DriveSafe.ly wins Mobile Apps Showdown at CES

An application that turns text messages to speech and voice to text messages to let drivers keep their eyes on the road captured top honors Saturday in the live voting portion of the 2011 Mobile Apps Showdown at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

DriveSafe.ly, which is available for Android and BlackBerry smart phones, includes these features:
— Reads text messages and e-mails aloud in real time.
— Operates hands-free. There’s no need to touch the phone while driving.
— One-touch activation. There’s no complicated setup.
— Bluetooth and radio transmitter compatibility.
— Reads text message shorthand (lol, brb).
— Optional customizable auto-responder.

An Apple iPhone version is in beta testing and will be available soon, the company’s website said.

Visit the DriveSafe.ly site:
http://www.drivesafe.ly/

Online voters chose Line 2 as the top app. Line2 adds a second phone line to smart phones, using data connections, Wi-Fi or a phone’s cellular voice feature, so calls are less likely to be dropped.

The free app is available for devices that run Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android operating systems. There's a free 30-day trial. Monthly rates are $9.95.

Line2 features include:
— Unlimited U.S./Canada voice over Internet protocol calls.
— Unlimited U.S./Canada short message service texting.
— Low international calling rates.
— 10 cent international texts.
— Dual-mode (Wi-Fi/3G or cellular).
— Call waiting/hold/transfer.
— 20-person conferencing.
— Visual voice mail.
— Voice mail by e-mail.

Visit the Line2 site:
http://www.line2.com

Visit the Mobile Apps Showdown site:
http://www.mobileappsshowdown.com/