Now there's a phone that puts the Amazon store and all that accompanying "retail therapy" right in people's pockets. It's a pretty slick looking little device, so here's fair warning to parents worried about kids getting caught up in consumer culture that you may see this on some wish lists. [Of course, this is not to say that Amazon.com with all its convenience isn't already in our pockets (and … [Read more...] about Amazon’s Fire Phone could be a hot holiday item
mobile technology
Students developing apps (and businesses) on the side
There's the app for cats. Yes, true – not feline iPhone users, but cats who play (i.e., all cats). The Guardian's feature on young app creators leads with Oxford physics student Owen Beckett's Cat Snaps, "a laser chasing game for cats [that] includes a function that takes a photo of your cat when it 'wins' the game." Beckett says he didn't know how to write code or make an app, but he watched … [Read more...] about Students developing apps (and businesses) on the side
Stickers, emoji & other social-media conversation add-ons
You may've noticed this too: Online and on-phone conversations have gotten very mixed-media – very artful, in a sense. Have you noticed that our children are among the most creative mixed-media conversationalists now? It's delightful to see the fun they have with this. Take stickers, for example. Because they're now part of Version 3 of the Path app, as I mentioned in my last post, and Path's … [Read more...] about Stickers, emoji & other social-media conversation add-ons
Australian teen panelists on social media: Meaty insights
My visit to Australia for the World Congress on Family Law & Children's Rights has been rich in hospitality and insight – I've had the privilege of talking with people in government, online-safety advocacy, industry, school (students!), primary and secondary education, research, of course many parents and grandparents, and even "Australia's Dr. Phil," as Michael Carr-Gregg has sometimes … [Read more...] about Australian teen panelists on social media: Meaty insights
Details, context on Rounds, Vine & other video-sharing apps
The company behind Rounds – a video hangout app for mobile and Web – has decided to keep the socializing just among friends. Referring to its "young user base" (it says 70% of its users are under 25, though it has yet to catch on at my son's high school), this week announced that the less than 3-month-old app was "retiring" its "Meet New People" feature "to focus on longer, more meaningful video … [Read more...] about Details, context on Rounds, Vine & other video-sharing apps