My son is well past needing help with basic reading skills, but that doesn’t keep me from getting excited about new Google Play Books features for young readers. No matter what gets added to Google’s Kindle competitor, I’m stoked to talk about it, especially if it means it’s going to help families make the most […]
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Google Fi is now ‘Google Fi Wireless’, gets a new app, logo, and free smartwatch plan connectivity
Google Fi has officially rebranded to “Google Fi Wireless,” and with this new name comes some exciting new features, a new app design and layout, and a brand new logo. When Google first launched its phone subscription service, it was called “Project Fi.” However, it didn’t take long for it to drop the “Project” and […]
Continue ReadingYour kids may soon no longer be able to play games on the Google Nest Hub
Back in 2020, Google shut down the popular kid’s reading app Rivet from the tech giant’s mistreated and underappreciated Area 120 in-house incubator. At the time, I wrote that it was a good thing since many of those experiences were headed to Google Play Books and Nest Hub. For the latter, they would take the […]
Continue ReadingIt’s almost time to start paying a premium for YouTube’s Premium Family Plan
Starting on April 3, 2023, the monthly cost of YouTube Premium’s Family Plan will increase from $17.99 to $22.99, which is a significant jump of $5! In an email spotted by Droid Life last week, YouTube stated that the new pricing would go into effect immediately on that date. This comes after the company announced […]
Continue ReadingIt will soon be much quicker for your children to switch to YouTube Kids in the living room
In order to swap over to your child’s Google TV profile, you have to use your remote to navigate to the top-right of the UI where the switcher exists. My son generally has to move over from my profile to his own and then open the YouTube Kids app to start watching something that interests […]
Continue Reading5 great Chromecast with Google TV experiences you and your family can enjoy this Christmas
It’s the most wonderful time of the- well, I suppose that depends on who you ask. For many, Christmas is a season that brings about warm, fuzzy feelings, and even for those of us Floridians who don’t get snow and probably never will, it’s a time of heightened happiness. Hey, we get a little cold […]
Continue ReadingPSA: The big, beautiful Wacom One creative pen display is compatible with your Chromebook
A couple of years ago when I was wrote up the One by Wacom as the first ChromeOS-compatible graphics tablet for students and creatives, the larger, more impressive Wacom One was not at all functional with Chromebooks. I was pretty bummed out since I had one, but figured that at some point in the future […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Photos turns on the waterworks with sentimental music for your memories
Anytime I get the Google Photos app notifications for memories of “the good old days”, I take time to slow down in the midst of whatever it is I’m doing to watch them. While it sometimes makes me sad to realize my son is no longer two or four years old and that I can […]
Continue ReadingGoogle’s Santa Tracker begins counting down the days till Christmas with fun games for your kids
Is it weird that I genuinely enjoy writing about Google’s Santa Tracker each year? Yes? Well, I’m still going to do it, because I think many children enjoy playing the various mini-games added to it! I absolutely love Christmas above all other holidays, and my son has a ton of fun with it too. Over […]
Continue ReadingThe Google Play Store is about to open the floodgates with new content for kids and families
In an effort to expand upon its Teacher Approved content via the Kid’s Tab of the Google Play Store, Google is now allowing all apps that meet the Play Families Policy to be shown on that Kid’s tab of the storefront. As a reminder, one of the most important qualifications a developer must meet with […]
Continue ReadingFitbit is creating a wearable for kids that has built-in safety features
According to a report by Business Insider, Fitbit has been in the news a lot lately for its release of the Fitbit Versa 4 and Sense 2, but also for its integration with Google’s Pixel Watch. According to a report by Business Insider, it’s now gearing up to release a wearable smart device for your […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Assistant adds parental controls, an educational dictionary, new kid-friendly voices
I’ve always loved Google’s family-centric updates. Any time I see that the company is focusing on the kiddos and how they interact with technology and subsequently, how parents can manage those interactions to protect them as they grow and learn to absorb the world around them, I’m stoked. Today on The Keyword, Google announced a […]
Continue ReadingGoogle TV Kids Profiles get ‘real YouTube’, content recommendations, and more
My son really doesn’t use his Google TV Kids Profile all that much and that’s for a few specific reasons. First, and most importantly, it doesn’t have “real YouTube”. I know that it’s a funny term, but today’s kiddos usually refer to the full YouTube experience in this way since they’ve been restricted to YouTube […]
Continue ReadingThe Google Family Link app just got completely redesigned and it looks much more user friendly
I’m a huge advocate of covering anything and everything Google does to support and enable families to use technology for improvements to their quality of life. When Family Link came out five years ago to assist parents with managing how their children interface with technology, I believed it was a step in the right direction. […]
Continue ReadingRead Along by Google is now available as a web application for your Chromebook
Google used to sell a Frozen II-themed Google Home Mini that came bundled with a few bedtime stories that you could activate via a kid and family-friendly service called ‘Read along’. Truly, this was available for all Home speakers, but having the brand partnership with Disney helped the company sell more units, naturally. Still, it […]
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