Blog entry June 2010

Thousand Oaks, CA - Mobicip.com, the leading internet safety and parental control service for mobile devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, received the prestigious 2010 Parents’ Choice Silver Honors Award as a top mobile application software serving children and protecting their mobile experience. Parents’ Choice has been reviewing and recommending quality children’s media for more than 32 years. According to leaders at Parents’ Choice, “not only is it clear that children must be adept in the traditional areas of learning, they must also be competent and skilled in the learning opportunities digital media provides.”

Parents’ Choice recognizes the best in children’s media.  They rate and award organizations with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.  Mobicip’s mobile internet browsing security technology received the Silver honor with one or more of the evaluating groups at Parents’ Choice, a high prize for their child mobile internet safety technology’s production and human values.  Parents’ Choice honors are given to excellent media products that are designed to entertain and support globally ethical attitudes. Products are also awarded based on how they help children cultivate skills while maintaining rigorous product standards.

“This is a very prestigious recognition from an organization that, for years, has been such a trusted source of the best in children’s education and entertainment,” says Anitha Swaminathan, Director of Customer Experience at Mobicip.  “Parents need to be in the know about how to protect their kids who are mobile users and using them in mobile ways, without total parental supervision.  We are so impressed that Parents’ Choice has a mobile category to cater to the trends and are equally proud to have been a part of their rigorous screening process and recognition.”

“The Mobicip Safe Browser's intuitive design is easy-to-use. It looks almost identical to the preferred Safari browser resident on many Apple products,” says Teresa DiFalco, a reviewer for Parents’ Choice. “Searches on inappropriate content produce a simple "access is denied" message and a link to the Mobicip website where a parent or administrator can, if they desire, change the filtering level. There are three age-appropriate levels: elementary, middle school, and high school.”

"The way children, tweens and teens learn today is becoming more and more mobile.  Safe mobility fundamentally transforms how children learn and we are so pleased that Parents’ Choice sees our mobile app technology as playing a significant role in the process," says Suren Ramasubbu, Founder and CEO of Mobicip.com. "Mobicip's service is being used by thousands of parents around the world, and by several school districts.  This award is so appreciated.”

Parents’ Choice has been reviewing and recommending quality children’s media since 1978.  To learn more about Parents’ Choice, visit www.parents-choice.org

Mobicip’s Safe Browser app for kids and teens is available on the iPhone App Store, and the service is available at www.mobicip.com.

About Mobicip’s Mobile Application for Children and Online Content Filtering for Parents
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.  Kids are mobile – parents use Mobicip to ensure their mobile kids are safely using their mobile devices, even without supervision.  Learn more about Mobicip at www.mobicip.com.
 

If you are at ISTE 2010, make sure to stop by this ISTE Unplugged event on Tuesday, Jun 29 at 10:30 am.

Title: Individualized Instruction and Learning Using the iPod Touch

Description:
Comal ISD and Grey Culbreth Middle have implemented iPod Touch-based mobile learning programs. Middle schoolers who participate in these programs are each given an iPod Touch that includes restricted Internet access, apps, music, documents, presentations and instructional videos that allow the students to learn on their own time outside of school hours. The panelists will discuss how the programs evolved from concept to reality, cover acceptable use policy, security and deployment management, and anecdotal evidence of the benefits derived by students participating in the program.

• Comal ISD in New Braunfels, TX, has implemented a 1:1 learning program using the Apple iPod Touch for its special education English language learners.
• Grey Culbreth Middle School in Chapel Hill, NC has implemented a similar program for the entire 8th grade class.
• Travis Allen from the iSchool Initiative will also participate in the session and bring a refreshing student perspective.
• The session is hosted by Suren Ramasubbu (HuffPost blogger and CEO of Mobicip.com)

Panelists:

Suren Ramasubbu http://www.huffingtonpost.com/suren-ramasubbu

Sandra Shelton http://www.comalisd.org/mobile_learning/index.html

Travis Allen http://www.ischoolinitiative.com

Susan Wells http://www.youtube.com/greyculbreth

Click here to join the Elluminate room

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (June 22, 2010) — Mobicip.com, the leader in online content filtering for the iPhone,  iPod Touch and iPad, was recognized by StartUpBusiness.com for its “new technology for new times”, making the Honorable Mention list. Mobicip’s superior online content filtering technology allows today’s mobile kids to safely use their favorite Internet-enabled devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, wherever they are.

“We are flattered by the mention and consider it quite a technological compliment,” says Suren Ramasubbu, founder and CEO of Mobicip. “Technological innovation is critical for the future, especially as children learn and play with mobile technologies.  Making technology easy for parents and educators as they deal with mobile and technically super-savvy kids is our goal – we think mobile safety is cool, we are pleased StartUpBusiness.com sees it as hot.”

Michael O’Donnell, who compiled the list of Hot Startup Companies says what makes companies make this list is, “In a word…..uptake. The founders are quick to learn from their customers and quick to get traction in the marketplace. They may not be profitable, but most are seeing double-digit growth each quarter. A hot startup is one that has a unique insight. It fills a need that is not being offered by any other company in the space. It is not a one trick pony. Its products or services are really useful -- even critical -- to its customers. The industries that these companies compete in are depending upon them to bring a new era of prosperity.” To see the list of Honorable Hot Startup Company Mention List, click here.

About Mobicip

Mobicip.com offers security software that ensures children and teens use the mobile web safely. Mobicip's dynamic content filtering technology helps parents protect their children in a web 2.0 world. Mobile Internet devices like the iPhone, iPod, iTouch and iPad are highly capable computers that contain browsers that can find anything on the Internet—irrespective of whether or not the content is appropriate for the children.  By delivering an online safety net through its parental control solution, Mobicip gives parents and educators the ability to safeguard their children on their favorite mobile devices. Mobicip does more than block website addresses; the software dynamically views the entire web page to determine if there is offensive content even on an allowed site based on the parent’s choices.  Mobicip Safe Browser is one of the top downloads available on the App Store and the premium content filtering service is available at www.mobicip.com.

Media Contact
Nicki Gauthier
Mobicip, LLC
501-I South Reino Rd. Ste 212
Newbury Park CA 91320
pr@mobicip.com
805-380-5687
http://www.mobicip.com/
 

Apple has released the iOS4 upgrade for iPhone and iPod Touch users.

It is absolutely free this time for all users. Click here to upgrade your iPhone, and here for your iPod Touch. ZDNet has published a helpful tutorial to help you with the upgrade. We highly recommend that you upgrade immediately since it includes several improvements that make these devices a pleasure to use. Learn more about the iOS4 upgrade and the features it includes in this review by Macworld.

Some early adopters of iOS4 identified a problem with Mobicip's Safe Browser, and it has since been resolved. We have posted an update for Mobicip's Safe Browser to take advantage of iOS4 features like multi-tasking and state restoration. What it means to you is zippy and instant-on performance. We will post a note here as soon as the update is available on the App Store.

UPDATE: As promised, Mobicip Safe Browser's update for iOS4 is now available on the App Store. The update is a free download for existing users. Simply launch the App Store on the device to download the update.

Please upgrade to the new OS and enjoy the new features!