It’s time for parent tech news – a round up of the most interesting things that I found of interest – and hope that you do to. I’ve tweaked these to not be so broad and more applicable to us parents – so if you are looking for parent tech news, your once a week resource!
Parent Tech News
Here is parent tech news for the week of April 24th…
Mario Kart 8 for Switch Releases Friday!
I’ve pre-ordered our Mario Kart 8 for the Nintendo Switch, have you? If not – it’s not too late!
The Nintendo Switch has blown away expectations with expected sales at 35 million copies of Switch games, including those from other publishers, to be sold in the 2017 fiscal year. In March, the Nintendo Switch consoles have sold 2.74 million unit (projection was 2 million units!) – so needless to say everyone is loving the SWITCH! (If you can get your hands on one!)
YouTube Kids on Smart TVs
That’s right, our favorite app for kids – YouTube Kids is now available on smart tvs!
YouTube Kids, the go-to destination for families around the world with more than 30 billion views and over eight million weekly active viewers, is now coming to a smart TV near you. Beginning today, the YouTube Kids app will now be available on LG, Samsung, and Sony smart TVs in the 26 countries where the app is currently launched * .
The YouTube Kids app will be available on the following television sets: all 2015 – 2017 LG webOS TVs via the LG content store, all 2013 – 2017 Samsung Smart TVs and Blu-Ray Players that have access to the Samsung App Store, and after a firmware update on 2016-2017 Sony TVs (with the exception of Android TV, which will be available soon).
Read more on the YouTube Blog
Bill Gates’ Digital Parenting Style
You know, I’ve become a HUGE fan of the Gates family after hearing Melinda Gates speak last year. I found this article intriguing on how Bill Gates parented his kids with screens.
While the title of the article is misleading “Bill Gates wasn’t as tech-forward a parent as you might think” – he actually was reasonable. Rules like no cell phones until 14 and no screens at the dinner table – that just seems like general parenting to me. Needless to say, I did enjoy the read!
Read more on The Next Web
Amazon Launches Way for Parents to Connect with Kids on Digital Content
I always appreciate when a big company grasps what parents want in regards to kids and technology. Amazon recently announced Discussion Cards – it’s a new feature for it’s Amazon FreeTime service. It’s a whole new way for parents and kids to connect over the digital content that their kids are viewing. Discussion Cards are found within the new Parent Dashboard, that also provides daily activity reports to help parents review the digital content their kids are using in FreeTime and determine how to manage time limits and educational goals.
Discussion Cards let parents share in their kids’ digital experience through short summaries of the books, videos, educational apps and games their kids are using in Amazon FreeTime, and connect with their kids through suggested questions and family activities designed to encourage dinner table conversation
Parent Dashboard helps parents discover and learn about the books, videos, educational apps, games, and websites their kids view in FreeTime—leading to more informed family conversations about digital content, including managing time limits and setting educational goals
Learn more at parents.amazon.com
Google Maps Now Remembers Where You Park Your Car
This headline made me happy. YES, I know that Apple Maps does this (imagine, Apple was first on this one!) but now Android users can now have access to this handy technology. Do you know the pain it is to have one (or FOUR) screaming children, a stroller toppled with shopping bags and not be able to find your vehicle? Or worse, at the airport – don’t even get me started.
Tap the blue dot showing your location to see an option to save your parking place on the map. A label will pop up showing where you parked your car.
By tapping on that label, you can open up a “parking card” to add additional details about the parking spot — such as which level of the parking garage you’re in, or the amount of time left before the meter expires. Users can save an image of the spot and send their parking location to friends.
Read more on CNN
Parent Tech News
There’s this week in Parent Tech News – have a story or interesting piece that you think parents would enjoy – drop me a line at pr at digitalmomblog.com.