As you’re listening to this podcast I’m at the Northeast Great Homeschool Convention but that doesn’t mean there’s no podcast. In fact, this week I’m covering Apple’s recent hardware and software announcements at WWDC 2012.

Each year Apple invites developers to San Francisco to see what’s coming down the pipe and this year Apple amazed everyone with their new product announcements.  

This week’s podcast is sponsored by kidsemail.org – a safe email service for kids and families.  With Kids Email you get parental control and options like removing images from email, blocking attachments, only allowing email from a specific contact list, and much more.  You can try it out free for 30 days, no credit card required.  After that, it’s just $2.99 a month for up to 6 email addresses for 13 months.  This is a special deal so sign up today.

So what goodies await geeky homeschoolers around the world?  Here’s a rundown –

New Macbook Pro with Retina Display

The entire Macbook line saw a refresh with faster processors, more RAM better graphics, and the availability of flash RAM as a HDD alternative. Apple’s new Macbook Pro stole the show, however, it is the most technologically advanced consumer laptop on the planet.  Thin is in with the new Macbook Pro.  It weighs in at 4.46 lbs and has a profile of only .71 inches.  A stunning 15.4″ Retina display with 2880×1800 pixels is backed by a GeForce GT 650M video card with 1 GB or VRAM.  Up to 16GB of RAM and 786GB of flash RAM storage complement a quad-core, i7 2.3 GHz Intel processor.  Battery life is expected to be around 7 hours.  This new piece of tech will run you at least $2199.  A guy can dream…

Hundreds of updates to iOS and Mac OS X

Apple touted around 200 updates to upcoming releases of Mac OS X Mountain Lion and iOS 6. Only a handful were highlighted and most look impressive. New features for Safari, iCloud services, Facebook integration, and Chinese support spanned both platforms. iOS and OS X are looking a lot like each other these days. It seems that features are added to each platform and the integration between your Mac and your iPhone are even tighter now. The new Power Nap feature for Mountain Lion keeps your Mac up-to-date while it hibernates. On your handheld iOS devices, the addition of FaceTime over cellular is a great plus. You’ll no longer be tied to a wi-fi connection to keep in touch.

Etcetera

There are many more features and updates coming to Apple in the near future. If you haven’t watched the keynote, you can watch it online at http://www.apple.com/apple-events/june-2012/ or watch it in iTunes.  More information about iOS 6 can be found at http://www.apple.com/ios/ios6/ and visit http://www.apple.com/osx/ for more information about Mountain Lion.

JD Sutter sent me an email last week reminding me that there are several online resources that folks can use to download videos from YouTube. This is helpful if you don’t want your kids browsing around their service looking for the tutorials I mentioned in last week’s podcast.  I hand a lapse in brain activity last week while recording so I failed to mention this.  Some of my favorites are KeepVid and ZamZar.  Thanks for jogging my memory, JD.

Finally, Id like to mention a new homeschooling podcast that I think some of you will like.  The Savvy Homeschool Moms podcast just started and they’re doing a great job.  Tina and Beckie talk about everything under the sun as it...

Normally I’m a little more confident about my podcasting. This week not so much. I try to answer some questions for a homeschooling missionary in New Zealand and come away with more of my own questions.

This week’s podcast is sponsored by kidsemail.org – a safe email service for kids and families.  With Kids Email you get parental control and options like removing images from email, blocking attachments, only allowing email from a specific contact list, and much more.  You can try it out free for 30 days, no credit card required.  After that, it’s just $2.99 a month for up to 6 email addresses for 13 months.  This is a special deal so sign up today.

Links mentioned in the podcast:

Venus Transit Amazes Many

KinderBard From Concept to Creation

https://thewiredhomeschool.com/infographics

Free clipart and photos for Microsoft Office

Kid Rex safe search for kids

SquirrelNet Safe Search

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If you’d like to leave feedback about this or any other episode you can call and leave a voice mail by calling 518-290-0228, send email  to [email protected], or leave a comment on the blog. Follow me on Twitter: @jwilkers. Also follow the podcast on Twitter: @wiredhs. Join the Facebook page over at http://facebook.com/wiredhs

Music: Poofy Reel by Kevin Macleod.

The Wired Homeschool is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network. For more family-friendly tech podcasts visit techpodcasts.com

It’s not often that you come across a filtered browser that supports nearly every major operating system.  I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled upon Mobicip Safe Browser which is available for  iOS, Android, Kindle, Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.

Not only is Mobicip available on several platforms, it’s also a great deal starting at $4.99 for multiple mobile devices.  

This week’s podcast is sponsored by kidsemail.org — a safe email service for kids and families.  With Kids Email you get parental control and options like removing images from email, blocking attachments, only allowing email from a specific contact list, and much more.  You can try it out free for 30 days, no credit card required.  After that, it’s just $2.99 a month for up to 6 email addresses for 13 months.  This is a special deal so sign up today.

I was unable to get a promo code in order to do a hands-on test of Mobicip for iOS. I do have a small budget for iOS apps but since I already use another browser on my iPhone I didn’t want to spend money for an app I wouldn’t be using. (Since the release of this podcast and article, I’m using Mobicip exclusively on my iPhone. -John) That being said, this will be an overview of the Mobicip Safe Browser rather than a functional review.

The standard disclaimer applies when dealing with third-party browsers on iOS: you can’t set it as a default, Safari should be disabled, and some features of Safari cannot be replicated due to the limitations of the iOS SDK.

Features

Age-based filtering – choose filtering a level at Elementary, Middle or High School. Mobicip uses filtering standards used by K-12 school systems. I think this is very handy and makes configuring Mobicip very simple.

Strict safe search enforced at all filtering levels. This helps prevent accidental discovery of inappropriate content.

Frequent updates to the Mobicip database. Sites visited are categorized and added to their database and updated often.

Intelligent real-time content filtering (not just URL-based) in the event your child comes across a site that hasn’t been categorized .

Encrypted traffic for added security over public WiFi. This is something I really like. No worrying about your kids being snooped on.

YouTube filter that filters videos based upon keywords, title, and description.

Premium features include: view your child’s Internet activity, customizing the filtering engine, and time limits. Premium features are available for an additional $9.99 annually per device.

Final Thoughts

I really would have liked to do a hands-on review of this product for iOS (Note: since the release of this podcast, I’ve done a hands-on review). On the Kindle Fire it functioned as expected. I didn’t encounter any trouble viewing sites, creating bookmarks, or using multiple tabs. Having the ability to choose a filtering level is very helpful. Mobicip Safe Browser is aimed directly at kids’ use of mobile devices. I’m very pleased with the encrypted connection over wi-fi and the enforced strict safe search features. This goes a long way in protecting your kids.

I’m interrupting my current series to bring you an interview with Jim and Kathy Newell.  We’re talking about the annual LEAH Homeschooling Conference in Rochester, NY.  Normally I wouldn’t interrupt a series but this interview is time-sensitive so I felt it was important enough to break one of my own rules.

I’ve known Jim and Kathy for almost 10 years and we sat in their kitchen and had a discussion about the conference, reasons to attend the conference, and more.

This year’s conference will take place May 31st – June 2nd at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. Pre-registration is closed right now but you can still register at the door for one or more days. Family rates are available.

For more information visit leahconference.com

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If you’d like to leave feedback about this or any other episode you can call and leave a voice mail by calling 518-290-0228, send email to [email protected], or leave a comment on the blog. Follow me on Twitter: @jwilkers. Also follow the podcast on Twitter: @wiredhs. Join the Facebook page over at http://facebook.com/wiredhs

Music: Poofy Reel by Kevin Macleod.

The Wired Homeschool is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network. For more family-friendly tech podcasts visit techpodcasts.com

Before I begin my review of Covenant Eyes I want to be very clear: I am a Covenant Eyes affiliate. I’m an affiliate because I believe they have a great product. However, my relationship with Covenant Eyes in no way will prevent me from speaking truthfully about their product.

I’ve written a lot about Covenant Eyes in the past, mostly on my old blog/podcast Jesus Geek. I’m a big advocate for their software so it will be difficult for me to control my enthusiasm.

But before I get into the full review, I’d like to mention a sponsor of the podcast: Scholaric. Scholaric is the simplest homeschool record keeping system I’ve ever seen. Fewer settings. No unnecessary features and highly customizable.  You can start by adding 1 student and course the start planning.  It even works on your iPad.  That’s right!  Don’t believe me?  Check it out today and get a 3 month free trial. When you go to the site click on the button for the 15 day free trial and you’ll receive 3 months free. That’s scholaric.com/wiredhs2012. With Scholaric simple homeschool record keeping is just a click away!

What is Covenant Eyes Mobile?

Let’s start with the basics.  Covenant Eyes is a browser that records your browsing habits on an iOS device and rates the “maturity” of the sites you visit.  It works along with the desktop version of the software so once you have everything configured for your home computer you don’t need to configure the mobile browser.  The mobile versions of the software are free with your monthly subscription to Covenant Eyes.  It can be installed on multiple devices for no extra charge.

If you’re interested in knowing more about how Covenant Eyes works, visit their website.  I want to focus on the browser for iOS rather than the service itself which I’ve reviewed in the past (check out the link above to my old blog).

How it Works

Once the app is installed enter your username and password and then start browsing.  That’s it!  Every time you visit a website it will be recorded and reviewed by Covenant Eyes and rated.  You and/or your accountability partner will be able to see on the accountability report the “safety level” of the site.  You can then use this to start a discussion about your Internet usage.

The browser works just like other third-party browsers on iOS and just like all the others it is also limited by the SDK.  Bookmarks, multiple pages, zoom, etc. are all available but the much desired options to make it the default browser, import Safari bookmarks, and share links or add them to the homepage aren’t there.  It’s frustrating but that is how Apple rolls.

There are two features that I really think Covenant Eyes needs in the iOS version.  First, a panic button similar to the one found in X3 Watch.  Being able to get a notification that you’re headed to a potentially offensive site (knowingly or unknowingly) is a great option.  Second, it should require you to disable Safari.  There is a reminder to do so but it really should just require that restriction to be enabled.

Covenant Eyes mobile has come a long way from its first release when it was slow, buggy, and crashed.  It’s a more mature app now and I think with a few more refinements it could almost be the “perfect” app for mobile accountability.

Last week I reviewed Safe Eyes, a filtered browser available for iOS devices that makes a good substitute for Safari.  This week I’m covering X3watch: an accountability and filtering tool that keeps a record of your browsing activities.

X3 Watch is a service of XXXChurch.com, a “non-profit organization that exists to help people of all ages who are being assaulted by pornography.”

Before I get into the full review, I’d like to mention a sponsor of the podcast: Scholaric. Scholaric is the simplest homeschool record keeping system I’ve ever seen. Fewer settings. No unnecessary features and highly customizable. Check it out today and get a 3 month free trial. When you go to the site click on the button for the 15 day free trial and you’ll receive 3 months free. That’s scholaric.com/wiredhs2012. With Scholaric simple homeschool record keeping is just a click away!

No Safari for You!

The very first thing you will notice about X3 Watch besides the 17+ rating (I’ll address that later) is that it will not work if Safari is enabled on your device.  This means that in order to use X3 Watch you must enable iOS restrictions and disable Safari.  Of all the features I think this is the best.  It separates X3 Watch from the herd by requiring Safari to be disabled.  Since its main function is reporting and not filtering, this is a wise move on the part of the X3 Watch developers.

There is also a desktop version of X3 Watch so naturally you’d expect there to be some way to synchronize your settings between the two.  There isn’t.  Other than using the same account for reporting, you need to enter all the necessary setup data into the X3 Watch app.  Let’s take a look at the setup process.

When you first launch X3 Watch you’ll be prompted to disable Safari.  If you don’t know how, there are instructions are only a tap away.  Once you’ve disabled Safari you can begin the registration process.  Fill in all the appropriate fields and begin browsing.

As with any other browser, the features are limited by the iOS SDK.  I won’t rehash that here but you can read my comments about that in my review of Safe Eyes mobile.  You’ll find all the usual features: bookmarks, multiple windows, zoom, etc.  There is one other feature that I think you’ll like too.  If you attempt to visit a site that X3 Watch recognizes a porn, it will warn you and give you an opportunity to either bug out or continue.  This is a really nice feature and helps to keep you in check.

X3 Watch Falls Short

There are some glaring problems with X3 Watch that I think make that app a poor choice for children or people who struggle with pornography addiction.  First, I never received an accountability report.  There’s even an option to send a report out and that didn’t work either.  I checked my spam folder and couldn’t find the reports anywhere.  Second, I was able to change who I send my reports to, thereby completely defeating the app.  No email was sent to the previous accountability partner indicating that the settings had been changed.  That means that your child can go into the app and change the settings and continue browsing the Internet without any of the benefits of the application (except a pop-up warning...

This week I’m starting a series on mobile internet filtering and accountability. I’m going to review 3 products that will help protect your children when using an iDevice. Some of these products are also available on Android and I’ll provide a rundown of those features at the end of the series.

First up is Safe Eyes Mobile from Internetsafety.com available for iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad. It even works on 1st-generation iPods and iPhones. Safe Eyes is a replacement browser for the native Safari browser and filters your Internet activity as opposed to just monitoring and reporting on your Internet activity.

Before I get into the full review, I’d like to welcome a sponsor to the podcast: Scholaric. Scholaric is the simplest homeschool record keeping system I’ve ever seen. Fewer settings. No unnecessary features and highly customizable. Check it out today and get a 3 month free trial. When you go to the site click on the button that for the 15 day free trial and you’ll receive 3 months free. That’s scholaric.com/wiredhs2012. With Scholaric simple homeschool record keeping is just a click away!

OK, back to Safe Eyes. Like I said earlier, Safe Eyes is intended to replace Safari for iOS in order to provide filtering. Due to the iOS SDK, there is no way to install an app that monitors all Internet activity (this is something you’re going to hear a lot about from me).

Safer Than Safari

For casual browsing on the Internet Safe Eyes is a suitable replacement, especially for children. It doesn’t lag at all.  I used it for a solid hour with multiple tabs open and it didn’t crash.

If you use the home version of Safe Eyes it can also enforce time limits across devices, and syncs settings across PC, Mac, and iOS. That means no having to reconfigure the filter for each device.

When you launch the app for the first time you’re prompted to either create a new account or use an existing account. If you don’t already have an account you can create one on your device. Once you’re done with the account creation process you won’t see the screen again.

From there you’re prompted to either start browsing or disable Safari. If you’re setting this up for a child I highly recommend disabling Safari. You’ll then be provided with instructions on how to do that. It can’t be done automatically because it’s not supported in the iOS SDK.

Most of the features I’ve come to expect in a mobile browser are present: multiple windows, bookmarks, share links via email, pinch to zoom, double-tap to zoom, etc. I was able to play embedded YouTube videos and audio files on multiple websites too.  I had a problem logging into one social media site but it’s not one I use regularly and there’s an app for it.

Despite the negative comments I’ve seen about Safe Eyes in the App Store, I experienced none of the crashing or errors that others complained about. Some of the complaints were about features that weren’t present. Some of these features might be helpful but aren’t permitted because of the iOS SDK. Let’s address some of those now.

Apple iOS SDK Woes

* No device-wide filtering of Internet capable apps

* Cannot import bookmarks

* Cannot assign Safe Eyes as your default browser

* Cannot click links in email and have them open in Safe Eyes

These are all the things the browser doesn’t do because the SDK doesn’t allow it. Apple has really ham-strung developers when it co...

The Apple TV allows owners of iPods, iPhones, and iPads to stream media from their devices to their television. It also includes a number of other features like Netflix and YouTube integration.

In part four of this series on iTunes and iOS, I’ll be covering AppleTV parental controls and wrapping up this series. Joel Dittmer reminded me via Twitter about the Apple TV and its parental controls.

Just like other Apple devices the Apple TV’s parental controls are easy to configure. They’re not as granular as other devices but if you’re using them in conjunction with iTunes parental controls then they should suffice.

To access the parental controls on Apple TV goto Settings >> General >> Parental Controls. When prompted enter a passcode. Next you can configure whether to Show, Ask, or Hide options. Ask will prompt for your passcode. Don’t forget to head down to Purchase & Rental and configure it to Ask or Hide so that the little ones can’t view previews for “General Audiences”.

These settings tie in nicely with parental controls and restrictions for other iOS devices and really helps to provide a safer experience for your children. With supervision and these controls in place you can expose your children to great technology without exposing them to objectionable content.

Now that I’ve covered how to manage restrictions and parental controls on a myriad of Apple devices and iTunes I’d like to hear from you. Do you use iOS restrictions and parental controls in iTunes. Were you aware they existed before listening to the podcast or reading the blog posts? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Other items mentioned in the podcast:

App Review – Kids’ Dental Health

Learn to Solder with a Comic Book

Internet Danger on Mobile Phones [Infographic]

The Rise of Internet Addiction [Infographic]

Grant Imahara Shares His Passion for Science and Technology in Presentation at RPI

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If you’d like to leave feedback about this or any other episode you can call and leave a voice mail by calling 518-290-0228, send email to [email protected], or leave a comment on the blog. Follow me on Twitter: @jwilkers. Also follow the podcast on Twitter: @wiredhs. Join the Facebook page over at http://facebook.com/wiredhs

Music: Poofy Reel by Kevin Macleod.

The Wired Homeschool is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network. For more family-friendly tech podcasts visit techpodcasts.com

This week’s podcast is an encore interview I did with Todd Wilson in 2007. You may notice an obvious difference in audio quality bit that can’t be helped.

It was recorded almost 5 years ago and the equipment I was using was pretty low-tech.

I will conclude the series on iOS and iTunes parental controls next week.

Additionally, I’m looking to interview organizers of homeschooling conventions. If you are one or you know one, send them my way! I’d like to do a series on conventions in May.

About Todd Wilson

Todd Wilson, author of Help! I’m Married to a Homeschooling Mom and The Official Book of Homeschooling Cartoons, is a dad, writer, conference speaker, and former pastor. Todd’s humor and gut-honest realness have made him a favorite speaker at homeschool conventions across the country and a guest on Focus on the Family.

His articles have appeared in various magazines. Christianity Today also posts his weekly column (The Familyman Weekly) on their website.

Todd and his wife Debbie, along with their eight children spend several months of the year traveling the country encouraging moms and dads. His humor, realness, and straight talk to men (& women) have become his trademark.

WHS Encore – Interview with Todd Wilson | The Wired Homeschool j.mp/HT25m3

— The Wired Homeschool (@wiredhs) April 19, 2012

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If you’d like to leave feedback about this or any other episode you can call and leave a voice mail by calling 518-290-0228, send email to [email protected], or leave a comment on the blog. Follow me on Twitter: @jwilkers. Also follow the podcast on Twitter: @wiredhs. Join the Facebook page over at http://facebook.com/wiredhs

Music: Poofy Reel by Kevin Macleod.

The Wired Homeschool is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network. For more family-friendly tech podcasts visit techpodcasts.com

If you own an iOS device of any kind (iPod/iPad/iPhone) you’ve probably got iTunes installed on on your home computer.  iTunes is Apple’s portal to managing content (music/videos/apps/books) on all their devices.  Whether you’re using iTunes on OS X or Windows, there are valuable tools at your disposal for managing the content you allow your children to download, view, and purchase.

In part three of this series on iTunes and iOS, I’ll be covering iTunes parental controls.  Parental controls go hand-in-hand with iTunes allowances and iOS restrictions.

I’ll be addressing iTunes 10 parental controls. for information about other versions of iTunes please see Apple’s website about iTunes parental controls.

Configuring iTunes Parental Controls

To access parental controls, Windows users should click Edit >> Preferences and Mac users should choose Preferences from the iTunes menu.

There really isn’t much here to configure but it does help with restricting the type of content available in iTunes. Just because you have restrictions enabled on a device doesn’t mean that the content is unavailable on your desktop or laptop.

You can choose to disable:

* Podcasts

* Radio

* iTunes Store

* Ping

* Shared Libraries

You can also enable content restrictions. First, pick the country’s rating system you want to use then select ratings for:

* Movies

* TV shows

* Apps

Finally, you can choose whether or not to allow explicit content. This may seem redundant but it is necessary because some unwanted content could slip through the cracks via podcasts and music.

WHS 43 – iTunes Parental Controls | j.mp/HzgJyH | Block unwanted content in iTunes

— The Wired Homeschool (@wiredhs) April 12, 2012

Additional topics

Apple has patched Mac OS 10.6 and up against the Flashback/Flashfake trojan

Several anti-virus companies have now released a removal tool for Flashback/Flashfake but Apple is still working on it.

Windows updates were released this week and every version is affected including third-party applications so make sure you get updated.

LastPass for iOS review

Help me find more homeschooling dads online

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If you’d like to leave feedback about this or any other episode you can call and leave a voice mail by calling 518-290-0228, send email to [email protected], or leave a comment on the blog. Follow me on Twitter: @jwilkers. Also follow the podcast on Twitter: @wiredhs. Join the Facebook page over at http://facebook.com/wiredhs