Parental control apps for cellphones – either downloadable ones or the controls provided by the carriers themselves – aren't new, but their numbers are growing. The toughest nut to crack in this category, according to the Wall Street Journal, has been monitoring kids' texts and calls, but that's changing too. "Due to privacy concerns ... carriers can't monitor the content of text messages and … [Read more...] about Monitoring apps for kids’ cellphones
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How 10-year-olds text without a phone
It's a workaround for a kid with an iPod Touch who doesn't yet have a cellphone: Textfree. Writes CNET's Michelle Meyers of her 10-year-old daughter, the app "assigns her a real phone number, and lets her send and receive texts for free." Is there a catch? Not really – unless texting is the reason why you didn't get the kid a cellphone in the first place (at least s/he can't text while driving … [Read more...] about How 10-year-olds text without a phone
Video sex chat on phones
Porn operators have long been early adopters of new technology. Now it's video on smartphones. What's newly concerning about it is that video phone-based porn is getting more personal, more one-to-one, more like Webcam conversations. "Video sex chat," as it's described in this Washington Post piece, stands to make the adult content industry "big money," according to the article and is already … [Read more...] about Video sex chat on phones
Software that blocks texting while driving
Thirty states have banned texting while driving, but the bans are tough to enforce. So two companies, WebSafety Inc. in Texas and Manage Mobility in Georgia are partnering to provide software to government agencies and businesses" for disabling texting, email, and Web browsers on cellphones while cars are in motion, USATODAY reports. For people who want to impose a little self-discipline on … [Read more...] about Software that blocks texting while driving
Got a ‘jailbreaker’ wannabe at your house?
The other day my 13-year-old mentioned in passing that he wished he could figure out how to jailbreak his iTouch so he could download free game apps (I got the feeling that messing around and figuring it out with friends was kind of a game itself). It made me smile, though, that this came up the very day the news broke that "jailbreaking" is ok now (see The Independent). What does "ok" mean? Well, … [Read more...] about Got a ‘jailbreaker’ wannabe at your house?