Thursday, December 13, 2012
As parents throughout the region wrap up iPod Touches, smartphones and tablets for their children, let's look at the issues in general and the FTC's latest report on privacy in apps designed for children.
There are going to be a lot of Internet-enabled devices under Christmas trees and wrapped up for Hanukkah. According to Nielsen Research, the iPad is the number one item on the most-desired electronics list for kids this year. Following behind is the iPod touch, iPhone, tablet and other computers. Add in any smartphone and a lot of kids want devices that can play apps available from Apple's App store and the Google play store. While the question of whether most-wanted will be the most received is a separate discussion, we all know that many kids will soon be dowloading their favorite games as Apps on their new devices. Questions of content, payment and ground rules for both screen time and appropriate use all need to be considered. …
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Delightful or disappointing?
Is it possible to make an online service based on 140 character messages even simpler? Twitter thinks so. As 2011 draws to a close, Twitter is gifting all of its users with a new look. The “Let’s Fly” entry in Twitter’s blog summarizes their intent. “We’ve simplified the design to make it easier than ever to follow what you care about, with others and discover something new. You’ll see this new design both on Twitter.com and mobile phones, so that you’ll have a familiar experience anytime, anywhere.” They have created video and clear explanatory text on what’s what and to generate excitement. At present, I have the new Twitter app on my iPhone. My Twitter.com has not been changed. There’s no opting in or out. Twitter has started a gradual …
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Sightseeing, hiking or biking.
There’s something in the air. Colorful leaves, apple cider and trading in the flip flops for real shoes signal we’ve entered Fall. It’s a perfect time for an outdoor weekend getaway be it to D.C. for sightseeing at the monuments like the newly opened Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the Mall or hiking in Shenandoah National Park. Armed with your SmartPhone and a few apps, you’ll have an all-purpose electronic Swiss Army knife. Here are recommendations for apps for the weekend travelers’ SmartPhone. You’ll find the apps below and similar ones on iTunes, Android Market, Samsung Apps, Blackberry App World, or your SmartPhone’s store. Where am I? My car’s GPS (global positioning system) has overtaken my reliance on the paper maps that once …
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Technology devices for students in high school and college.
No matter how old you are, there’s something about August that brings thoughts of a new school year to mind. Ah, how exciting are the smell of a pristine notebook and the sight of freshly sharpened #2 pencils. New clothes, new shoes, and a new backpack are on the shopping list. This is the first of four articles on what tech devices to put into that new backpack if you’re a student or into that briefcase if you’re in the work world or on that side table if you’re beyond the years of the daily grind of the work world or into that diaper bag if you’re among the youngest ones. What’s in your backpack? Let’s concentrate on students in college and high school. School, with its focus on reading, writing and arithmetic, defines the tech devices …
Jean Westcott
3:49 pm on Thursday, December 13, 2012
And thank you Beth! more ›