Friday, September 14, 2007

Capital One: Great Auto Loans

Capital One is a big name in the auto loan and financing industry, and it'd be a crime not to check out their services. The application is simple to fill out and gives you auto loan approval instantly.

There are auto loan calculators, loan durations of 30 to 72 months and low interest rates. We must note that to qualify for an auto loan through this service, you have to have good credit.
  • Auto refinancing now available.
  • No obligation blank check program

We really liked the plethora of auto loan and refinancing information we found here on the Capital One website. Customer support was outstanding here, with quick and efficient telephone support and an extensive database of Help and Resources. We truly recommend this auto loan service to anyone with a more established credit score. Their name and commitment to loan excellence win them our Top Rated spot at 6.0 Stars!

Auto Loan Locator: Best Auto Loans?

We were pleasantly surprised with all the features we found on the Auto Loan Locator website.

Not only do they provide a wide variety of auto loan options, they also let you perform actions like buying out a lease or refinancing an existing loan.

  • Private party or dealer-covered auto loans.
  • New auto mall and auto buyer's guide.

6Star Reviews likes websites that make it easy to get the job done, and Auto Loan Locator delivers. The online application is very straight up and effortless to complete. You will be given a direct lender match, with a 'voucher' to use when you purchase your car. One downside is you must know where you will buy your car (either a dealer or private party) before you complete the loan application. We liked the bright and visually-appealing website interface, and customer support by way of telephone and email were both stellar. We really recommend this auto loan service to anyone and feel their extensive resources earn them our Most Popular spot with 5.5 Stars!

Cars Direct: Auto Loans & Refinance

Overall, we had a really positive experience on the Cars Direct auto loan website. First of all, they offer direct lending, so this is already a plus when so many auto loan websites only refer you to local car dealerships.

Cars Direct cuts out the middle man and saves you time, which we always appreciate. There are plenty of loan resources for you to skim through here and the loan application was quick to fill out and very user-friendly.
  • Manufacturer deals and rebates.
  • Trade-in and New Car Research

Our team liked that there were common auto loan features such as loan calculators and helpful resources, which we know will be of use to anyone shopping for auto loans. Telephone support is friendly here, but live chat left something to be desired. All in all though, Cars Direct stands out amongst the competition. We feel they should receive 5.0 Stars!

Auto Credit Express Auto Loans

Auto Credit Express is an auto loan website that isn't really a lender in itself, as they only refer you to dealers working with lenders that can offer you assistance.

However, they have very lenient credit requirements and the online application is very simple to fill out.
  • Discharged bankruptcies allowed
  • New and used car loans, loan calculators, one-page application.

There are plenty of useful resources on the Auto Credit Express website for those needing some financial advice and car loan tips in general. Customer support was bad here, with an error-laden online form and a looping telephone support system. But, if you really need an auto loan, this might be a good choice if you're willing to look past their customer service. Overall, we wanted to give them 4.5 Stars!

The Car Loan Center Auto Loans

As with many of The Car Loan Center's competitors, this particular website merely connects you to the necessary folk who can process your auto loan application for you.

In this case, it is local car dealerships. There were a few things we liked about The Car Loan Center, such as the ability to purchase an extended auto warranty, access to trade-in estimates, and an online loan calculator.
  • Receive a no-obligation quote on an extended auto warranty.
  • Loan referrals

6Star Reviews thinks The Car Loan Center offers the basics of an auto loan website. However, there aren't alot of frills here and throw in the absent customer support, and this definitely soured our experience on the website. Sure, the application seemed like a one-step process, but as soon as we submitted our auto loan form, we were hit with advertisements or 'spam' related pop-ups. Not a pleasant occurrence. This wasn't our favorite auto loan website, to say the least. They only receive 3.0 Stars!

Thursday, September 13, 2007

MMORPG Services

You may be wondering what all the hype is about regarding MMORPGs or massive multiplayer online role playing games. While the name itself may leave you confused, MMORPGs have quite a loyal following, and are growing as more people realize the fun and benefit of playing these games online.

Contrary to popular belief, online role playing games got their start in the early 1990’s and have grown incredulously. Last year, in the US alone, these games raked in a billion plus revenue and about 15 million paid and unpaid members hold MMORPG accounts. As evidenced by these figures, online role playing is no small feat!

Many of these games require logic, skill and a solid knowledge of each individual game. Many MMORPG services offer a feature called ‘powerleveling,’ which is basically the option to advance to upper levels of a game by having skilled players or the service itself skip the beginning stages for you. 6StarReviews.com reports that IGXE is a popular MMORPG service that not only has powerleveling for over 24 games, they have extensive virtual assets.

What is a virtual asset? Think of it as the ammo your character needs to take into battle in the many universes they’re sure to encounter. While these virtual assets of gold, weapons, and what not aren’t physically tangible, they’re worth money and are a big deal to MMORPG players. Some sites like IGE provide countless virtual assets for popular games like World of Warcraft.

Players can even exchange or buy and sell currency within the service, which results in real cash trading amongst gamers. Many companies such as Sony are recognizing the power of the MMORPG and are beginning to jump on the bandwagon in promoting this niche favorite. It’s apparent that we will continue to see growth in this gaming trend.
Popular MMORPG Service: IGXE

We felt that the IGXE MMORPG service has alot to offer virtual gamers by way of virtual assets and powerleveling. Boasting a great selection of supported games, IGXE has the common MMORPG features such as currency, CD Keys and powerleveling services.
  • Bonus dollars-A percentage of every purchase you make is converted into bonus dollars (if you spend $200 you earn $2 in bonus dollars).
  • 2Moons Currency & Powerleveling

6Star Reviews appreciates sites like IGXE that maintain a loyal following because of their selection and great pricing. For example, 4,000 Gold (Everquest II) will cost you only $31.78, which is quite lower than many of their competitors' pricing. There are numerous customer support options here, such as telephone support, email, fax, FAQs and live chat. How impressive! While email support was quick, their response didn't really help us. But, telephone support and live chat are good, so we cannot complain too much. They certainly deserve our Top Rated spot with 5.0 Stars!

IGE: Best MMORPG?

When we first landed upon the IGE MMORPG service, we had high hopes! After all, they tagged their website 'The Leading MMORPG Services Company.' We found they have a fairly decent selection of virtual assets and pretty competitive pricing. Their site is also effortless to navigate.
  • Sell currency on select games
  • World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade power leveling special

6Star Reviews likes that IGE keeps things simple and has a fairly easy-to-surf website design. However, the pages take forever to load, so if you're in a hurry, this MMORPG service might slow you down. We liked that they have a wide variety of virtual assets, and their pricing was good, with 4,000 Gold (Everquest II) costing you $52.61, which is lower than some of their competitors' pricing.

Customer support by email was quick, but their answer didn't match our question. Live chat referred us to another website, which threw us off even more. There is a FAQs database, but our sour customer service experience lingered in our mind. Still, they have created a name for themselves and have a loyal following, so they snagged our Most Popular spot. They receive 5.0 Stars!

GamePal for your MMORPG Service

After researching MMORPG services, we had a good idea what GamePal was all about.
So we weren't intrigued by their website interface, so what right? This gaming service offers some great features such as virtual assets and powerleveling, so you can advance to upper level gaming right off the bat.
  • Testimonials-Get customer's views and see ratings.
  • Purchase pre-leveled characters for top games, including World of Warcraft.

6Star Reviews likes that GamePal has a great collection of virtual assets for your gaming entertainment, and finding what you need here shouldn't be too difficult. Pricing is a little high here, when compared to some of their competition. A sample currency price for 4,000 Gold (Everquest II) is $61.66, which is a bit steep. We didn't see a FAQs section on the site, and email support was less than efficient. The live chat option, however, was quite friendly and accomodating. Overall, we feel this MMORPG service deserves 5.0 Stars!

OnRPG Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game

When we first came across the OnRPG MMORPG service, we were intrigued by their website concept. They offer FREE virtual games! We know this is hard to believe, but over 60 games in their database are available at no charge to you. There are also tons of resources here, as well as a community vibe with member forums and discussion groups.
  • Hands-on, sneak peeks of new MMORPGs , such as Fiesta
  • Beta key giveaway for Age of Armor

6Star Reviews appreciated how simple OnRPG made its user interface and the effortless navigation functions. Pricing is absent here, as most games are offered free of charge, which is a huge plus! There are plenty of informational tools here for games such as Everquest II and World of Warcraft that may have additional charges, but for the most part, this website is free. There is a FAQs database that isn't for the novice, as finding an answer can be a challenge. But, the email contact form yielded an answer within 15 minutes, and it was friendly and complete! For this and more, we give OnRPG 4.5 Stars!

EVE Online MMORPG Service

When we first stumbled upon the Eve Online MMORPG service, we liked how visually appealing their website interface was. We literally felt like we were stepping into a virtual gaming universe! This site offers numerous support options to gamers and offers features such as quick game tours, downloads and player guides.
  • EVE Insider-Get the inside scoop on all things games-from character information to player-submitted art and graphics.
  • 14 Day Free trial of Eve Online

6Star Reviews knows of the evergrowing popularity that virtual gaming and MMORPG's are bringing on the Internet. We liked that Eve Online provides gamers with tons of resources and keeps current users up to date, but feel they can benefit by selling virtual assets. By virtual assets, we mean anything used in your virtual gaming experience-like weapons or characters. The only customer support available here is by way of email and a FAQs database. Email support responded to us within two days, but only gave us a cookie cutter answer. This was disappointing. The fees here are based on time cards, and 50 days equates to $29.95. Overall, we feel they deserve 4.0 Stars!

SwagVault for Online Role Playing

Rounding out our final MMORPG reviews, we discovered the SwagVault website and decided to give it a look. We liked the selection and pricing we found here, as they were pretty comparable to other websites providing virtual assets and powerleveling.
  • Membership Rewards -Save 10% on future purchases when you are a frequent spender on SwagVault!
  • Currency and/or accounts available for more than 25 games, including World of Warcraft and Silk Road

6Star Reviews appreciated this site's simple navigation, but noticed that some tabs such as 'Items' were non-functioning. This didn't really float our boat. Their selection is good, and overall, matches their competitors' selections and pricing ranges. Customer support by way of telephone was friendly and efficient, but it isn't a toll-free number. The FAQs database is pretty detailed, but the live chat support was down and the email support only sent us an automated message. This was a pretty disillusioning customer support experience to say the least. They get 4.0 Stars!

MOGS: MMORPG Service

When we first found the MOGS MMORPG service, we didn't have high hopes, as the website interface wasn't visually appealing in the least bit.

So we continued on and decided to give MOGS the benefit of the doubt. While they do offer features such as currency and accounts for over 16 games, their overall selection was nothing special.
  • Gift Vouchers-If you have a gamer in the family or a friend who loves virtual gaming, MOGS makes gift purchasing easy.
  • Powerleveling on select games.

6Star Reviews was not very impressed by the selection of virtual assets available via the MOGS website. Their pricing wasn't bad, but we didn't find as much in ways of gaming than we did on their competitors' sites. Customer support was a disappointment here, as email support never responded to us. The live chat wasn't much better, and there wasn't an available rep to help us. We were asked to send an email by an automated message, which of course, we knew better than to attempt. The FAQs section is extremely short, so good luck finding answers. We feel this warrants MOGS 3.5 Stars!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Choosing a VOIP service

Cell phones and landlines aside, many are making the transition into VOIP or Voice Over IP usage. A recent industry study predicted the number of VOIP users in the United States would come in at around 24 million.

That is no small accomplishment for this telecommunications trailblazer. These features should be taken into consideration before choosing a VOIP service.

· Installation/Hardware-Most services only require high-speed-Internet and a telephone adaptor, but some companies provide special phones or custom Internet connection.

· Call Plans-Look for a company that offers both business and personal call plans. For example, Vonage offers residential and business plans (including fax lines).

· Basic Service Minutes-Your average Voice Over IP provider will give you 500 basic minutes with free calls between same-service users.

· Features-Most services, including Vonage and Joi Phone, provide features such as call waiting, caller ID, voicemail, and 911 dialing. Some companies charge extra for specific add-on’s, so reading the fine print is a must.

· Retaining a Phone Number-If you want to transfer a pre-existing number, be sure to see how long it will take and if there’s a conversion fee. Vonage will transfer your number in 10 days, as opposed to some which take 20 or more.

As always, it’s wise to choose a Voice Over IP provider that you can afford. While it may be beneficial for some to subscribe by the month or year, for others, they may wish to ‘pay as they go,’ which is offered by some companies. It all depends on how much talk time you average in what time span to determine which plan and service is right for you.
Use Phanfare for Video Sharing & More

6Star Reviews was highly impressed by Phanfare. Although the site is not an alternative to YouTube, it does provide a unique set of features geared more towards families. Creating a slideshow with music and sending close ones an email with the link to your page is a great feature offered on Phanfare.
  • Unlimited video and photo backup provided by Amazon Simple Storage Service
  • FREE 30-day trial

Our team really liked Phanfare for appealing to those wishing to revolutionize their personal photos and home videos. You can create slideshows to share with friends and family members, as well as have the peace of mind that your content is safely backed up. The basic service is $6.95 a month, but we think this is a small price to pay. The customer support is great, the site is easy to navigate, and the only real drawback is that inexperienced users may have a little trouble getting comfortable with the Phanfare software. Otherwise, it might be a great time to take advantage of their free trial membership and forgo traditional video sharing services. They earned our Top Rated spot with 5.5 Stars!

YouTube: Popular Video Sharing

How could we check out video sharing services and not take a look at YouTube? After all, they are one of the big dogs and we just had to see what they offered. After spending some time at the site and uploading some videos, we can see why. The site has some great features which allow you to customize your viewing experience and to take your favorite clips wherever you go.
  • YouTube Mobile – Watch YouTube videos on your mobile phone
  • Channel Subscriptions-Get new videos whenever your favorite producer or channel has a new offering.

If you can make the video, then you can get it on YouTube with no problem. The best part is that all of the services are free. Of course, the customer service by email isn't perfect but the Help Center does provide plenty of assistance for the most common issues you'll face. We especially loved the video ratings, viewer comment function and related video searches. This site makes video sharing a breeze and endless fun to utilize. YouTube constantly makes headlines and has a huge following, earning them our Most Popular spot with 5.5 Stars!

Metacafe: Best Video Sharing Service?

6Star Reviews thinks Metacafe is one of the best video sharing services on the Internet. Thanks to careful research, we learned that Metacafe has a number of useful features, including a family filter to keep young viewers away from questionable content, and a good selection of user-created clips. There are hoards of videos here, and some really unique ones at that.
  • Production School-Take part in this video sharing classroom and get free advice on editing and uploading.
  • Producer Rewards -Earn cash when your video clips hit the 20,000 mark!

Our team appreciates any video sharing service that pays you for your efforts, and Metacafe does just this. There are millions of video clips housed on this site and the customer support via email was fast and useful, even though some of the advertising on the site was a bit annoying. But, the service is free, so you should be able to handle it. We especially loved how the Producer Rewards program actually lets quality video clips and producers earn some money for sharing their best videos. What incentive to come back for more! They deserve 5.5 Stars!

Compare Crackle to Video Sharing Services

6Star Reviews thought the Crackle video sharing service was pretty interesting. This site offers aspiring musicians, comedians and anyone else in general the chance to showcase their talents or hidden passions. The site's contests offer some unique possibilities for achieving fame, plus using the service is free and fairly straightforward.
  • High Wire-Ultimate comedy showcase videos
  • People's Choice-featured clips chosen by Crackle members

Unfortunately, there are plenty of ads on Crackle and the automatic loading clips can be annoying if you're trying to briskly browse the website interface. On the plus side, Crackle does offer fast and effective customer support by email, which is a step ahead of their competitors. Overall, when we compare video sharing services, Crackle's benefits outweighed its drawbacks and we do recommend their site. They earned their video sharing service 5.0 Stars!

Share Videos on Motionbox

6Star Reviews liked some of the features offered on Motionbox, but while their site is pretty simple to use, it simply doesn't provide enough features to help them compete with their competition. However, they do provide some nice features if you're just trying to learn the ropes of uploading and editing videos.
  • Ask Eric-Get video tutorials on all things video sharing, you can even win a $300 Amazon gift certificate by asking him a question!
  • Motionbox Mixer-Edit and mix videos easily

Overall, Motionbox doesn't really stand out amongst its competition, although it does offer some cool features. For example, their customer support via form/email is lackluster and the Google ads on videos are annoying. Their video sharing service is simple enough to use, though, so novice videographers shouldn't be left in the dark. We assign them 4.0 Stars!

VidiLife for Video Sharing

If you love sharing videos and being part of an online community, then VidiLife is a great choice. They are reminiscent of YouTube, so if you're familiar with that video sharing service, you should have no worries. We liked the social networking feel to this website and besides sharing video clips, you can also blog, join clubs, rate videos, play games, and more.
  • Create playlists of your favorite videos
  • Create and send VidiLife videomail to anyone with an email address

Our team liked that this service was free, but there was a plethora of advertisements, and some seemed questionable, which we didn't love. Their customer support is also lacking, which is pretty common with sites of their kind, but still, an online form that continuously errors is not a good sign. We think this warrants them 4.0 Stars!

VMIX Video Sharing Review

If you're looking to make it in the entertainment industry, VMIX does provide something unique in their video sharing service: get noticed! If, however, you're looking for a plain ol' place to share your home videos or wacky talent, this probably isn't your best choice.
  • The Fizz-a 30-minute program created by video bloggers which airs on DirectTV.
  • Contests-VMIX encourages users to be creative by rewarding them for great efforts with plenty of contests.

This website is different from the competition in that they're corporate-sponsored. Apple and Universal are some of the names behind this video sharing service, so don't be surprised if you see trailers and advertisements all over the site. The site is free, which is a plus, but customer support has room to improve. There is a Help database, but the 'Submit a Ticket' form didn't warrant us a response. For this, we give them 4.0 Stars!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Customized Online Diets

If you’d like to drop a few pounds or do a total body makeover, online diet services are a great place to turn to in your weight loss endeavors. However, there are a few things to consider before selecting a diet program.
  • Selection-Everyone has a different physique, and your work-out and nutritional needs should be attuned to that. EDiets gives you many choices, such as the GI Diet Plan and the infamous Atkins.
  • Fitness Program-Diet services should include versatile work-out routines and fitness ideas. The popular South Beach Diet gives you the Best Buddy Program, where you compare weight loss routines and progress with a virtual friend!
  • Recipe Options-We all know that a healthy meal is just as important as rigorous fitness training. Consider a weight loss program that includes customizable recipe options.
  • Meal Purchases-Sometimes a great way to shed the pounds is by following a diet plan and purchasing their pre-approved, pre-selected meal items. South Beach Diet & Weight Watchers both have purchasable food that tastes naughty when it’s not!
It may come as a surprise that the best weight loss diet can often be found online. “How could it work?” you may ask. Many leading online diet sites utilize real-life fitness trainers, nutritionists and doctors into their programs.

These sites also make the process fun and entertaining, as you can interact in communities of like-minded individuals, all struggling to renew their bodies and self image. Choosing a plan customized to your lifestyle and metabolism can assist you in losing weight and bettering your health.
Vonage: Best Voice Over IP Provider

We had to check out Vonage when updating our Voice Over IP provider reviews, and they still lead the pack in their services. Not only is Vonage affordable at $14.99 a month for 500 minutes, they are straight up with their add-on's for hardware upgrades if you should want them.
  • Visual Voicemail-Get your voicemails through text messages or email
  • Free 1 month trial

6Star Reviews appreciates the name Vonage built for itself and their continual dedication to their customers. Customer support is great here, with friendly telephone support answering our call within minutes (this gives us hope for VOIP service phone support.) Email support responded back to us within a day, so that was icing on the cake! The FAQs section was also comprehensive, which we liked.

Signing up for this VOIP provider was simple and straightforward, without any headaches in the process. If you'd like to convert an existing number to the Vonage service, it will only take 10 days, as opposed to the lengthy 20 promised by many of their competitors. Their quality service surely earns them our Top Rated spot with 6.0 Stars!

Joi Phone: Good Choice in VOIP services?

We felt the Joi Phone Voice over IP provider had some great benefits if you feel so inclined to sign up for their service. First of all, they offer some incredible sales and special promotions if you like saving money. There is also a 30-day-money back guarantee, so those of you who like to test run new VOIP services until you're sure you like it, you need not worry.
  • Refer a friend or family member and receive a $15 JoiPhone credit.
  • Sign up for 24 months of unlimited service and get a second line FREE

6Star Reviews appreciated the plethora of special promotions available on the Joi Phone website. Who doesn't like to save money and snag a deal, after all? There are three different Joi Phone plans, and basic service is $6.95 a month. Joi Phone Unlimited is $14.95 a month, which isn't bad when compared to their competition.

All Joi Phone plans include call waiting, caller ID, 911 dialing, call forwarding, dedicated voice mail and unlimited in-network calling. Customer service is good here, as well, although there was an 8-minute wait time when we called. But, all in all, we do recommend their VOIP service and feel they should win our Most Popular spot with 5.5 Stars!

Compare Lingo Voice Over IP Service

When we came across the Lingo Voice Over IP provider, we have to say we liked their website interface. It was easy to navigate and signing up for their service was pretty straightforward.

IT Week Magazine ranked Lingo as one of their top 10 VOIP providers
, too, so they are fairly well-known in this industry.
  • Special offers and discounts for transferring from other VOIP services
  • Earn cash in the Lingo Refer-a-Friend program.
If you're looking for a solid Voice Over IP provider, Lingo has you covered. At $7.95 a month (plus a $29.95 activation fee and other add-on's) they aren't too bad on their pricing, either. If you wish to convert an old phone number to Lingo, it can take 20 days, so keep that in mind. Customer support is kind of a joke here, as we waited about an hour on the telephone for a live rep and email support didn't get back to us. But, if you're a reader, you can use their detailed FAQs section. All in all, they receive 5.0 Stars!