Whether your wireless carrier likes it or not, there are mobile apps to help you avoid a larger bill.
Voice over IP apps such as Skype will allow you to communicate without using any voice minutes from your monthly allotment.
Here in Canada, wireless carriers Telus, Bell and Rogers Wireless offer unlimited text messaging but it’ll cost you every month.
Text Plus offers free and unlimited text messaging without the need to submit your wireless number – a great solution for Wi-Fi-only iPads or iPhone and Android smart phone users close to a hot spot.
From the app’s initial start-up, TextPlus will guide you through the set-up and will ask you to choose a TextPlus address. When you send a text, your friends and family will receive a regular text containing your name, the TextPlus address and a short (numeric) code they must use to reply.
Conveniently, your friends don’t need the app. They just text you (in the regular way) by using your TextPlus name and the short code (such a s Joe #60611). Keep in mind that while it’s free for Textplus users to send and receive texts, it’s not necessarily free for your contacts receiving and replying to you – they’re still charged text rates as per normal.
An impressive feature of this app is group texting. You can text an individual or include up to 20 people in a conversation by creating a private or public group. Adding contacts to groups is easy with access to your devices contacts list and exchange account.
TextPlus even supports its own texting communities, which users can either join or create their own. As an example, you could search “iPad” in communities to connect with other users talking about the iPad. When you join a group, you’ll be able to chat with members and invite your own contacts.
Push notification is possible, but if you use a device that doesn’t support push technology, regular text alerts can still be sent to your device when you get a message. However, you will be charged regular rates depending on your plan.
While TextPlus doesn’t require you to provide your wireless number, it is needed if you want to send push notifications in “regular” text form. To add a profile pic to your account you’ll also need to provide a number for a one-time verification.
TextPlus can presently only send a text message to U.S. and Canadian carriers. However, if two users have the TexPlus app, they’ll be able to text no matter where they are in the world. This is a must-have app. Why would you pay for texting when it’s offered free?
To remove the ads included in the free version purchase the paid app for 2.99
Head to Head: Interactive books
Toy Story Read-Along, (Free / $8.99 for Toy Story 2 Read-Along) an iPad app created by Disney and developers at Small Planet Digital, transports readers into the interactive world of Sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear. The story shows scenes from the original film as peppy background music plays. Readers have the option to read the story themselves or listen to a narrator. Parents or kids can also record themselves reading the book and become the narrator. What’s special about interactive stories is the pages have hidden surprises such as clips from the movie, music videos that display in karaoke style and two games; a maze and an army-man parachute drop.
A wonderful feature of this app is ability to convert several of the pages from colour illustrations into black and white colouring book templates. When you touch a paint can icon on a page a row of bright colours appear and kids can “paint” the picture with their fingertips. When they’re done, their masterpiece, you can share the pictures by saving them to a photo gallery and sending them by e-mail. Although the book animates the pages, the interactive objects themselves only play audio, children are not able to “move” the objects when touched. Disney currently has two such interactive books – Toy Story and The Princess and the Frog. They are, however, a tad pricey at $8.99 each.
Zoo You Later -Monkey Business ($4.99), developed by Kiwa Media, is a fun tale of escaping monkeys and pursuing zoo keepers. Readers turn pages by sliding their fingertips across the screen. A play button, located on every page, will read the book to them, highlighting each word as it’s read. Parents and kids can record their own voices, as well. Each page encourages engagement with amusing audio clips and flying monkeys that are activated by tapping them. Children can personalize their book by selecting the painter’s palette at the top of the screen.
The do-it-yourself artwork can be incorporated within the book your child can see their own colouring instead of the original art. This book is ideal for children learning to read; by selecting one or more words, the book will repeat them. Double tapping the word will spell it letter by letter, though this can only be done when the narrator isn’t speaking.
The Bottom Line:
Both apps are a fun read for children. Although it’s not necessary for e-books to include games and sharable artwork, it’s a nice touch and not included in Monkey business. While Monkey Business is fantastic, kids will have much more interactive pleasure with Toy Story.
