PopSugar

Cell Phones That Keep Parents and Children in Touch

LilSugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:00:10 -0700

Staying connected with your kids now involves technology. While back-to-school shopping means papers, pencils and knapsacks for most lil ones, some parents are also adding mobile phones to the supply list.

Thirty-eight percent of LilSugar readers said their children carry a cell phone with them, while 48 percent said they were against a school ban on the wireless devices. The biggest concerns parents have with the gadgets is that their youngsters will overuse them, talk to inappropriate people and not pay attention to class lessons. Cell phone providers are aware of these issues and have taken several measures to make parents more comfortable with them. Among their latest offerings are:

GPS services on popular wireless provider's plans that allow parents to pinpoint kids' locations at any time. Verizon's Chaperone and Sprint's Family Locator allow parents to track their children from their computers on a password-protected account.
Parental control services, also offered by traditional wireless provider's plans, that give parents the ability to set limits on when and where the phones are used.
Specific wireless networks created expressly for young kids, such as Kajeet and FireFly. Designed for elementary school users, the services offer parental controls on all of their phones, allowing parents to limit who can call the phone and who their kids can call. The systems also offer timers that limit when calls can be made to certain numbers and weekly "allowance" minutes that can be added to (or subtracted from) based on the child's behavior.

Check out some of the devices that house these GPS and parental controls below.

View 6 Photos ›

Website of the Day: More Cloth

GeekSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:15:30 -0800

I'm a total DIY freak, and appreciate websites that help me reach my crafting goals. Take my last DIY project: the charging station I made from an Ikea shelving unit. Now if I wanted to take that a step further, I could add some decorative fabric to the back panels and really make the shelf pop. But how do I find the right fabric? I could browse racks of fabric at my local craft store, or I could do it the easy way (without leaving the warmth of my computer) and hit up More Cloth.

This site works seamlessly with Etsy to lead you to your perfect fabric. First it offers up a ton of color schemes to choose from (like in the photo to the right), and then directs you to the exact fabric patterns that contain those colors. Finally, More Cloth shoots you over to the Etsy page where you can add your chosen fabric to your cart, and prep your craft room accordingly - just sit back and wait for your fabric to arrive!

Have an interesting website you want to share? To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click "New Post" under the website of the day tab at the top of the page.
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Type "Technology and Gadgets" in the Categories box
Add keyword(s) in the tag field with relevant tags (for example mine for this story was "Website of the Day").
Choose whether you want the post to be private or public.
Click "Create Post" to submit content.

Website of the Day: Filler-Item Finder

GeekSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:40:49 -0800

You know how great it is when you find exactly the item you were looking for on Amazon, but then realize you only have to spend a tiny more to get free super-saver shipping? You don't want to overspend, but you also can't think of anything else that you'd want to buy. This has happened to me many times when the amount I have to spend is less than five bucks. For these moments, there's Filler Item Finder.

Filler Item Finder scours Amazon for cheap items and gives you a list of things you can toss in your cart to save some dough on shipping, just by entering the amount you're still in need of.

Have an interesting website you want to share? To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click "New Post" under the website of the day tab at the top of the page.
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Type "Technology and Gadgets" in the Categories box
Add keyword(s) in the tag field with relevant tags (for example mine for this story was "Website of the Day").
Choose whether you want the post to be private or public.
Click "Create Post" to submit content.

Website of the Day: Apostrophe Me

GeekSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:15:54 -0800

Sometimes I just like things explained simply, in good old-fashioned plain English. For instance, it was so liberating when the guys from Commoncraft talked about Twitter in layman's terms, and now with a website called Apostrophe Me, you'll never misuse apostrophes again, thanks to their cute and detailed flow chart. Other things worth checking out on the site? Scroll down to take one of their fun quizzes, like the "How Many Germs Live on Your Cell Phone" test!

Have an interesting website you want to share? To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click "New Post" under the website of the day tab at the top of the page.
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Type "Technology and Gadgets" in the Categories box
Add keyword(s) in the tag field with relevant tags (for example mine for this story was "Website of the Day").
Choose whether you want the post to be private or public.
Click "Create Post" to submit content.

Website of the Day: Tweeting Too Hard

GeekSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:10:57 -0800

You know those annoying tweets from someone you randomly follow describing how awesome his life is? Even worse, how awesome he is? You don't have to sit back and idly peep their self-obsessed tweets any longer. Don't unfollow; just submit the worst offenders to Tweeting Too Hard. TTH gives you a chance to laugh at others' self-importance all in one sweet little tweet-centric blog. Want to submit an annoying tweet you saw about "gassing up daddy's Airstream"? Go right on ahead. We'll all thank you later.

Have an interesting website you want to share? To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click "New Post" under the website of the day tab at the top of the page.
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Type "Technology and Gadgets" in the Categories box
Add keyword(s) in the tag field with relevant tags (for example mine for this story was "Website of the Day").
Choose whether you want the post to be private or public.
Click "Create Post" to submit content.

Cruise Line Adds Technology Concierge, Gadget Committee

GeekSugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:01:05 -0700

If you're planning a vacation soon and also could stand to learn more about the Kindle 2, you would do well to consider a cruise. Crystal Cruises is introducing a new service, a "technology concierge," who will teach cruise guests about their gadgets, be it Blackberry, iPhone, or Kindle.

Furthermore, the cruise line is also adding a "gadget committee" so that that technology concierges keep up on the latest and greatest in tech and will continue to be on top of their game.

I love this idea - especially the fact that a travel service is recognizing how important it is to be on top of tech news, and how important it is to their customers. Anyone booking a cruise soon?

Source

Say Ahh! Tongue Technology Lets You Lick to Control Gadgets

GeekSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:45:37 -0700

I have never actually licked my phone or any other gadget that I own (I love them, but there is a line. Tongue love crosses it), but scientists are developing technology that would utilize your tongue to control computers and home gadgets.

The technology, called the Tongue Drive System, is being made primarily for patients with disabilities, and the concept involves using your tongue as "a joystick" to control wheelchairs, home appliances, and computers.

This is especially beneficial for those who are paralyzed from the waist down, since the tongue is controlled by the brain and not affected by the spinal cord. Technology: licking another problem!

Source

Tech Dating 101: Do You Save Messages From Your Date?

GeekSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:02:00 -0800

One of the benefits of of digital technology is that every email, text, and voicemail is easily saved, stored, and relived. It's helpful when you're dating someone - I think it's both fun and cute to reread old messages. (Though I suppose this can get dicey when trying to cut your ex out of your digital life, but that's a topic for another day). When it's good - it's great!

I hadn't thought too much about it until a recently engaged friend unearthed a years-long log of emails and text messages, starting with the first email her now-fiance sent the morning after they met. My other friends and I teased her at first, but then realized that reading through her saved emails was almost like reading a book of the history of their relationship. Plus, it's fun to look back one month, six months, or even a year into the past to see what was going on, even if they're mundane messages about what movie to catch or what to make for dinner that night.

To find out why I think it's helpful to save old messages, just read more.

Besides its historical significance, saving messages from someone you're dating is also helpful when you're starting a new relationship. Who hasn't sat with their girlfriends and gadgets and analyzed a string of text messages from a new guy or potential date? (See also my advice on decoding postdate texts and instant messages).

Do you save these bits of communication when you're starting a new relationship? What about when you're in an established one? And do you ever go back to reread them? I've started doing it, and I must admit, looking back on emails or text messages from a few months before is both nostalgic and sweet.

Do you have a Love 2.0 questioned you want answered? Join the Tech Dating 101 because we understand that love and dating are stressful and the Internet and social networking sites can just make things worse. You never know, your question could be featured on GeekSugar! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

Website of the Day: Classic Cinema Online

GeekSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:06:21 -0800

Don't you just love being able to watch movies online and for free thanks to websites like Hulu and Fancast? But what if you love classic old movies from the '30s, '40s, '50s and '60s that are practically impossible to find online - let alone on DVD! Well the Classic Cinema Online website is the place to visit when you want to access hundreds of films across many different categories including drama, musicals, and romantic comedies. If you're grandma is still on the fence about talking the jump into the online world, show her this site and she'll never leave her computer again!

Have an interesting website you want to share? To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click "New Post" under the website of the day tab at the top of the page.
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Type "Technology and Gadgets" in the Categories box
Add keyword(s) in the tag field with relevant tags (for example mine for this story was "Website of the Day").
Choose whether you want the post to be private or public.
Click "Create Post" to submit content.

The City Tech Quiz: Episode 4, "Meet the Fackelmayers"

GeekSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:20:23 -0700

Another slow tech week on The City. This week, Whitney and the girls were busy hitting the party circuit and chatting up boys. (Side note: how cute is Freddie Fackelmayer?) Despite all the partying, there were a few geeky details in this week's episode - see how closely you were paying attention with this mini quiz.

Photos courtesy of MTV

Take the quiz