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Sprint launches Drive First Android app to curb texting and driving, keep chatty teens at bay
Are you concerned that your talky teenager is trying to keep up on the high school gossip whilst behind the wheel? Or are you a more experienced driver looking to get rid of the temptation to update your status at 65 MPH? Sprint's got you covered with Drive First. The app, announced by CEO Dan Hesse at CTIA in March, will lock up your phone when it detects you're in a moving vehicle; calls will be automatically redirected to voicemail and incoming texts can get automatically replied to with a customized message. The service costs $2 / month per phone after a 15-day trial, and unfortunately only is available for Android devices, though BlackBerry and Windows Phone support has been promised in the near future as well. We'd say the more the merrier -- for parents, that is. Head below for the full press release.
iPhone OS 3.0's parental controls to assuage some app submission woes?
Here's something that should help Trent reach a level of moderate contentment. Although we already knew that Apple was expanding its parental controls with iPhone OS 3.0 into the realm of TV shows, movies and App Store apps, a report today about the rejection of Makayama's Newspaper(s) app provides a good example at the ramifications of such alterations. According to iLounge, it was rejected due to a picture of a topless woman under the section for UK-based tabloid The Sun. The accompanying letter suggested a resubmission once 3.0 (and subsequently the parental controls) go public, which we take to mean that the questionable content will suddenly be okay for the App Store once it's behind the appropriate age gate. We won't know for sure until everything falls into place, but sounds like this is one part of the submission approval process that'll soon end up much less frustrating for developers. [Via 9 to 5 Mac]
iPhone parental controls?
The iPhone Dev Team seems to have stumbled across a hidden feature in the next version of the iPhone firmware. The picture is reminiscent of the iPhone SDK "Organizer" that shows the currently connected iPhone. However, something that's different from the screenshots that we posted is the "Console," "Crash Logs," and "Screenshot" tabs at the top of the window. The screenshot shows a "Parental Controls" setting inside the "General" iPhone settings. It looks as though you can enable these parental controls and turn on or off: Playing explicit songs in iPod Website control in Safari YouTube control iTunes Wi-Fi Store control AppStore control According to a recent post on the Modmyifone Forum, this is a version of the firmware that was distributed with the SDK (version 1.2) which the forum post seems to believe will be re-issued as firmware 2.0. The forum post also goes on to say that the firmware is jailbroken; however, this has not been confirmed. [via iPhone Dev Team]
Alltel adding content blocker for parents
Making a child's mobile experience a safe one can arguably be seen as a multi-faceted task: there's tracking, call / do-not-call lists, allowances, monitoring, schedules, and a whole host of other options (when they work, that is) that carriers seem to be rolling out as quickly as they can (and who can blame them, considering most of the features carry monthly fees). Alltel's adding support for another piece of the puzzle -- content filtering -- in early 2008 with its simply and obviously named "Parental Controls" feature. Refreshingly, it'll be available free of charge and offer parents the chance to set filtering preferences and tap into a database of pre-filtered sites. No more gambling from the comfort of your school desk, kiddies!
Microsoft promotes parental oversight in gaming with Jerry Rice, PTA
Along with the Xbox 360 family timer announced today, Microsoft has kicked off the second year of their "Safety is no game. Is your family set?" campaign. They're also releasing PACT, a contract being distributed to Parent Teacher Association members nationwide. PACT is an abbreviation that isn't so brief: "Parental involvement; the amount of Access children can have, including who they are allowed to play and interact with online; the types of Content children are allowed to play or watch; and the amount of Time children can use media." Spare a thought to the parents yelling "Turn that damn thing off, Dan!"Joining Microsoft in this crusade are two allies, one likely, the other not so much. The PTA and Jerry Rice lent their support to Microsoft's "Safety ... Set?" campaign, all lauding praise on one another at Stuart-Hobson Middle School in Washington, D.C., today. Rice stated "it's so rewarding to join Microsoft and the PTA today to promote a healthy balance for our kids in this exciting digital age." Oh, get a room.
Xbox 360 parental timer coming in December?
Xbox 360 addicts, particularly ones under the age of 18 (or still camping out in your 'rents crib), take note: a "Family Timer" could be wrecking your habitual play as early as next month. The above image was reportedly spotted in the pamphlet of a Guitar Hero III keychain (we know...), and it touts the timer's ability to easily limit how much time kids spend on the console. If this proves legitimate, the new functionality will be available via Xbox Live next month, and there's even an option to "suspend or add time" depending on how those report cards turn out. Parents, we know how much flak you'll be getting should you activate this "feature" right around the holidays, but hey, just tell those immature youngsters of yours that you're simply following in the footsteps of Bill Gates himself.[Via Joystiq]
Rumor: Xbox 360 parental timer coming in December
The Xbox 360's parental controls could be getting a boost next month with a "parental timer" feature that would let parents limit the amount of time children can play. The information comes from a TeamXbox forum poster who says he found the feature listed on a pamphlet included with a Guitar Hero III keychain, of all things. Not exactly iron-clad sourcing, but given that Microsoft's Vista operating system already has a similar feature, it doesn't seem too far-fetched. Still, consider it a rumor until we can confirm this for ourselves.[Via XboxToday]
AT&T suspends parental controls after uncovering 911 issues
AT&T's Smart Limits parental control package has been temporarily taken offline after the carrier discovered a little catch-22 with the service: if a user of a Smart Limits-controlled phone dials 911 and gets disconnected, the emergency operator is blocked from calling back. Obviously, this is a case of Smart Limits being just a little too smart (or too dumb, depending on how you look at it) for the user's own good -- we don't think parents are too concerned about their young 'uns spending hours racking up anytime minutes on the line with a chatty 911 operator -- and AT&T clearly did the right thing by pulling the service until it gets sorted out. Shouldn't take too long, we imagine.[Via mocoNews]
Mysterious Wii System Update
Late last night, shrieks of glee were coming from my living room. "Look!" cried Navi one of my roommates, urging me to the living room. "It's a system update!" Wonderful possibilities began running through our heads. Could it be an early activation of the news and/or forecast channels? Maybe they were adding new Mii features, or a proper .mp3 playing channel! Alas, such was not the case.In fact, the update seemed to do very little, with only the cryptic message "Parental Controls updated" left as a clue. Since we (and most readers of this site, most likely) don't bother with parental controls, does any loving parent out there know what was changed?Rumors also abound of the update fixing this little problem. HaX0rs?![Thanks to Brent, Sean, and all the other readers that sent this in!]
