ESRB: Choose the Right Video Game For Your Child

Do your children play video games.  Does a Hawaiian vacay sound perfect right around now?

Although I am the tech tips traveling mom, I am loathe to spend an extra two seconds even talking about video games with my 7 year old son.  Nothing interests me less.

But here's the reality:I have to get interested (very soon!) because there will be a lot more tension in our house if this boy doesn't get some video games.  And I don't want him going to the neighbor's house for video games because I have no idea what they're playing over there.  I'd rather have him play a game we can pick out together.  Yes, it's a dialogue -- even with a 7 year old.

So, I can do all of the research I want to, but when I'm in the store with him, I need a quick education. If I'm on the fence about buying him a game, I need some answers -- fast.  Can't rely on a 7 year old to tell me what's appropriate for him with regard to a video game, right?

The ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) has had a mobile app since 2008, but it just got a lot easier to use with photo recognition software.  I just take a photo of the box of the game and it connects me to a ratings summary.  NOT reviews, just whether or not this game will be appropriate for my kid.

Of course the box has a rating already on it, but if I care more about mature content than foul language, I might not care if the rating is high solely because of language.  The ESRB rating explains why each game got its rating.  This is crucial information.

The app is free, easy to use and... just get it while you're reading this and thinking about it.  You'll forget later.  Takes 2 minutes.

iTunes on the Android

I was having issues playing my music on my Android phone.  On my PC, my music lives in iTunes.  I like iTunes because it allows me to make playlists so I can listen to exactly what I want.  But to get the music to my droid, I was using an app called DoubleTwist that gave me only grief.  Hard to set up, hard to sync.  Made me listen to pandora instead, which I like, but sometimes you just want to listen to your own playlist.  Am I right?

My most recent discovery is iSyncr -- it allows me to play my iTunes playlists directly on my Android phone.  I am not someone who buys a lot of apps.  More often than not, I go for the free apps (and still, I ignore those).  iSyncr is worth the $2.99 I paid.  No more sync issues.  Easy, fluid app.  And if I wanted to pay an extra 99 cents, I could do it wirelessly.  But I say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  I can deal with the wire.

There you have it: iTunes playlists on your Android Phone.  Easy Peasy.

Wake Up Call: Alarm Clock App For the Android!

To paraphrase Aretha: I have never loved a phone the way I, I love my Android. I like having an alarm better than setting up an appointment ("wake up") on my calendar.  More reassuring.  Can't trust the hotel wake up call 100%, am I right?  In the Android Market, I like twofree alarm apps.  I'll tell you which one I like best:

Alarm Clock Xtreme!  Because all alarm clocks should be extreme, right?  Anyway, the reason I like it is because I can choose songs from my playlists on my phone to wake me up.  OR, I could (and I tested this), record my voice saying "Wake up Elizabeth!"  Not that I want to wake up that way, but knowing I could wake up to just about anything makes me feel very powerful.

I also like AlarmDroid, which has some snazzy features whereby you shake the phone to go to snooze.  It has a power nap mode so that you can set the alarm to go off in 1 hour and 12 minutes and 5 seconds -- if you can't deal with figuring out the time, I guess.  It also let's you record your voice and stuff like that.  Why is this one number 2 in my book?  Honestly, who can remember?  As I write and play with this version, I'm liking it more than Xtreme.

It's FREE!  Get both.

There are paid versions of these apps as well, but you really have to geek out to care.  I just want it to work.  And they do.

Moms With Apps

Last month, we were about to go on a trip (a vacation is something you take without two children) and I wanted to load up on iPhone apps to sooth my savage beasts -- ages 4 and 6.  I found a great website that caters especially to people like me:  Moms With Apps. Aha!

The apps are categorized for easy navigation and take you directly to the webpage that can launch your iTunes program.

There are no reviews on Moms With Apps, but you can see the reviews on the app's iTunes page and make your decision to download from there.