Tag: app

App Review: RedRover is Great for Parents on the Go

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

In this day and age of the digital mom, it’s much easier to get in touch now, more than ever.

We moms now have a plethora of apps, tablets, smart phones, and gadgets that make motherhood “easier”—or at least a little more manageable!  And for those in the playgroup circuit, we now have forward-thinking apps like RedRover to keep us even more connected to our groups, make play dates on the spot,  keep us informed of the latest and greatest in our community, a head’s up on clean restrooms and even tune us into emergency info, should we ever need it.  Genius, no?

As a new mom in my suburban community, I’ve had my fair share of issues of getting around and fitting in.  I’ve already added all of our family’s favorite parks, shops and locales.  I can’t wait to discover what other families love, too.

What I love about RedRover is that it’s very user-friendly, a great alternative to Facebook and email, not to mention, it’s overflowing with all the information that I need right away.  No more digging through emails or searching contact lists.  What would make this app even better for me?  Is if ALL of my fun parent friends downloaded it and/or got smartphones already.  This app is a definite must-have for parents on the go and in the know!

To get the RedRover app be sure to head to iTunes to download.  Want to see RedRover in action?  Check out RedRover’s video.

RedRover from RedRover on Vimeo.


Good Stuff

Not only is RedRover a must-have app for parents on the go, but they’re backing their techy goodness with a philanthropic element.  I appreciate that RedRover is donating $1 for every download from July 14-26 to Christy Turnlington’s charity, EveryMotherCounts.org

Full disclosure:  I am being compensated for my review of this app, but as always, opinions on NKT are my own.

Toys ‘R’ Us Great Big Christmas Book: There’s an App for That

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Halloween’s over and you know what that means?  That’s right, the Holiday shopping season cranks up a notch.  While the shelves might have been touting dancing Santas and singing reindeers for a few weeks now, marketers and retailers have been working overtime for months in preparation for the upcoming Holiday season.

As mentioned before, many of us bloggers were attending holiday previews way back in May, so, be prepared to see an influx of holiday coverage on blogs this year, NKT included.

We can’t cover holiday shopping without highlighting the thrill of the hunt—for kids, that is!  While many of us plan to scour the malls, websites and shops for the best deals, in many cases, it all starts with that carefully-crafted Christmas list.  And guess what?

Of course, there’s an app for that.

Read More

Free Fun with Halloween Photocraft

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

351663_4There are tons of great Halloween-themed apps out there right now, but Halloween Photocraft is a great, fun free app. With this app, you can either take a photo or use an existing photo and add all sorts of fun Halloween graphics.

After finishing your creation, I love how you can just Tweet it, Email it or add it to the photo library directly from the app. Easy peasy! Halloween Photocraft is a perfect app to use while you’re out and about enjoying all the Halloween festivities. This app is ad-supported, but best of all, it’s fun and free! Check it out in the App Store.

Myhomework App: if only it did the homework

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

myhomeworkThe start of fall and the beginning of the school year definitely go hand in hand. And with the new season and new school year often comes a new calendar of activities and yes, homework! As a writer, I will always be a fan of the old fashioned calendars and journals. But, let’s face it, being on the computer all the time and having an iPod/iPhone always onhand has changed the way we keep track of things.

For the older students, luckily for them, there are a ton of great free apps that will help them to stay on task and get their assignments and activities in order. The MyHomework app has great graphics, which resembles a physical planner and can be used for assignments, tests, notes and much more. This straightforward and extremely user-friendly app is one of the most downloaded educational apps on iTunes and best of all, it’s free!

A student named Kyle does a quick overview and review on YouTube, which I thought was great!

Sprout Launches New App Sprout Player

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Sprout has launched its latest iPhone App, the Sprout Player, designed by The Studio at New Wave Entertainment.  The Sprout Player is a video player application that streams podcasts of 3-4 minute Sprout shows currently available in Apple’s iTunes.  The Sprout Player is available for download in the iTunes store for free.

sprout

Designed for parents with preschoolers on the go, the video player offers audio instructions voiced by Kelly Vrooman, one of the hosts of Sprout’s “Sunny Side Up Show.”  With the Player, parents can view Sprout’s programming schedule and click on clips for upcoming events. Read More

Kido’z: Kid-friendly media browser

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Parents, did you know that a few years ago, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution declaring June “National Internet Safety Month?”  Yeah, me neither, but it’s so good to know!

As a mom of a toddler, internet security and safety is already a blip on the radar.  But as this digital savvy generation becomes parents/aunts/uncles, it’s comforting to know that educators, community leaders and volunteers are doing their part to safeguard our kids.

Key parts of raising awareness of internet safety are great tools and resources, namely user-friendly, innovative software that keeps you and your kids ahead of the curve, such as Kido’z.  Kido’z is a plug-and-play application and web environment that’s specifically tailored for relevant, kid-friendly content.

sites-viseo-games

Basically, after you download Kido’z, safe content geared to kids from 3-7 is at your fingertips.  Just a few of the many Kido’z features include, a kid-friendly browser that’s easily personalized, a tv interface where Youtube videos among others can be viewed and a customizable, interactive game center. As parents should, there’s easy accessibility for monitoring usuage.  The Parental Control Account is a password protected area where you can manage your child’s account and content.

kidozHas anyone had a chance to try out Kido’z?  I have yet to try it out, but it definitely looks like a colorful and helpful application that we’ll be installing sooner than later.

*Thanks to Mike B. for recommending Kido’z!  Keep the suggestions coming–I love it!

LeapFrog introduces iPhone app, Number Rumble

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

LeapFrog upped their game with the introduction of a new iPhone app, a learning game called Number Rumble. Number Rumble, the first of several iPhone App learning games that LeapFrog plans to release, is a math game that puts the fun in function by helping players ages 6 to 10 gain a better grasp on math basics.

numberrumble

The game, which can be download at the Apple App Store for $2.99, allows kids to practice for quizzes, challenge friends and replay games to sharpen their math skills.

It features three modes of play, including a “Learn It” mode that lets kids choose an operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication or division), spin the number wheels to create a math problem, then tap the equals sign to see and hear the answer; the “Quiz Time” mode in which kids test their skills by spinning the number wheels to create a problem, then shake the iPhone to select an answer; and a “Random Quiz” that lets kids practice all four operations at once, shaking the iPhone to see “fill-in-the-blank”-style questions, such as “12 + 8 = ?” or “? ÷ 9 = 11.”

With LeapFrog’s Number Rumble, it’s like math to-go with an emphasis on fun (like most LeapFrog products) to keep kids engaged. It’s definitely not your dad’s (or mom’s) iPhone anymore! Learning is involved, so who’s complaining?