Blog entry March 2010

Michael Dermody with Keeping Kids Safe Online blog recently wrote a review about Mobicip's safe browser.  Thank you Mike!  Here is a link to the original article: http://smartsafe.blogspot.com/2010/03/mobicip-safe-browser-review.html

Here is the article:

It's taken me a month or so to get to this but I finally got to spend some time with Mobicip.  Last month one of my readers turned me on to Mobicip and asked me to review it.  So here goes.

I try to start my reviews with a statement of my overall opinion.  I like Mobicip, more than SafeEyes Mobile.  Though I'm not going to rush out and get it for my kids because I've already purchased SafeEyes and Mobicip didn't outperform it enough for me to want to make the change.  For those of you who don't know what Mobicip is, it's a web browser for mobile devices like the iPhone and iPod Touch.  If you follow this blog, I have reviewed SafeEyes Mobile in the past.  Mobicip does the same thing though it behaves a little differently.

The big difference between Mobicip and SafeEyes Mobile is that SafeEyes is a program and Mobicip is both a program and a portal.  What does that mean?  When you install SafeEyes onto your device, all of it's settings are contained within the program itself.  It does not connect to any third party for updates or to get it's "instructions" for how and what to filter.  Mobicip does connect to a third party service and this has definite advantages and a few drawbacks.

The advantage of Mobicip and it's third party connection is that is receives it's "orders" from a central location sponsored by the company that makes Mobicip.  The settings it uses to filter objectionable content are a clone of the settings most schools use to protect students from bad stuff.  Instead of you deciding which sites should be blocked, you can rely on the same expertise that makes those decisions for schools (though you still have to put some time in).  It also gets updated whenever that master list gets updated so your filter list will always be current.  This functionality alone is a huge plus.

The downside of connecting to a third party is that it affects browsing speed, though speed drops were seldom and the amount only slight.  Before you get to any internet site you have to first travel through Mobicip's site for the filtering to work.  The busier their site is, the longer it takes you to get through. But I have to be honest with you,  I used it at various times of day and I never noticed much of a performance hit.

Another cool thing about Mobicip is that it looks exactly like Safari, the browser that comes on iPhones/iPods.  SafeEyes has it's own browser that looks different.  If your child is embarrassed by not having the same browser his/her friends have, then this should do the trick.  Except for a splash screen that appears for about 2 seconds when the program is opened, there is no way to tell you aren't using Safari.

Mobicip's main features include:

    * Real-time Internet content filtering
    * Data encryption for added security over public WiFi
    * Simple setup using predefined web filter configurations used in schools
    * Easy, intuitive filtering administration
    * Support for 3G, EDGE, Home WiFi, Public WiFi (including hotspots that require purchase or agreement)
    * Safari-like User Interface, including pinch and zoom, bookmarks, tabs, landscape view, etc
    * Operates with no load on the device and no noticeable delay.

The control panel for parents is pretty easy to use.  After downloading Mobicip, the app immediately walks you through creating a Mobicip account and setting filtering settings at different levels. Ideally, the setup should be done by whoever will administrate the account so that the account will not be editable by your child. The account settings and control decisions are made by the administrator (you) at mobicip.com, which also has a very simple and easy to use website. You don't need not be an expert to set up and edit the account.

The best part about Mobicip is the price.  $4.99 as opposed to $19.99 for SafeEyes.

All in all, Mobicip worked well, and is something I would definitely recommend to any concerned parent.  But make sure that once Mobicip has been installed on your child’s iPhone, the Safari browser has been taken off via the restriction settings. Otherwise there really is no point to downloading it.  If you need help disabling Safari, turn to Google and search on "disable Safari iPhone".  That's how I figured it out.

Thousand Oaks, CA, March 18, 2010 (PressReleasePoint) -- Mobicip.com, the leading internet safety and parental control service for mobile devices like the iPhone and iPod Touch, today announced the official launch of its service in Europe, giving parents a valuable tool to protect their kids online.

Mobicip’s Safe Browser app is one of the most popular apps in the iPhone app store. Preferred by both parents and educators, the app provides an alternate browser that is used to replace the Safari Mobile browser. Built on the same WebKit platform that Safari Mobile is based on, the browser clone provides the same multi-touch browsing experience, albeit keeping users safe from inappropriate content through powerful cloud-based dynamic filtering. Premium subscription to the Mobicip’s parental control service allows parents to configure filters and monitor Internet activity remotely.

Mobicip’s dynamic content filtering app and service have been popular among parents and schools in the US and has been adopted steadily by parents in the UK and other countries in Western Europe. In response to popular demand from these users, Mobicip.com has setup cloud servers in Europe to ensure that users in Europe experience the same zippy performance that US-based parents and educators enjoy.

"Mobicip.com has been leading the way in providing a safe, secure and educational surfing for kids and teens on mobile devices like the iPhone and iPod Touch" says Suren Ramasubbu, Founder and CEO of Mobicip.com. "Our focus on providing a quality user experience so youth are not restricted from being mobile with mobile devices, but parents and educators rest assured they can surf with smart filtering. Our customer service has been appreciated by parents and schools alike. The biggest reward has been the word-of-mouth referrals by parents and educators that has enabled us to grow virally across the globe!”
The Safe Browser app is available on the iPhone App Store, and the service is available at www.mobicip.com. The full press release is available at www.mobicip.com/press.

About Mobicip Web Filtering and Dynamic Parental Control Software
Mobicip is the most powerful internet filtering and parental control software designed specifically to work with mobile devices. Parents and Educators use Mobicip’s custom web filtering so kids and teens can use the Internet safely, securely and specific to their age, interests and parent/educator requirements. The Safe Browser iPhone app is the most popular parental control app on the iPhone App store. Learn more about Mobicip atwww.mobicip.com.

Rod Gustafson, ParentPreviews.com founder, has written an article about Mobicip's safe browser app on the Parent Previews blog.  Thank you Rod! Here is a link to the original article: http://www.parentpreviews.com/the-big-picture/post/how-do-i-filter-the-internet-on-my-iphone-itouch/

Here is the article:
A while back I noticed there was little in the way of filters parents could use on the iPhone or iTouch—and virtually nothing for other phones that aren’t considered smart phones, yet still have web browsers. However, last week I discovered a company that is offering a replacement web browser for Safari on the iPhone/iTouch.

Apple does have some parental control features built into their portable devices (and I’m assuming the iPad will offer something similar), but these options are still fairly basic. You can only turn certain apps, like Safari, on and off. There is no way to filter the Internet in real time.

Fortunately a company called Mobicip (just don’t ask me how to pronounce it) makes a replacement web browser for iPhone’s Safari that has built in content filtering. What that means is you can purchase their browser (through Apple’s app store for $4.99), install it on your phone and then disable Safari through the parental control features.

I haven’t tested Mobicip, but if one of you gives this a try, please use our comment link at the bottom of this article and tell us about your experience. Another app called “Safe Eyes Mobile” is available through the app store, but it costs $19.99 and doesn’t have very positive reviews. (We have used Safe Eyes for Mac in our home in the past with mixed results—it filters basic content just fine, but was clunky on OS X and is still lacking many essential features that are on the PC version.)

Now let’s hope some solutions for Internet filtering appear for the dozens of other phones out there!

Rick Broida, a technology writer for nearly 20 years, has written an article about Mobicip Kids-Safe Browser on CNET blog. Thank you Rick! Here is a link to the original article: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10462803-1.html

Here is the article: 

There are any number of ways to childproof your PC, to rope off the objectionable areas of the Internet. But what about the kids' iPhones and iPod Touches? Safari offers no parental controls to speak of, no filtering or monitoring or search guards.

Enter Mobicip Safe Browser ($4.99), which offers a familiar Web interface, but with a raft of protections designed to keep kids safe.

The app looks and functions almost exactly like Safari, so there's almost no learning curve for kids already accustomed to the built-in browser (which, FYI, you can lock out by venturing into Settings > General > Restrictions). One small gripe: it can't import any existing bookmarks.

Mobicip does, however, offer a convenient, kid-friendly home page with quick links to sites like Britannica, Google, HowStuffWorks, and Wikipedia.

The browser relies on Mobicip's servers to filter inappropriate URLs and search results. Parents can choose from three predefined filtering levels: elementary, middle, and high school.

If you want more granular control, consider signing up for a Premium account, which for $9.99 annually lets you blacklist/whitelist specific sites, block specific categories (chat, shopping, violence, etc.), view activity reports, and manage multiple users and devices.

Even with the free account, Mobicip offers more than enough protection that parents can rest easy. For a mere $5, you can keep your kids from accidentally (or intentionally) wandering into the Web's red-light districts. I'm sold.