iRealSMS 3.0 for iPhone is a jailbreak utility that you can use in place of the default messaging app. Up until this point, I had always used QuickReply for SMS. A several of you TiPb'ers recommended I look at iRealSMS 3.0 so I did. And I'm impressed. iRealSMS 3.0 exceeds the features of QuickReply for SMS by a landslide.

When you launch the app, you're greeted with a screen that shows 3 tabs along the bottom; folders, conversations, and settings. Everything you need is in one easy to access place. I like that aspect a lot, as most apps put their user configurations in settings, which just means you have to go one more place to make changes. I wish more developers would start including settings within their applications.

One thing I didn't like about QuickReply was if you closed out of a text, you still had to exit out of what you were doing in order to respond. This isn't the case with iRealSMS 3.0, you simply set a shortcut in your settings to be able to access Quick Send. I love this feature as I'm really forgetful. I will be playing a game or reading news feeds and think of 2 other things I needed to tell someone and have to close out of my current task in order to do it. With iRealSMS, this is no longer a problem for me.

You also have the option of a blacklist feature. You can also choose to have all texts sent by a blacklisted number automatically deleted. Another feature that most texting apps lack is delivery notification. Very handy feature. Some users reported it didn't work but I tested it with a friend and it seemed to work okay with me.

Emoji also show up in an easy to access drop down menu or you can choose to have any emoticons you type out automatically turned into Emoji. I remember last summer Leanna introduced me to the world of Emoji via the app store, and I haven't been able to go a day without them since (thanks Leanna!).

The price tag for iRealSMS 3.0 is a bit steep compared to that of its counterparts, but for the feature set you get, the $9.99 price tag may be well justified. There's a free trial as well, so you can always try it out and see if it seems like a good value to you, and purchase after giving it a test run.

iRealSMS also has an iRealNetwork, as they call it, which will allow you to buy texting credits if you don't wish to have a texting package. The current rate is 8 EURO cents per text (of course you'll have to convert that to your own currency). In almost every case, that'll average out to a heck of a lot cheaper than standard texting plans cost for those of you who are looking to save some cash or cut out texting charges.

If you picked up iRealSMS 3.0 or have another jailbreak text supplement you use, let us know what you think in the comments!