Today’s utility is a way to send and receive text messages through an alternate phone number. Text+ is a program that gives you that flexibility. Set up an account, then import your contacts. You can also set up a phone number (get a more localized number for an extra price).

With this program, you have the added advantage of texting over Wifi. Therefore, if you are on a plane flight (like I was the other day), I could pull out my iPad, connect up to the in-flight WiFi, and text away.

There are other in-app options so you can stay in contact with people.

If you need documents you have to sign, then Sign My Pad Pro could help out. It is a program that will import a PDF document, so you can sign, and send off.

Download the PDF from the internet, or import it from another location. You can set up a signature, or sign it right there. When it’s done, the new PDF is created and you can then send the document out .

Sign My Pad is $3.99, and the Pro version is $19.99.

Autriv also has a stylus for the iPad. It is magnetic, so it can stick to the side of the iPad when not in use.

After I put this review together, I found out the app was pulled from iTunes, because their servers couldn’t keep up with the game play demand. It should be back once things get rectified, so we will continue with this game Tuesday app.

BTW – if you have the app, you can still play the game…

Tapped Out is the game. It’s a Farming style game that uses the Simpsons. The story is the nuclear plant blew up, so now Homer is tasked with rebuilding the city. He starts by building his house, and gets Lisa, Flanders and Apu to help out at first. As game play progresses, Homer gets new buildings to build, new characters to keep up with and more tasks, like to break into the brown house to watch TV or play with his “MyPad”.

If you want to progress faster, you buy donuts to put towards new buildings, and other items. The in-app store allows you to purchase those donuts.

It’s a top downloaded app in iTunes. The app is free.

Tapfolio is a stock tracking application. You can set up a portfolio in seconds of stocks you own, or stocks you want to watch. Use the interactive charts to compare growth of the stocks. Look back a couple years so get an idea of the companies direction.

Tapfolio is not only interactive, but also utilizes the whole screen. You can also track Gold, Silver, US Savings Bonds, and more.

Tapfolio is free, and comes with a three star rating

If you need questions about the city you are in, or another city you are travelling to, then Localmind might be a good app to install. You can also become an expert by answering questions people ask, like “Where’s the best place to eat in your area”, or “What time does the local store close”.

Localmind is a Crowdsourcing app. It helps you figure out what to do. So if you’re tired of going to the same old places, ask the experts for something new to do.

When you answer questions, you receive karma points. As you progress, you become an expert yourself.

Localmind is free, and has a rating of four stars.

24 hours ago, we learned about the new iPad, which I talked about yesterday. Another major update was to the iLife series. iPhoto, iMovie and Garage Band came to iOS 5.1. So I downloaded them. I have to say, I am very impressed.

iMovie

If you’ve ever used these programs before on a Mac, not much has changed. You record, drag, drop and make adjustments just like you would in the desktop version. iMovie gives you a choice to make your own movie, or create a trailer from the templates given. Simply record 1-2 second videos for each section, and enter in the text you want.

Even for the iPad2, this program works smoothly. Granted, you are not recording in 1080p. Still, the only limitation seems to be the amount of space on your tablet.

iMovie is $4.99 in the App store. Of course, check out the video for the trailer of iPad365.

Garage Band

This program is more fun to use instead of record from. Of course, you can record music, or podcasts easily. But just the fact you can play multiple instruments and they don’t sound like you are playing a trash can really impresses me.

Garage band is also the same from the Mac. It might even be easier to manipulate the MIDI file, especially if you use a stylus.

Garage Band is also $4.99.

 

If you have a Hot Tub, you know that it can be a task remembering to clean the water. Of course, if you put in too much chemical (or not enough), you have an unusable Spa. That is why Spa Helper Pro is here – to help keep track of your Hot Tub.

Spa Helper Pro (by Pro App Systems) is a companion app that can give you insight into your tests, set up a maintenance schedule and more. You start by telling the app what type of Hot Tub you have. Put in the dimensions (or how much water it holds). It can then set up a reminder schedule for cleaning.

When you perform the chemical test of your Hot Tub, the app will guide you through the process. Compare the strip color to the chart, and it will give you tips if there is too much chlorine or bromide (depending on what you put in your spa).

This app is free and works with iPhone and iPad. It’s a new app, so there is no rating on it yet.

Today for Game Tuesday, we play a fun little game in SpellCraft – School of Magic. In this game, you create your Witch or Wizard, then get ready to go down in the dungeon to kill rats, bats, zombies, ooze, and other creatures that live in the depths of the earth. As you progress, you can find articles of clothing, and new items in which to make new spells so you can attack the bad things harder.

When you are in battle, you draw a card to find out your opponent. Pull a spell out of your inventory to attack with. The skill to attacking is when the spark on the wand is at the top, you send out the attack (by swiping on the screen).

You can dress up your avatar with different clothing, but that will cost you extra.

Fun little app. It’s free in the app store. Rating: 4 1/2 stars.

Today on Business Monday’s episode, we look at Joboard, a job board for people looking for work. Joboard is a simple search of your area for jobs. When you find your job, simply hit the Apply button and you will be sent to a website where you can submit your resume. You can also share the job – in which you will be able to email the position to a friend.

The Joboard looks like a series of Post-it notes attached to corkboard. You can refresh the board and load more jobs onto the board. You can save your searches, so the board can be checked daily without loosing your information.

 

If you are planning to take a trip somewhere, you want to know where the best places to eat are. You want to know where you can get the best experience. After all, you pay a lot of money to go there, why not get the best experience.

That is why you use a program like Ask a Nomad. You can get answers from actual people that have experienced it. Then you can make plans to either avoid or go to that restaurant, see that sight or just stay in the hotel.

Jeffrey also looks at App Icon Viewer – an application that puts together an icon wall of what has recently been downloaded. You can paruse the wall, or search on specific criteria. That way, you can see who’s downloading what software so you can do the same.