children

Even though we were disappointed by its brief 14-day trial period, we found this monitoring tool to be top-notch for blocking specific Internet access from children.

Right away, we were impressed by Hidetools Child Control's well-designed user interface. It's both professionally designed and very easy to navigate. Large command buttons represent different blocking options, such as Block Programs, Block Web sites, and Block Windows. Under the Block Programs option, it's easy to choose from a list of default applications. We were also able to manually add others to the list. Sure enough, all of the applications were … Read more

With so many czars running around trying to solve the nation's problems in tech, auto and drugs, perhaps Sony should consider hiring a common-sense czar.

Is there any major consumer company around that seems to understand basic customer relations less than Sony? Isn't rule No.1 in the CR manual, "Don't spy on customers?" If so, then rule 1-A must be: "Take extra care to avoid spying on customers' children."

The latest example of Sony's disconnect with the masses came this week when the company's music division was fined for surreptitiously … Read more

KidZui for Windows and Mac seems like a kid-ified browser with social networking rolled in. Children can find their favorite YouTube videos, rate content using tags, and share opinions with other KidZui friends, all from a colorful interface with big buttons and labels. KidZui is anything but a standard childrens' browser, though, and what makes it so unique is precisely why it's such a safe tool for children.

KidZui is a closed system, not filter-driven, so all content that's available has been approved by editors into a whitelist database. Children can explore the Internet by using the search/… Read more

Looking at the Alphabet Cake Pan, the first thing I think is that I would be able to bake two (or three, or four...) different cakes in one pan--at the same time. I have often wrestled with the age-old question, which type of cake should I make? Ultimately, as I wait for the whichever cake I chose, I realize I should have made both. Now, with the Alphabet Cake Pan, I can.

The pan measures 14 inches long by 8.5 inches wide and comes with 12 hollow blocks. An imprinted grid on the bottom of the pan serves as … Read more

After reading through the comments on yesterday's column discussing why Sony and Microsoft should view Nintendo as a competitor, I came across an interesting post by one reader who told us to "get rid" of our gaming consoles and go outside.

The person contends that children are playing too many video games and watch too much TV when they should be playing outside. The reader makes an interesting point, but I think that it fails to address one issue facing this generation's parents: in order to prepare children for their adult lives, they need to ensure that their children are well-versed in the technological realities of our world.

"Get rid of your gaming consoles, and send your kids outside to play "actual reality" games," Choclatpup wrote. "When, exactly, did video games replace balls and bats, or bicycles? With everything in the news about the obesity of our young today, the answer is to create 'active video games' such as the Wii Fit? Asinine!"

It got me thinking: are our children replacing the bat and ball with the Web and gaming?

It's possible.

Just last week, my cousin's children came to visit and I asked them if they wanted to throw a football around. The kids, a 7-year old and a 5-year old, both gave the same response: "let's play video games instead." Once they had enough with video games, they wanted to show me a "cool" Web site they came across at school.

It may sound strange for a technology journalist to say this, but I was a little disheartened that the children wouldn't go outside and engage in some physical activity. Sure, it was cold, and it's possible that they just don't like football, but it makes me wonder if today's children are too engrossed with the Web and video games to enjoy anything else.… Read more

Sometime on October 14, a wide array of furniture and electronics were stolen from a commercial storage facility outside Phoenix. The building was used by the Arizona Early Intervention Program, which helps families of disabled children.

Two weeks ago, the state informed the parents of the nearly 40,000 children in the program that their personal information was potentially at risk for ID fraud. According to the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES), a backup computer hard drive stolen from the facility was password protected. What happened next is where the controversy arises.

The DES and others in the media … Read more

Reuters recently issued a report saying the video game industry may be as "recession-proof" as some in the sector have claimed. So far, sales have been relatively high and it looks like the industry is insulated from some of the problems facing the broader tech field.

"I think it's going to hold up a lot better than other industries," Mindy Mount, chief financial officer of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division told Reuters. "We remain cautiously optimistic."

Nintendo feels the same way. The company's president, Reggie Fils-Aime, told Reuters that as he looks towards the holiday season and the industry's performance, "cautiously optimistic is quite appropriate."

So why all the hope? Because the video game industry is one of the few sectors of the economy that may have the ability to turn the tide and come out on top even though other areas are suffering.

And although the reasons for that forthcoming success can be tied to numerous areas, like the popularity of the Wii and gaming finally competing on the same level with film, I think we miss the core reason for gaming's success today and during the holiday season: children.… Read more

When you first look at it, KidZui seems a bit like a kiddified Flock, a Web browser with social networking rolled in. Children using Windows or Macs can find their favorite YouTube videos, rate content using tags, and share opinions, all from a colorful interface with big buttons and clear, clean labeling.

Billing itself as "the Internet for kids," it turns out that KidZui is anything but a standard kids' browser, and what makes it so unique is precisely why it's such a safe tool for children to use.

KidZui is a closed system of pre-approved content, … Read more

Anne Geddes. You know her. She's the one who does those baby photos that pass the point of being cute and fly head first into a steaming pile of pretentiousness? Well, that's my opinion, anyway.

Still, according to Westinghouse, her books have sold more than 18 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 24 languages. So if you're champing at the bit to give your child a cuteness inferiority complex, read on.

Westinghouse obviously sees this and they've partnered with Geddes and the Geddes Group to create a new family of digital photo frames. The … Read more