News Byte

Fingerprint Plans Edutainment Network for Samsung Devices

San Francisco-based kids’-app startup Fingerprint today announced a partnership with Samsung to launch a mobile app network for children in Southeast Asia in Q1 2014. The project would give the mobile app developers that work with Fingerprint a more direct line to families using compatible Samsung devices, CEO Nancy MacIntyre said. Fingerprint has previously rolled out similar app-network partnerships, but Samsung’s collaboration will add more parental control and progress-tracking features.

Tablet Buyer’s Wi-Fi Goof

Walt answers a question from a reader who unintentionally bought a Wi-Fi-only tablet: Can it be activated for 4G cellular service?

When Do Mobile Games Ditch Free-to-Play? When They’re Made to Babysit.

In-app purchases can rake in the dough … and for games targeted at children, that’s a problem.

KatieCam: Tesla’s Elon Musk on Being a Dad (Video)

Because trying to colonize Mars alone isn’t enough responsibility.

KatieCam: Anne Sweeney and I. Marlene King on Parent-Policed TV (Video)

Would they let their kids watch “Pretty Little Liars”?

Parent Trap: Microsoft Adds Kid’s Corner to Windows Phone 8

One of the key new features for Windows Phone 8 is a mode that gives children a home on their parent’s phone. AllThingsD has the story on how that feature came to be.

October Surprise: Yahoo CEO Mayer and Husband Have Baby Boy

Welcome to the world, Baby Boy Bogue!

BermanBraun’s Mom.me Enters the Crowded Parenting Space, Offering “Mass With Class”

A new site aimed at “moms who happen to be parents.”

UrbanSitter’s Social Babysitting Service Granted $1.75 Million in Allowance

UrbanSitter, which may become a high-tech version of “The Baby-Sitters Club,” now has a bigger allowance with which to operate.

Voices

Phone Carriers Tout Tool to Stop Texting and Driving

If your teenagers have a car and a cellphone, chances are they’ve made a call or texted behind the wheel. Distracted driving is a big worry for many parents, but one start-up is betting that its technology will help alleviate some of those concerns. California-based Location Labs is selling a tool that detects when the phone is in a moving car and limits the owner’s ability to make calls and texts.