Apps for Kids

A new 4-inch iPhone is expected to be announced by Apple on March 21st. For those of you considering upgrading, here are some ideas for putting your current iPhone to good use.

Actor Sir Patrick Stewart will lend his voice to the upcoming mobile game, Leonardo’s Cat, from StoryToys. The upcoming educational title is aimed at children and families with art from illustrator Michael Frith (The Muppets, Fraggle Rock). Leonardo’s Cat follows Scungilli, da Vinci’s faithful feline companion, as he goes on a quest to find his owner's missing invention, the Automaton. Scungilli must explore the ancient town of Amboise for the missing robot while solving puzzles and avoiding traps.

After revamping its App Store Review guidelines with new rules on children’s applications, Apple emailed developers with additional details on its new iTunes "Kids" category. Apple originally previewed the new category for children at WWDC in June. The new section "provides parents with a place on the App Store to find age-appropriate apps for children," according to the email sent out by Apple. The letter also breaks down the age subcategories as 5 & under, 6-to-8, and 9-to-11.

Apple has revamped the App Store a few times this year to make it more parent and school friendly. In April, the company made app age ratings more visible, and added a pop-up warning to all 17+ rated content. Apple also created a new system for "educational institutions" to add individual accounts for children under the age of 13.