After news coverage of kids racking up huge iTunes bills for their parents while playing game apps on iPhones and iPod Touches gained and letters from US lawmakers to the Federal Trade Commission about this, the Commission announced it will investigate, Ars Technica reports. In a letter to the FTC, Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) wrote that "what may appear in these games to be virtual coins and prizes … [Read more...] about FTC will look into mobile apps marketing to kids
iPhone
14-year-old’s app is No. 1
Robert Nay in Utah has been designing Web sites since the 3rd grade, but now he's seriously into designing cellphone apps. So seriously that a physics game called "Bubble Ball" which he designed recently moved up to the No. 1 free app in Apple's App Store, Spotlight on Digital Media & Learning reports. Apparently with some encouragement from his mom, "Nay taught himself programming after … [Read more...] about 14-year-old’s app is No. 1
Headsup, parents! New privacy change at FB
Parents, the best advice for Facebook users at your house is, "Leave the contact info in your profile blank." That's the quick, easy end run around the new change, which allows apps to use your address and phone numbers if you give them permission to do so. That's the good news: It's opt-in – you choose to provide the apps with that info. The problem is, once FB users decide to install an app, … [Read more...] about Headsup, parents! New privacy change at FB
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?