GeekSugar

Should There Be an Age Minimum For Social Networks?

GeekSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:44:06 -0800

Social networking sites have long been popular with teens, and now researchers are saying they're becoming increasingly popular with younger kids, too. I don't think anyone's surprised by the findings; though both Facebook and MySpace require users to be at least 13 years old when signing up for accounts.

A researcher quoted in the CNN article says:

"Of course they are [using social networking sites]. They're using them because that's where their social world is. Because there's no effective way to age-verify . . . children very quickly realize, 'I just say I'm 14 years old, and they'll let me use this.' "

Researchers are split on the long-term effects of allowing younger children onto the sites. Some say that early exposure to the sites can lead to Internet addiction in adults; others say that most younger children use the sites in moderation, and in positive ways. The article also quotes parents who have allowed their kids to lie about their age to create profiles, though they also require their kids to surrender their passwords, and monitor the kids' activities and friends. What do you think about age restrictions on these sites?

Daily Tech: The Pure Sensia Touchscreen Radio With WiFi

GeekSugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:10:15 -0700

The Pure Sensia radio offers a touchscreen, social networking apps, WiFi, an on-screen keyboard, and it will cost around $406 - Slashgear
Griffin's new kid-friendly headphones include volume-limiting settings to protect them from hearing loss - Popgadget
President Barack Obama is worried about people getting their information from blogs and not newspapers - The Silicon Alley Insider
Check out this solar-powered Bluetooth headset that is juiced up from the sun's rays - Gizmodo
Tweet Scenes designs customized Twitter backgrounds for $129 - TechCrunch
It's giveaway and game time on GeekSugar! Be sure to log in and play our Best Video Game ever bracket! - GeekSugar

iPhone Apps to Have Handy During Road Trips With Kids

GeekSugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:50:15 -0700

Although we're already talking about back to school and hot new gadgets for Fall, I know there are still some families trying to squeeze in some last minute road trips before Summer comes to a close. If that's the case for you, and you just so happen to have some lil ones joining you, I've picked a few of my favorite apps you may want to have handy while cruisin' down the I-95. And be sure to check out lilsugar for some helpful apps in general for parents of toddlers and older children.

View Slideshow ›

Dell and Nickelodeon Team Up to Create a Kid-Friendly Netbook

GeekSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:15:36 -0700

Ah, kids these days. . . when they're not gabbing away on their cell phones, they've got their faces glued to the screens of portable gaming devices.

Well Dell is next in line to target younger audiences by working closely with Nickelodeon to create a 10.1-inch mini Inspiron netbook. The laptop, which is covered in the signature-green slime design by iCarly, comes fully loaded with entertaining and educational content and a Nickelodeon-branded desktop wallpaper and icons.

The price of this three-pound netbook hasn't been announced as of yet, but you can expect it to be around the same price as the regular mini 10. They will be available in Dell and Wal-Mart store shelves starting this October.

Website of the Day: Glubble

GeekSugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:50:27 -0700

Though it seems like Facebook has been invaded by our respective family members, it's not always a family-friendly place to be, even with the new private groups. And you certainly wouldn't want your preteen niece on it.

The destination where that is possible, though, is Glubble. Glubble is like the family-friendly social network. I'm not saying give up your Facebook account and join, but it's worth it to open a new account for Glubble if you have a big family that wants to be able to share photos, videos, and messages on the Internet - but in a secure environment.

To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and "Regular Post."
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click "Next."
Choose the audience for your story to "Website of the Day" in the dropdown menu.
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to "Technology and Gadgets."
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click "I’m done" to submit content.

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the geeksugar homepage!

Ideal Earphones For Kids and Those With Smaller Ears

GeekSugar — Mon, 11 May 2009 07:33:38 -0700

I can't wait to tell lilsugar about my latest tech discovery - earphones designed with kids' ears in mind. The Loud Enough Earphones ($40) are targeted for kids aged eight and older and feature built-in sound pressure protection that decrease noise up to 40 percent (or 20 decibels). And with their isolation design, kids won't have to crank up the volume so loud when they're playing video games, watching movies, or listening to tunes. They also come with a variety of sizes of (PVC free) soft silicone ear tips, making them perfect for adults with smaller ear canals.

I took a pair for a test drive and expected that the volume would be extremely quiet, the sound quality wouldn't be the same, and therefore, not exactly adult-friendly earphones. If you're one of those people who cranks up your music on full blast, then these are not for you. Personally, I like my music fairly loud, but on my iPhone or iPod, that's really only half of the volume level.

To find out if I would wear a pair of these earphones, just read more.

With Loud Enough earphones, the full volume level is what I normally listen to, so you get a decent amount of sound and the quality isn't compromised whatsoever. So overall, it makes sense why they are for kids eight and older - because they don't output as much sound as other earphones, but they would be way too loud for a four or five year old. Would I wear them myself? Absolutely. They are also available in green and purple.

UK Ad Claims That Video Games Equal an Early Death

GeekSugar — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:02:12 -0700

Do video games spur people to really "do nothing"? That's what this print ad from the UK's government agency Change 4 Life portrays - and not only do they make you do nothing, that apparently causes you to die early.

Sure, some notorious games can hold you hostage for hours, but on the whole, I'm pretty sure this ad is overly alarmist. A handful of people can take anything to the extreme, video games included (I can think of a few devastating stories where people were preoccupied with their game, and something awful happened), but for the majority, I think moderation is the rule.

This ad seems to want to deter parents from letting their kids play video games, but it's going a bit far in its message of health.

What do you think?

Daily Tech: Nikon Debuts 8 New COOLPIX Digicams

GeekSugar — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:35:43 -0800

Coming this Spring to the Nikon COOLPIX line of cameras are eight digicams, which range from compact point-and-shoot to larger cams featuring optical zoom up to 24x. - Switched
Amazon has just launched a beta version of their Game Downloads section, which offers 600 titles for digital download and all of them are priced under $10. - Kotaku
There are still one in four Americans who don't use the Internet, and a majority of them really don't care about emailing or surfing the Web. - USA Today
Check out this creative iPhone 4G concept phone, which features a front camera for iChat and is made out of titanium and glass. - Gizmodo
TheColor is an awesome online coloring book that will keep kids entertained for hours. - Lifehacker

Website of the Day: KidRex

GeekSugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:25:08 -0800

OK parents, have I got the best website for you today. If your kids have their own computers, or they have their own "kids" account on your home computer, set this website as the homepage, pronto! Powered by Google Custom Search, KidRex is a fun child-friendly search website that uses Google SafeSearch technology to eliminate inappropriate material. I tested it out with words like sex, penis, intercourse, and Britney naked, and every search term returned a "Oops! Try Again" response - which means it works! Although it claims to not be 100 accurate, it worked pretty flawlessly for me. And considering what kids see via the regular Google search engine, this seems to be a pretty great alternative. It's in the same awesomeness league as the BlackBerry for tots.

Do you have a cool site like this you want to share with geeksugar readers? To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and "Regular Post."
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click "Next."
Choose the audience for your story to "Website of the Day" in the dropdown menu.
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to "Technology and Gadgets."
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click "I’m done" to submit content.

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the geeksugar homepage!

Geek Out Your Baby With a Genius Bib

GeekSugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:00:02 -0800

Do you have any babies to buy for this holiday season? Particularly ones that belong to techie types? Well have I got a great gift idea for you - a bib covered in keyboard keys! Brought to you by Etsy seller colbylanedesigns, this machine washable Baby Genius Bib is geekalicious goodness.

Priced at only $8, this bib offers the keyboard print on one side and a plush chenille on the reverse. And for geeky adults you can pick up the QWERTY Keyboard Pocketbook for a matching ensemble.