tools are even more sparse. I have also tried a number of combined IM clients, such as Trillian, Pidgin, and Miranda, and have remained unimpressed. Although, Trillian Astra may be a whole other story. Now, I have found a new tool, called Digsby, and this one has impressed me.

So what is Digsby? Disgby is a instant messenger client that not only combines all other messenger clients into one (except a few), but also combines social networking, email, and the new Facebook chat. Currently, there is no combined email monitoring/social network monitoring tool apart from Digsby, but that will likely change soon. Most combined clients focus on the IM system, allowing one tool to connect to multiple networks. This is nice, because then you can view all your friends and such in one location.

Instead of segregating each service to its own area, like the other tools do, Digsby mixes them together, removing barriers. You can still tell who is on what network, by a symbol added to their picture, but they are all listed in one large contact group. You can easily start chats with people on multiple networks by double clicking their name, no need to change windows or panes. Furthermore, if your friend is on multiple networks, you can combine all their contacts into one. Clicking that will allow you to start messaging them on whatever networks of which they are online.

One thing that one client does (AIM) that is quite nice is that it pops up messages when you get a new message, and has an input box on those messages so you can reply to the message. Digsby does this as well, but for every network. In addition to IM, these popups work for social networks and email, so you can catch that message as it hits your inbox. Very cool. However, sometimes they can be annoying. When you have all the networks, email monitoring, and Facebook, the popups can be constant and fill your screen with updates. This can easily be changed though.

Many people have Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc accounts. Updating these can be a chore, usually involving cellphones or browsers. Digsby integrates with many of these, allowing you to update your status, see your friends’ status, and much more. This is one of the nicer features, and allows for quick status updates, so you can let your friends know exactly what you are doing. Something I really enjoy about Digsby is its email integration. AIM, Google Talk, and Yahoo Im offer alerts for when you get new emails, but unless you see the alert when you get it, you miss information about it. Digsby shows similar alerts with its popup, but also allows you to view the summaries of your unread messages, and perform various quick actions on them.

Digsby is also nice enough to include widgets, so if you have a website of Facbook account, you can install that widget to your pages, and people can come and chat with you, without having to use Digsby. The chat client is flash based, so it is speedy and easy to embed, as well as offering several color choices and customization options. If someone you do not wish to talk to starts annoying you, you can block their IP address. Simple as that!

Digsby is currently in open beta, and they are doing a phenomenal job. They are constantly pushing updates to make Digsby even more compelling. The latest update includes Facebook Chat and other fixes. Overall, Digsby is great, and some of the other multi-network messengers should take note. Trillian Astra has been in private beta for years and I am begging to think it will never be released, but when it does, Digsby may have something to fight for, but until then, look no further than Digsby.

TradeVibes is a wiki-type platform that allows individuals to promote and discuss information regarding private companies on the Web.  TradeVibes calls itself an information gathering engine and is, in my opinion, the most valuable new tool for bloggers and Website owners.  Recently out of private beta, TradeVibes has raised millions in sponsors and is growing exponentially.  Owners and Web fans can add sites to TradeVibes, coupled with news stories and metric information, to significantly increase traffic, sponsorship, fan base and feedback.

Screenshot of site metrics:

An interesting feature of TradeVibes is that the site allows you to explore by asking a few simple questions on the types of startups or Websites that you are interested in finding.  After answering them, TradeVibes provides you with a page by page showcase of sites that specifically match your interest.  I enjoy this feature because I am always typing search queries in Google such as “sites like Picknik” or “applications like Bitstrips” and I have to search through hundreds of links to figure out if the program is worth downloading.  Of course, you can also find sites alphabetically or by industry.    

On each showcase page, TradeVibes offers a massive plethora of information about each startup company such as the address, phone, date founded, industry type, key people, board of directors, the amount and name of investors and product screenshots.  The individual pages even list competitors which is helpful if you are trying to make an educated decision on which service to sign up for. 

Here is a screenshot of Recommendr:

Users of TradeVibes can submit news stories to the site which is an excellent tool for bloggers.  Submitting news articles is simple and there is a Digg-like thumb up/down next to each article.  It is nice to be able to see how many people are enjoying and agreeing with what you wrote (or vice versa).  The site currently offers over a thousand sites to discuss and get information on and several sites are being added daily.  To add an article, the site in which the article is about must be registered with TradeVibes and then the two can be linked together.  Anyone can submit articles, which makes TradeVibes a new, elite tool for promoting your blog or new Website. 

On the main page, users can participate in a “bullish” or “bearish” poll on various sites.  Bullish is for, Bearish is against.  Based on particular answers, users can submit the reasons for their selections, and then other users can add supporting or opposing viewpoints on top of that.  The setup is straightforward and appealing, giving site owners a firsthand look into the future of their site.

Here is a bullish/bearish poll on FixYa:

The TradeVibes site also offers a forum area where, so far, the discussions are intelligent and useful.  Users are currently discussing entrepreneurial ventures, industrial trends and investing.  It is also a nice collaboration tool for site owners to gather feedback on their page.  Part of the discussion board is a job section that allows site creators to post current job openings – I predict could give sites similar to Monster (and countless others) a run for it – because they are becoming bogged down with unsatisfactory postings.  If I was interested in a job with an imminent site, I would positively rather explore through TradeVibes. 

TradeVibes, by far my favorite new site, is going to do very well and everyone can benefit from its advantageous offers.

Watch the TradeVibes YouTube Demo:

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=yH93tGywL2E[/youtube]