Summer is right around the corner and that means you’ll likely be spending more time on patios and at backyard barbecues. Not that you’d really need either of those excuses to get a drink, but it could mean more alcohol in your future. How do you avoid packing on the pounds, though? You could consume one of these healthy alcoholic drinks for women, but what about more manly alternatives?

The good news is that there are plenty of manly drinks that won’t have you moving your belt over to the next notch. Yes, you just may be able to save yourself from that unsightly beer belly, though it could mean that you should avoid “having yet another brewsky” with the boys. They do call it a beer belly for a reason and, let’s be honest, it’s not exactly flattering when you’re trying to hit on the girls at the beach.

So, what are some healthy alcoholic drinks for us alcohol-enjoying gents? How do we get the buzz without the gut?

Wine: White or Red

Red Wine (QuinnDombrowski / Flickr)

Of all the alcohol on the shelf, one of the best options is to go to the cellar. Offering the least number of calories on a per-ounce basis, wine is great with your health-conscious dinner. In fact, most wines are only 20 calories per ounce and they have no fat, no sodium, and no cholesterol.

Wine has also been demonstrated to have some healthful benefits in moderation. Red wine is an antioxidant, protecting your body from cancer. It’s also good for protecting you from heart disease. White wine has fewer carbs (2g) than red wine (4g) per 5-ounce serving, so you’ll get good stuff either way.

Liquor on the Rocks

A man’s man doesn’t need a mixer and, if you’re staying on the healthier side of things, skipping the mixer altogether is really the way to go. Most of the calories that you find in cocktails are coming from the soft drink, the juice, and the sugar-laden syrups used to mask the taste of the alcohol. But you’re a man and you want a manly drink. Ditch the mixer.

Jack Daniel's Whiskey

It’s up to you if you want your drink neat or on the rocks, but drinking it straight is how you can cut those calories and the sugar intake. For instance, a double Scotch whiskey on the rocks will put you at just under 140 calories with zero carbs. Purists will say skip the ice.

Vodka and Soda with Lime

Vodka and Soda with Lime (Baileyaros.blogspot.com)

Maybe you want something lighter than shots of hard liquor. One of the best healthy alcoholic drinks is to mix your liquor of choice with club soda or sparkling water, squirting some lime juice for flavor. Have the whole thing on ice and be a happy boy.

I personally prefer doing this with vodka, but you could just as easily use gin, whisky, or whatever else you want, so long as it’s not some sugary liqueur. It should be noted that tequila has signifantly more carbs (5.3g per ounce) than most other liquors. Gin and white rum, for example, have zero carbs.

Whisky and Green Tea

Whiskey and Green Tea (PeckTheBeak.com)

If you’re looking for a warm drink in the evenings, this really hits the spot. The whisky doesn’t have much in terms of calories and the green tea comes with all sorts of additional health benefits, like boosting your immune system and lowering cholesterol levels. If you prefer other teas, like Earl Grey, that’s not a bad choice either.

Healthy Alcoholic Drinks Include Beer?

Yes, beer isn’t the healthiest choice, relative to straight hard liquor or a glass of wine, but you can still make some relatively healthier choices within this realm. Light beers are typically the least offensive with the fewest calories and carbohydrates. Lagers are generally better than ales in both respects too. In general, having fuller body and fuller flavor is usually associated with having more carbs and more calories.

Beer Calories and Carbs

Check out this useful chart to find your favorite brand of beer. For instance, whereas Michelob Ultra has only 95 calories and 2.6g of carbs, Michelob Amber Boch has 166 calories and 15g of carbs. That’s a pretty huge difference.

As with all your other alcohol-related decisions, try to be wise about which drinks you order too.

Image credit: indi.ca / Flickr

###

Just as switching from soda pop to a nice herbal tea is great option, the same can be said when it comes to the drinks with alcohol. Before you load up on that seriously sweet lime margarita, perhaps you should consider some of these healthier alternatives that pack just as much of an alcoholic punch, but without the dietary regrets.

Wine Spritzer

Wine spritzers are a low calorie standby that can be just as enjoyable as their more caloric counterparts. And they have two very important advantages worth noting. First, the wine itself is good for you in moderation. Red wine potentially prevents cancer (antioxidant) and heart disease. Second, the spritzer is a zero calorie mixer, letting you dilute your drink without packing on additional calories.

Wine Spritzer (toolmantim / Flickr)

A typical five-ounce glass of wine is about 100 calories, but if you’re diluting it with spritzer, you can get away with less than five ounces, bringing the calorie count down even further.

Honey Mojito

Honey Mojito (CocktailTimes.com)

There’s nothing quite like a refreshing mojito on a hot summer day, but all that simple syrup is inherently packed with sugar (and calories). A really simple solution is to replace the simple syrup with honey. You still get the sweetness and you don’t have to turn to artificial sweeteners to do it.

To make your honey mojito, take out a tall glass and combine 2 ounces of rum and 4 ounces of club soda. Dissolve half a teaspoon of honey. Then, muddle one sliced lime with some mint leaves, adding the mixture to your drink. Fill with ice and you have a 150 calorie treat.

Christmas Cooler

Christmas Cooler (Shape.com)

See the beautiful colors? The Christmas Cooler was featured in Shape Magazine and it’s perfectly suitable for seasons other than the winter holidays too.

What you’ll need to do is muddle together four whole blackberries, half a cinnamon stick, and one ounce of pomegranate grenadine. That last bit is made in advance by combining equal parts pom juice and sugar, cooking on a stovetop until reduced to a third. Add Tanqueray gin and 1/2 ounce of lemon juice. Shake with ice, strain into an ice-filled glass, and top with club soda.

Pomegranate Wine

Pomegranate Wine (SeriousEats.com)

Speaking of the popular superfruit, pomegranate can be fermented into wine too. Following the instructions on DailyFruitWine.com, you’ll end up with four liters of finished product. Remember that pomegranate offers three times the antioxidants as an equivalent amount of red wine! This is certainly more involving than just mixing a vodka cranberry, but you’ll get a much more unique beverage to show off to your other health-conscious friends.

Vodka and Crystal Light

Vodka and Crystal Light (EllenClarke.blogspot.com)

As I said above, mixers are largely to blame. For a nice variety of healthy alcoholic drinks, simple replace the less healthy mixers with healthier alternatives. You might already be drinking Crystal Light and other similar beverages, so why not spike it with some vodka? Alternatively, you can use diet cranberry juice, which can be as low as five calories a serving. Add in about 100 calories for 1.5 ounces of vodka, which won’t alter the taste of the juice that much, and you’ve got a 105 calorie drink that’s actually good for you.

Sangria: The Best Healthy Alcoholic Drinks?

Sangria (Dinner Series / Flickr)

Counting calories is only one consideration when it comes to healthy alcoholic drinks. You should also think about where you’re getting those calories. A popular drink among men and women alike is sangria, both in red wine and white wine varieties.

There’s a reason why some people call sangria one of the healthiest alcoholic beverages when on a diet. You get low carbs, low fat, and low calorie, but you get all the nutritional goodness of fresh fruit, coupled by the benefits of moderate wine consumption. A typical glass of sangria is about 150 calories.

Here’s to drinking to your health! Enjoy responsibly!

Image credit: miss karen / Flickr

###

Beta testing among your co-workers and colleagues can only go so far. For some real beta testing, you might consider giving uTest a try. Used by the likes of Groupon, Netflix, Amazon and Intuit, uTest has a long track record of helping companies of all sizes meet their testing goals.

What Is uTest and How Is It Different?

In a nutshell, uTest offers a software testing service where you can submit your app and they’ll have their QA team run it through its wringer. This service encompasses web-based applications, desktop applications, and mobile apps across multiple platforms. In the case of web-based apps, for instance, you can request that the app be tested in Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera, and multiple versions of IE. When it comes to mobile apps, uTest can handle Android, iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry OS, and webOS.

One of the bigger points to note here is that uTest offers real-world testing. Many app developers have likely experienced this problem: they run and test the app on their own and everything seems to be problem-free. With the utmost confidence, they launch the app into the world only to find that it is actually riddled with bugs. These bugs are encountered by users in different countries, using different platforms, on different devices, under different circumstances.

“Most software testing vendors help companies to test better inside the QA lab. This is necessary and important work, but it doesn’t replicate the conditions and experience of end users,” said Matt Johnston, Chief Marketing Officer at uTest. “Conversely, uTest’s software testing services enable companies to test their web and mobile apps in the wild — that is, under real-world conditions, with professional testers using real devices, imperfect connectivity and in 190+ countries.”

Needless to say, there’s a definite value in getting your app beta tested by uTest. By finding the bugs before any kind of public release, you are able to protect the perception and performance of your app. This gives you the opportunity to iron out the kinks that were discovered through real-world use, giving you the chance for a cleaner and more successful launch. It doesn’t matter if you have a great app if it’s riddled with bugs; that’ll spell doom right from the start. Find those bugs and fix them now before they end up costing you down the road.

Who Are the Testers and What Do They Do?

Yes, the tester pool for uTest just about spans the entire globe, but that doesn’t mean that you’re getting second rate testers. Matt Johnston says that the “50,000+ professional testers…have an average of five and a half years professional QA experience, and 95% work full-time or part-time in the QA profession.”

If you have a look at the How It Works page, you’ll see that uTest offers five main types of beta testing: functional testing to ensure your apps work the way they should; security testing to help you avoid common security and privacy vulnerabilities; load testing to see if your app’s performance doesn’t degrade with heavy traffic; localization testing to cover content translations; and usability testing to help you launch products that are intuitive and clean.

The testers are assigned through a proprietary matching algorithm. “So when uTest tells you that a tester is a great functional tester on iPhone apps, or extremely strong in usability testing of web apps in the retail industry,” said Johnston, “it’s because our customers have rated those testers highly based upon their past performance.”

How Much Does It Cost?

Aye, there’s the rub. In order to get pricing for the service, you must first select the type of testing that you want and then fill out a basic contact form. While uTest would certainly prefer if you put in your legitimate information, none of it is verified, so you can enter whatever you want.

You’re then directed to the planning wizard where you define the app type, operating systems, app industry, testing deliverables, app complexity, team size, testing duration, and testing regions.

Using my hypothetical example above of an iOS app for exploratory testing in North America and Europe for a period of six months, the price estimate comes out on the $3001-$3667 range per month. That works out to an approximate total cost of $20,000. This won’t fit everyone’s budget, to be sure, and the cost goes up with greater complexity or a larger number of platforms. As such, uTest makes more sense for companies that are willing to invest that kind of cash. That’s why the customer list includes the likes of Google, Microsoft, and Associated Press.

Who Else Can Beta Test?

If you’re looking to save yourself some money, there are some alternatives out there like TestFlight and iBetaTest. That said, there are at least two concerns that you should keep in mind: these alternatives are mostly public, so they might affect public perception of your app before it officially launches; and the beta testers aren’t necessarily professional and may not be able bring the same kind of valuable experience to the table.

Yes, uTest isn’t exactly cheap, but can you really afford to launch a bug-ridden app?

###

Sifting through this overwhelming array of choices and finding the perfect program for you can be nearly as difficult as actually completing the work itself. Every college will try to persuade you that their program is ideal for your needs and aspirations, and there’s very little objective, unbiased comparative information to help with such a difficult decision.

Narrowing Your Choices With Limited Information

Even if you can narrow your choices down to a single college or university, you’re then met with yet another vast variety of choices consisting of majors, minors, training programs, certificates, and courses to choose from. Having little basis to compare these programs, students often have no choice but to base these life-altering decisions on, “hunches,” “vibes,” or trivial differences between them. As crazy as it may seem, even smart, diligent students have to take their chances and commit several years and thousands of dollars to a program based on very little information.

That’s why resources like RateMyProfessors.com can be indescribably valuable in helping students choose colleges, majors, minors, and courses based on millions of reviews from their peers. Students from over 7,500 colleges and universities rank their courses and their professors based on their own experiences, and younger students can use these reviews to compare colleges, professors, and they courses that they offer.

RateMyProfessors.com is not for lazy students seeking easier classes and laid-back professors. While each review contains a rating of “easiness” for each professor, they also contain ratings for helpfulness, clarity, and even a rating for rater interest to provide an idea of how enthused the rater was by the course material itself. Obviously, a person who is fascinated by computer science will leave a more favorable review of a robotics course than someone who hates programming and can’t stand computers, so the rater interest metric is quite helpful when comparing professors and courses.

RateMyProfessors.com lets students rate their teachers on a variety of carefully-chosen criteria

RateMyProfessors.com has aggregated these 13 million ratings to create lists like “Highest Rated Professors” and “Top Schools.” These lists are rarely in alignment with the US News & World Report’s annual list of top colleges, most likely because while US News & World Report’s findings are based on broad, macro-level data like admission rate, graduation rate, and average classroom size. RateMyProfessors bases their rankings on individual student experiences, which are arguably far more relevant and helpful when faced with the difficult choices of choosing an educational path.

When we’re choosing a restaurant, a car dealership, or a babysitter, we rarely look at “big picture,” macro-level data. We’re far more likely to look for individual experiences like restaurant reviews, dealership experiences, or babysitter referrals. These more personal recommendations are apparently far more meaningful and influential, suggesting that RateMyProfessors.com’s reviews should be just as influential on your college decision-making process as any other information. If your next professor has reliably good ratings, you should enter his or her course with confidence. On the other hand, if your next class has dismal reviews, you might want to save yourself a lot of frustration and find a different course to meet your requirements and ambitions.

Making The Most of Your Education Takes More Than Good Grades

A smart student will study diligently, prepare well for tests and earn a good grade. An even smarter student will plan ahead, seek out the best professors, avoid unworthy classes, and make the most of their education by studying not only the course materials, but the courses themselves. This will almost certainly lead to a more thorough education and a happier, more talented graduate.

###

While Google+ hasn’t quite been a runaway success, to put it lightly, Google continues to dominate the online world and that domination is continuing with the recent launch of Google Drive. We’re once again going to the cloud with yet another Google service and there’s a very good chance that it’ll become an indispensible part of our daily lives on the world wide web. Will it squash the cloud storage alternatives like SugarSync and Dropbox, or will it fizzle out like Google+? Before we get that far, let’s just get a closer look at Google Drive and what it’s all about.

The Evolution of Google Docs

Many people are saying that Google Drive is positioned to be a direct competitor to cloud storage solutions like Skydrive and Box.net, but that isn’t completely true. While it’s there for cloud storage, it’s probably more accurate to say that it’s the natural progression of Google Docs. In fact, after you “sign up” for Google Drive, Google Docs will disappear altogether from your account.

Uploading with Google Drive

When you try to access Docs, you’ll simply get redirected to Drive. From a user experience perspective, it’s really not all that different. You still get all the usual files and folders from the web interface, but there’s the added function of being able to upload additional file types, as well as the ability to upload entire folders.

In either case, all of these files will still work in a very similar way to Google Docs. You can share the files with your colleagues and collaborate on them in real time. Select file types can be converted to the corresponding Google Docs formats, like spreadsheets and word documents. One difference is that you can switch to “grid” view rather than “list” view, if you prefer a more visual layout.

Synchronizing with Apps

Perhaps the bigger difference is the introduction of desktop applications. Google has already pushed out the apps for Windows PC and Mac OS, as well as an Android app. The iPhone app is being planned for the near future.

What you’ll find here is that the Google Drive desktop app works not unlike the Dropbox application you may already have. There’s a folder that is then synchronized with your account. You can go ahead an install the app on multiple computers and it’ll all sync up accordingly.

Drive Desktop App

Normal file types that can be natively read by your computer can be easily accessed offline, but you’ll need to go through a setup process if you want to view Google Docs file types.

Upgrading Your Storage

Since this is Google we’re talking about, the basic plan will always be free. You start off with 5GB of Drive storage (Google Docs doesn’t count against this), as well as 10GB of Gmail and 1GB of Picasa. From there, the storage plan pricing starts at $2.49/month for 25GB of Drive storage (plus a free bonus upgrade to 25GB for Gmail), going all the way up to 16TB for $799.99/month. There are seven additional plans between those two.

Is It a Dropbox Killer?

I’m still convinced that Dropbox is one of the best cloud-based apps out there, especially now that you can share any file and not just those in the “Public” folder, but Google Drive is certainly an intriguing proposition. It also helps that the Google Drive pricing undercuts Dropbox: 100GB with Drive is $4.99/month, compared to $19.99/month with Dropbox.

Native support for over 30 files from right within your web browser is certainly appreciated, as is the ability to collaborate on files in real time, though the latter was already available through Docs. The terms can be a little scary — “When you upload or otherwise submit content to our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works…” — but we’ve come to expect nothing less from the Big G.

Image credit: ZDNet

###

And here is the fourth and final installment in our series (1-10, 11-20, 21-30) on Y Combinator startups that just might help you save some time, save some money, and even save you from some unneeded headache. These Internet startups have all received seed funding and much needed guidance from Y Combinator, allowing them to get off the ground and into the public eye.

Today’s list is a little more special, because they’re all startups that have only “graduated” from the Y Combinator program within the last two years. Many of them are still trying to get the exposure that they need, but they’re all up and running, ready to help you live the smarter life. Are you ready to get a little more organized and have a few extra nickels in your pocket?

31. Gantto

Gantt charts, originally developed by one Henry Gantt, are an organizational tool that help you illustrate a project schedule. This is particularly effective when the project elements have timelines that overlap, giving you a better grasp of what needs to be done, what is currently being done, and when it all needs to be done by. With Gantto, creating these charts on your computer are a piece of cake and you can even have multiple people collaborate on the charts in real time.

32. WorkFlowy

On the surface, WorkFlowy might look like just another “to do” app, but it’s actually much more powerful than that. The idea is that you can jot down notes (and yes, these can be to do items) in a manner that is similar to how your brain operates. Create nested bullet points for what you need to do and use it to organize your ideas into something a little more digestible.

33. AnyLeaf

Even though I pretty much live on the Internet, I still get a little giddy when the flyers get dropped off at my house. Yes, it’s mostly junk, but I do like seeing what deals are happening around town. With AnyLeaf, the process is a lot easier, because you can sift out all the products that don’t interest you. You’re then left with “unbelievable deals on local groceries” based on your individual preferences and these are sent to you as a daily digest for free.

34. AeroFS

AeroFS

While services like SugarSync and Dropbox are a great way to synchronize your files across computers, they inherently come with limited storage. AeroFS takes a different approach, synchronizing files without having necessarily to turn to the cloud. Your files aren’t saved in the cloud unless you specifically enable Cloud Backup; otherwise, your files can then stay in their respective local locations. In essence, you have your own peer-to-peer network for your personal files, all without having to resort to servers.

35. TellFi

There’s something to be said about the appearance of professionalism. If you want to have a business phone system, complete with extensions and voicemail, but you don’t want to invest in the physical infrastructure, TellFi could be an intriguing solution. You get all the features that a business phone system would normally have, but it’s all handled online and it costs as little as ten bucks a month.

36. HelloFax

On the subject of communications, many of us feel that fax machines should have gone the way of the dinosaur ages ago, but somehow they linger as a necessity for many businesses. Why not do away with the hardware and use HelloFax instead? It’s basically an online fax machine that works with both sending and receiving, getting signatures, filling out forms, and all the rest. The free plan includes five fax pages and five signature requests per month.

37. Tutorspree

Tutorspree

The Pythagorean theorem have you confused again? Can’t figure out all this quadratic equation nonsense? Little Timmy asking for help with homework, but you haven’t a clue where to begin? Instead of sifting through Craigslist and browsing local bulletin boards, you might want to use Tutorspree to find “great private tutors in your area.” This is a simple, straightforward, and hassle-free way of finding the right tutors quickly and effectively.

38. ZeroCater

Need to feed a bunch of people in the office and many of these people have certain dietary preferences? Take the hassle out of catering with ZeroCater. They “arrange delivered meals for your company from the best local restaurants.” They’ll cycle through a rotation of more than 90 local restaurants that you can then rate, giving ZeroCater the opportunity to adjust the kind of food they send. The fee is a 7% charge on the normal cost of the meal.

39. ScreenLeap

Want an easier way to collaborate or offer tutorials? ScreenLeap allows you to “share your screen instantly to any device with a browser.” The cool thing is that you don’t have to download or install anything, so it works from right within your browser. It doesn’t cost a thing and the viewing can be done not only on PCs, but also tablets and smartphones. This is great for seminars and team projects.

40. Science Exchange

Granted, this is going to be a pretty specialized service, but it is one that could “dramatically change the weay in which scientists do research.” Science Exchange is essentially a marketplace where researchers in different facilities and institutions can offer up their machines and services to other scientists and researchers. This makes it easier to outsource experiments, getting access to specialized equipment, reduce the cost of science, and expedite the pace of innovation and discovery.

And there you have it: forty Internet startups that couldn’t be more different in the services they provide, but they all got some great seed money and guidance by way of Y Combinator. Do you have a favorite Y Combinator startup that you think we missed in our list of 40? Let us know through the comment form below!

###

The great thing about Y Combinator is that it gives small Internet startups the opportunity to get off the ground. They invest a small amount of money twice a year in a handful of startups. These startups move to Silicon Valley for a few months, getting much needed funding and mentorship. From there, they can grow to the size of Dailybooth and Dropbox, both of which are Y Combinator graduates.

We’ve already featured 20 such Internet startups (1-10, 11-20) that received seed funding from Y Combinator, and today we’re keeping the list going with ten more startups that will make your life easier, more efficient, and just generally smarter. Technology is a wonderfully beautiful thing, but it takes the innovation and ingenuity of some bright entrepreneurs to put those wheels into motion.

21. FlightCaster

Whether you fly once a year or you go on business trips every week, it seriously sucks when you find out at the last minute that your flight is delayed. The idea behind FlightCaster is that the online tool can predict whether a flight will be delayed several hours before you get the official word from the airline. This is because airlines won’t announce a delay until they are 100% sure of it. Flightcaster looks at several factors, like inbound aircraft, departure airport status, arrival airport status, departure weather, and arrival weather, offering you a prediction not only on whether your flight will be delayed, but also by how much it will be delayed. And yes, FlightCaster is available as a mobile app too.

22. JobSpice

Formatting a resume in Microsoft Word can be quite the exercise in frustration. JobSpice simplifies the process by offering “an intuitive online tool that makes creating and publishing a well-designed custom resume easy and fun.” You don’t need to worry about getting the spacing just right, nor do you need to fumble around with the different header types and font choices. You can even import your LinkedIn profile to make the process even more painless. Check out some of the sample resumes to get an idea of what to expect.

23. WakeMate

Even after getting plenty of sleep, I still oftentimes wake up feeling groggy and unrested. Maybe I should consider getting a WakeMate. This innovative little wriststrap is worn while you sleep and it works in tandem with the mobile app, the latter of which is available for Android, BlackBerry, and iOS. You set an alarm within a 20-minute window, and the app will determine when in that 20 minutes is the optimal time to wake up. You can then review your automated sleep analysis to learn how you can sleep better and more efficiently.

24. MeetingMix

MeetingMix

There has to be a way to hold more efficient meetings. What you get with MeetingMix is twofold. First, it is an online agenda tool, so you can best outline a focused agenda “that attendees are prepared to discuss.” Second, it is an online minutes template, helping “attendees remember key decisions and follow up on action items.” While in the meeting, you can make sure you stay on track by monitoring how much time is spent on each topic and the centralized meeting minutes can then be shared with all attendees. You can import items from past meetings and setup recurring meetings too.

25. Crocodoc

Have you ever wanted to get some feedback on an essay, but the “track changes” tool in Microsoft Word is too clunky? What if you wanted some feedback on a logo design or some other document? With Crocodoc, you can view and comment on just about any document, including Word docs, PDF forms, images, and more. This free tool works completely online, giving the opportunity to scribble, draw, add comments, strikeout text, and more. This is great for real-time collaboration!

26. Cardpool

When you don’t really know what to get someone, you often times end up getting them a gift card. You’ve likely been on the receiving end of this too, but you might not actually want the gift card to that particular store. Cardpool is effectively an online marketplace where gift cards can be bought or sold at a discount. In the case of buying, you can save up to 35%. In the case of selling, you can get up to 92% cash back. All orders include free shipping and are fully guaranteed.

27. Lockitron

Lockitron

Physical keys are so last century. With Lockitron, your house keys can be completely replaced with your mobile phone. After installing the new lock, you simply use the provided mobile app and you can lock and unlock your door from anywhere in the world. Just use the app. If your phone is NFC-enabled, you can even “tap” to unlock your door as needed. What if you need to let a friend inside but you’re not around? You can offer a “virtual key” via text message that can then be deleted when it is no longer needed. The future is now! Just don’t lose your phone.

28. LaunchHear

When you run a website or a blog, it can sometime be a challenge getting in touch with all the different PR agencies to get your hands on review samples. Sometimes, you don’t even know where to start, and even when you do, you want to get the first dibs. What LaunchHear does is introduce “top bloggers to new and unreleased products.” They gauge whether you are a “top digital influencer,” and they connect you with “early review copies of new products” that you can then highlight on your site. It’s not pay-per-post, it’s heavily curated, and it’s completely transparent. LaunchHear has contacts with companies that produce books, gadgets, movies, clothing, games, music, and more.

29. Greplin

The digital life may have changed everything, but it has also made for quite the disjointed life. Greplin connects to all of your accounts on the web, unifying them together into one cohesive unit. Looking for that important tidbit of info that your friend told you, but you can’t remember if that message came via Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Basecamp, or LinkedIn? No problem. Greplin sifts through thousands of messages to find the info you need. The same is true with contacts, events, files, projects, and more. The promise from Greplin is that you’ll spend less time finding and, hopefully, more time living.

30. ReadyForZero

Debt. Crushing debt. While some simple self-discipline can go a long way, you really need to have a plan if you want to get that debt under control. ReadyForZero “is a simple way to control and reduce debt online.” The web-based tool helps you make a plan by connecting to your online accounts (including checking accounts, credit cards, student loans, mortgages, and more), giving you a better sense of the whole picture. You get payment reminders, automated alerts, financial suggestions, account updates, and progress tracking, rewarding you for your success.

One more set of ten Y Combinator startups is on the way! Keep an eye out for our fourth and final installment in this series.

###

As I said in the first entry to this series, Y Combinator is a great way for small Internet startups to get seed funding and guidance. Without this funding, the great ideas from the minds of some great Internet entrepreneurs may not have ever come to be. Did you know that both Reddit and OMGPOP received Y Combinator funding?

The core focus of this list is on Y Combinator startups that cater mostly to saving you time and money. They’re hear to help you live the smarter life, automating the things that can be automated and otherwise making your daily tasks just a little easier. This can be from the professional context, as well as from the personal side of things. After all, the smart life is the complete life, right?

Let’s have a look at the next ten startups worth your attention.

11. RescueTime

Are you wasting time on Facebook? Again? What if you could more easily quantify the time that you spend at your computer, breaking it down by the task at hand? That’s exactly what RescueTime does. The app runs in the background of your Mac or Windows PC, tracking the time that you spend with each browser window or program. It only tracks whatever is on top, so if you have multiple tabs open in Safari, it’ll only track the active tab. Then, through the time tracking reports and graphs, you can see exactly how much time you’ve wasted playing Angry Birds in Chrome. Again.

12. Chatterous

While platforms like BlackBerry Messenger have a pretty good group chat function, not everyone has a BlackBerry and not everyone wants to chat from a cell phone. And people don’t necessarily want to sign up for a new service either. That’s part of the beauty of Chatterous. It’s a group chat platform that can be used on the web, via email, or on the phone. It even allows your friends to use existing communication tools like Google Talk and you can embed the chat room on your website for further flexibility. Save time with this more efficient way to communicate and collaborate.

13. Ninite

We’ve all been there. A new version of our favorite software gets released and then we have to go through the process of updating it. We click next. And then we click next. Then, we agree to the terms and conditions. Then, we click next again. And then we do it all over again for another program. Ninite fixes that. You simply pick the programs you want and Ninite does the rest, automatically updating them to the latest version whenever they become available. Supported software programs include Skype, Thunderbird, iTunes, VLC, Flash, IrfanView, OpenOffice, Avast, eMule, Dropbox, WinRAR, and more.

14. ContestMachine

ContestMachine

Do you want to host a contest on your website or blog? Contest Machine is a real timesaver, because it really automates the whole process. Instead of you having to gather up all the entries manually, enter them into a spreadsheet, and choose a winner by hand, Contest Machine will collect all the entries for you and it can even be used to contact the winner. The widget is easy to embed on any site and you can use it gather user feedback. There’s even an opt-in mailing list feature. Plans start at $9.95/month.

15. Anyvite

The big names in this arena are probably Meetup.com and Evite.com, but Anyvite shouldn’t be ignored. Yes, it’s “just” another easy way to create online event invitations, but it’s also remarkably robust. You can customize the design of the invitation with different main images and background images, but the guest list can be imported from your email address books, guests can promote the event via Twitter, and you can even use the platform to sell tickets to your event, getting paid via PayPal.

16. Ididwork

Responsibility and accountability are big in the workplace, but who has time to keep track of all that? Ididwork is an online application where employees can keep a work log and see how their work impacts the team, while managers can quickly see what everyone is doing and give regular feedback back to the employees. This makes preparing performance reviews a heck of a lot easier and it ensures that everyone stays on the same page.

17. Picwing

Picwing

While I’m mostly inclined to view photos on a computer screen, there’s still something to be said about printed pictures. Picwing makes the process easier, because it will automatically print and mail your photos twice a month. This is a great way to automate sending baby photos to grandma, for example. All you do is email the photos to your personalized @picwing.com address from an authorized e-mail address and the rest is taken care of for you. Plans start at 15 prints per batch with one recipients for $6.95/month with any unused prints rolling over into the next batch.

18. Echodio

If you have more than one Mac where you use iTunes, you’ll want to take a look at Echodio. They say that it is the “easiest way to sync iTunes playlists, ratings, and play counts across your Macs,” working directly in iTunes. And yes, it will sync all your music files too, working with multiple libraries and preventing duplicate tracks. As an added bonus, Echodio will backup your music colleciton to the cloud and even let you stream music online via a Boxee plugin.

19. Airbnb

Staying in hotels can be expensive, especially when you plan on being in a city for an extended period of time. Wouldn’t you be more comfortable in a condo, townhouse, or even a whole house? With Airbnb, you interact directly with homeowners who are looking to rent out their spaces on a short-term basis. There’s a feedback system to make sure that Manhattan flat is really as great as the owner says it is, and the money is kept in escrow to ensure that the transaction is safe and legitimate.

20. Listia

Do you have some stuff kicking around, but you don’t want to bother trying to sell it on eBay or Craigslist? Listia offers an interesting alternative. Instead of selling your old clothes and gadgets, you list them on the site and give them away for free. When you do this, you earn credits that can then be “spent” on the stuff that other Listia members are offering. It’s win-win all around.

We’re only halfway there! Stay tuned for twenty more Y Combinator startups for the smarter life.

###

Attracting investors in your young startup can be quite challenging, which is why Y Combinator is such a blessing. The company has been set up specifically to help startups get their seed-stage funding, getting these projects out of the idea stage and into the real world. Y Combinator also provides advice and valuable connections. The trade is that the startup then gives up a certain percentage of equity.

These startups are incredibly diverse and many of them offer fantastic ways to help you get more of life, saving you time and money. In short, they can help you live the smart life. In this series of posts, we’ll be highlighting forty such startups that have received Y Combinator funding. They’re listed in no particular order.

1. Loopt

Available as an app for Android and iPhone, Loopt gives you a fun and easy way to “explore the places around you.” The idea is that you are able to read the mini reviews of places and find nearby friends on a map, but more importantly, the app also provides you with nearby deal alerts from both Loopt and Groupon. This can save you some serious money, especially if you’re out in a new town and looking for a place to eat.

2. Wufoo

Coding an online form from scratch can be awfully time-consuming. That’s why it’s so much easier to use a service like Wufoo. This is an online form builder that works by letting you click and drag to add fields to your form. It gives you the opportunity to add custom branding, get instant notifications, use logic & branching, upload files, and prevent spam with Captcha. With over 150 templates and themes, you can achieve some pretty unique looks too. Wufoo’s the real deal, being used by such companies as Best Buy, Twitter, Amazon, and Microsoft.

3. Snipshot

There are several online photo editors out there that provide reasonably simple alternatives to PhotoShop, but there is one major advantage that Snipshot has over most of them: this browser-based tool can be used to edit RAW files too. When you look at some of the other image editors, they require a processed source image in JPG, PNG, or similar formats. Snipshot also has an API, letting you utilize the tool on your own website.

4. Xobni

Smartr Contacts by Xobni

The main product being offered by Xobni is Smartr Contacts, an app that is available for Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry. It is also offered in plug-in form for Gmail and Outlook on your PC. Dubbed “the only contacts app you’ll ever need,” Smartr Contacts sifts through your social media profiles and your email history to sort and organize an automatic address book. All your conversations are gathered together in one place.

5. Weebly

You could create a website by writing all those lines of code, fumbling through the HTML, PHP, CSS, and a million other acronyms to get just the right look and functionality. Or, you could give Weebly a try. This is supposed to be the “easiest way to create a website,” offering hundreds of professional themes, as well as included hosting and a drag-and-drop website builder. Over 10 million people and businesses already use Weebly.

6. Buxfer

Taking care of your money is tough business. With Buxfer, you get “easy online money management.” The browser-based solution lets you review all your accounts in one place, keep a keen eye on your spending habits, set up email reminders to pay your bills on time, and even foresee your financial future. The mobile interface is pretty handy too.

7. Justin.tv

While it is certainly within the realm of reason that you’ll waste more time on Justin.tv than you’ll save, it’s undeniable that this live-streaming site is of incredible utility to people who need to stream video online. If you’re covering an event, it’s easy to stream from a webcam on a laptop or even from a smartphone. If you can’t make it to an event, you may be able to catch a livestream of it from the comfort of your home. That’s super handy.

8. Songkick

Songkick

Follow your favorite artists and bands with Songkick. This site lets you track their acts, letting you know when they’ll have a concert in your area. These personalized concert alerts can save you a lot of time, because you won’t be constantly checking each band’s website or sifting through the Ticketmaster listings to see when Kanye West or Coldplay are coming to a venue near you.

9. Disqus

While it may look like Disqus is a useful tool for bloggers who want a better comment system on their sites, having an account with Disqus as a web user is equally useful. That’s because you can track all the comments that you have left on sites around the web, seeing if people have followed up with more comments or questions. Think of it like RSS for your blog comments.

10. Dropbox

Easily one of our favorite cloud-based storage solutions, Dropbox synchronizes your files across multiple computers and mobile devices. The free account starts with 2GB of storage, increasing incrementally as you refer more users or upgrade to a paid premium account. Even if you’re on a computer where you don’t have Dropbox installed, you can log into the web interface to download and upload files at will.

Stay tuned for our next post on another batch of ten Y Combinator startups.

###

I’ve covered both of these time-savers in a series of posts — ‪Save Webpages For Later Offline Reading With Instapaper‬, Instapaper On Your Amazon Kindle E-Reader, Five Instapaper Tips, Tricks, And How-To’s, Read It Later For iPhone And iPad, Read It Later For Chrome And The Web, Get Distracted Later With Read It Later Pro (Android App), and Five Awesome Tricks For Read It Later – but which one is better? If you’re looking to save some web content to read later on either your computer or chosen mobile device, should you use Instapaper or Read It Later?

Both of these offerings are very similar in what they are trying to achieve. You find some article on the web that you want to read, but you don’t want to read it right now. You save it for some offline reading later on, which also happens to be a great way to conserve your data usage on your smartphone or tablet.

However, there are some distinct differences between Read It Later and Instapaper that may sway you one way or the other. Let’s see which solution reigns supreme.

The Advantages of Instapaper

From the context of consuming web content on a portable device, Instapaper for the iPhone and iPad has some interesting features that you won’t find in Read It Later. First, it has something called “night mode” where you get white text on a black background. That’s easier to read in dimly lit situations.

Instapaper

Another fascinating feature is the inclusion of the in-app dictionary, letting you look up unfamiliar words not only for their definition, but also for their Wikipedia entry. That’s convenient and useful. You may also like the “editor’s browser” that highlights some suggested reading material.

Most people who choose Instapaper, though, choose it because it offers absolute simplicity. The interface is super clean and efficient, stripping away as much fluff as possible and leaving you with the content that you really want to read.

The Advantages of Read It Later

Not to be outdone, Read It Later has some major selling points too. First, there is a free version available of the app; the free version of Instapaper was recently pulled from the App Store. Saving a few bucks never hurt.

Read It Later

It’s also quite notable that Read It Later has an app for Android, as well as support for all sorts of other devices. If you have something like the Galaxy Nexus, Read It Later is for you.

While there is a “text view” that strips away most of the visuals, Read It Later is definitely more media-centric than Instapaper. You get support for pictures, as well as videos. There’s also the very attractive “digest view” for consuming your saved content, as well as a great search interface for sifting through your reading list.

Which Webpage DVR Is Better?

It depends. If you value having the simplest, lightest weight, cleanest interface possible, Instapaper is a good bet. If you like having something a little more visually expressive or you have an Android device, then Read It Later is probably the better answer. The good news is that you can import Instapaper into Read It Later, should you ever choose to make that switch. Realistically, though, you probably won’t be all that disappointed with either choice. Both of these solutions (and their corresponding mobile apps) are a fantastic way to manage your reading and save your time.

###