Web Buzz: TextPlus keeps you connected at home and abroad

Another way to text message around the world as well as call U.S. and Canadian mobile phones from abroad.

Name: TextPlus

Available for: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and SMS-enabled phones

What it does: The app uses Wi-Fi to allow you to call the U.S. and Canada from abroad or send an SMS message worldwide.

Cost: From free to $4.99 with no ads; different prices for different platforms.

What’s hot: I love that the app can do app-to-app messaging worldwide, plus the calls are free while on Wi-Fi. The good reviews in the Android Market and the iTunes store gave me confidence in downloading the app. If you like joining communities or using group chats, those are available too.

What’s not: Be careful that you are texting from TextPlus, not Regular, to keep your messages free. Also, when I tried to send photos from the Bahamas to a friend in California, using TextPlus from my Android phone, they didn’t go through. I used another Android app,Textfree, which sent the photos just fine.

Worth it: Depends. It was a great solution for my husband and me for texting while we were both abroad and on Wi-Fi. But not being able to send photos soured me on the app.

—Jen Leo