We’ve all been told that children are the future. That if we teach them well, they’ll lead the way. That’s complete crap. I’m of the opinion that if you give them the tools to make the right decisions they’ll make you prouder in the end. That being said this isn’t last generations tools. You aren’t going to get by with handing your toddler a Fisher Price story book that makes sounds. You can’t give the glint in your eye a VHS tape. You’ve got to modernize your thinking! This week we’ve got three out of the many apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace to entertain, educate, and pacify your offspring (we hear people with children just call them kids.)
We begin this week with Lart Soft’s Kids TV Pro. Specializing in the very best of mainstream cartoon shows, the apps deals out a potent mix great content and features unique to Windows Phone. You’ll find episodes of Dinosaur Train, Teletubbies, Cailou, Sponge Bob Square Pants, Mickey Mouse, Pink Panther, Dora, Scooby Doo, and my personal favorite Arthur. You can pin each show to your home screen for quick access in the supermarket and use the parental controls to avoid having awkward questions asked at the dinner table. There’s also a Live Tile for the app so you’ll always knew when it’s an episode they haven’t scene. Kids TV Pro is available for $.99 or in ad supported free version that lacks live tiles. Did you know you could find Arthur books and lot’s of other books at your local library? (Shout out DW.) We’ll you can!
Speaking of the library, we appreciate all that libraries and those that are employed at them do to keep our children educated, but let’s call a spade; a spade. There’s nothing worse than having to trek to the local branch when your child has a science project. You’ll end up cooped up in one of those “comfy” arm chairs explaining The Water Cycle for a few ours only to hear “huh” or “can’t we do something fun?”. To that I say, pssh. Just whip out that Windows Phone of yours and download Naren’s Science Central. Contained in it’s YouTube powered archives you’ll find videos on the most exciting things being talked about in the sciences including Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Medicine, and Physics. Science Central is free and teaches your kids the inner workings of things they have yet to even dream of.
And lastly for those who never dreamed they’d ever have children, or that they would be reading this column, or that teenagers can actually be as expensive as the parents told them they were, i’d like to pass on a little cost savings for those of you with kids taking Geometry, Algebra 1, and Algebra 2. Forget the doctors bills or the school lunches, the first time you’ll really go “What the, what?” will be the day your asked to purchase your child’s first graphing calculator. If you’re school system provides access to these in class, then you’re almost home free, almost. You child will still need a graphing calculator, and if either of you have a Windows Phone you’re home free. For $1.99 Appcylon LCC’s Graphing Calculator can help you plot a better metric for your kid’s at home math needs faster than you can say “A TI-89 costs how much?!”
And that’s a wrap on another Windows Phone App Flow. If you have a suggestion on a theme for an edition of the column, send them my way on Twitter, username: @harlemS . Yes I’m guilty of loving cartoons way too much and I’d have gotten away with it if it weren’t for those meddling kids.
