Kids

Apple TV universal search adds support for kids app Holster in US

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 30, 2017

Apple TV's universal search function, which lets you use Siri to find content across supported video apps, has gained support for the kids app Holster in the United States.

Apple's support document was updated Friday to reflect the addition. Before, it was supported by the universal search feature for users in Australia and the United Kingdom only.

Aimed at kids aged five and under and billed as the app that lets kids learn through the shows they love, Holster is available on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV with 800+ kids TV episodes, 100+ songs and nursery rhymes, curriculum-based learning games and more.

The app requires a subscription fee of $5 per month.

https://vimeo.com/185792548

A 7-day free trial is available.

The following third-party content providers and apps are currently supported by tvOS's universal search on the fourth-generation Apple TV:

United States: Movies and TV shows in iTunes, A&E, ABC, AMC,  Animal Planet GO, Apple Music, BET, Bravo, CBS, Comedy Central, Cooking Channel, Crunchyroll, CuriosityStream, CW Seed, Discover GO, Disney Channel, Disney Jr, Disney XD, DIY, E!, Food Network, FOXNOW, FXNOW, FYI, Hallmark Channel, HBO GO, HBO NOW, HGTV, History, Hopster, Hulu, Investigation Discovery GO, Lifetime, MTV, MUBI, Nat Geo TV, NBC, Netflix, Nick Jr, Nickelodeon, PBS, PBS Kids, Science Channel GO, SHOWTIME, SHOWTIME Anytime, Spike, Starz, Syfy, TBS, Telemundo, The CW, TLC GO, TNT, Travel Channel, Tribeca Shortlist, USA and VH1. Australia: Movies and TV Shows in iTunes, ABC iview, CuriosityStream, Hopster, MUBI, Netflix, Plus7 and Stan. Canada and United Kingdom: Movies and TV shows in iTunes, CuriosityStream, Hopster, MUBI and Netlix France: Movies and TV shows in iTunes, CANAL+, Netflix Germany: Movies and TV shows in iTunes, Galileo, Netflix Japan, Mexico, Netherlands and Spain: Movies in iTunes, Netflix Norway: Movies in iTunes, MUBI, Netflix, NRK TV, TV 2 Sumo Sweden: Movies in iTunes, MUBI, Netflix, SVT Play Other countries: Movies in iTunes

YouTube search is supported across all regions. To search for YouTube content, simply use Siri and include the word "YouTube" in your search (i.e. “Search UFO sightings on YouTube”).

The full list of providers for tvOS's universal search function is on Apple’s website.

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Free Apple Store workshops will help kids learn to code, program robots, edit video & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 20, 2017

Apple's retail stores will launch free workshops next month to help kids aged 8-12 learn how to code and program robots in the recently updated Swift Playground app, as well as draw, edit video and more. The sessions will be available from July as part of the company's “Today at Apple” classes which recently launched across Apple Stores globally.

Apple Camp, as it's called, will kick off on July 10 and run through July 28.

The three-day program was designed to help kids broaden their creative horizons by making movies with iMovie, creating interactive books and more using Apple products.

Macworld notes “Today at Apple” offers additional sessions for children, called “Kids Hour”.

This year's summer camps cover the following topics:

Creating characters and composing music—Kids ages 8-12 will create their own stories through drawings and sounds. Campers will start their session by sketching characters and scenes with iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, then they’ll explore the basics for composing a track using GarageBand. They’ll bring their story to life by adding vocals and finishing touches. Stories in motion with iMovie—Future filmmakers ages 8-12 will explore the creative process of turning their ideas into real movies. In this three-day session, Campers will learn how to brainstorm and storyboard. Then they’ll get hands-on with movie-making techniques like learning camera angles and editing with iMovie. On the final day, they’ll present their masterpieces. Coding games and programming robots—In this three-day session for kids ages 8-12, we’ll introduce programming through interactive play. Kids will learn visual-based coding by solving puzzles with Tynker. Then they’ll learn how to program Sphero robots, and even create fun stories starring Sphero as the main character.

Each workshop offers three 90-minute classes.

To sign up for the upcoming workshops, visit Apple's website.

Apple CEO Tim Cook and other technology leaders met with Donald Trump earlier today, with Cook pushing the US President to make coding a requirement in schools.

Cook has long been a proponent for helping the youngsters learn coding.

“We believe coding should be a required language in all schools,” said Apple's chief executive when his company debuted the Swift Playgrounds app last year.

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Google launches Toontastic 3D, a playful storytelling app for kids

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 12, 2017

Google today launched a new education-focused apps aimed at kids aged 6-8 years old, called Toontastic 3D. With this app, your youngsters can draw, animate and narrate their own cartoons. The concept and game mechanics are easy to grasp so your kids should feel right at home. They simply move their characters around onscreen to tell their story. The app records their voice and animations and stores content on their device as a video.

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10 great gift ideas for iPhone-controlled fun

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Welcome to the latest edition of iDB’s ongoing Gift Ideas series, where we provide curated roundups of some of our favorite products. Throughout the year we cover and test a number of devices and accessories, so we decided to use that experience to help those searching for the perfect present. Today’s roundup is focused on RC (remote control) vehicles that can be controlled via iPhone.

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Apple’s free app of the week: Dr. Panda’s Ice Cream Truck

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 1, 2018

Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with the game Dr. Panda's Ice Cream Truck. This means from now through next Thursday, you’ll be able to pick up the hit children's title for free—a solid savings of $2.

Dr. Panda's Ice Cream Truck was developed for ages 6-8, but anyone can have fun making ice cream. Choose from several flavors and toppings, pile your scoops as high as you can, and then serve your creation to hungry customers.

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Apple’s free app of the week: Loopimal

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with the app Loopimal by Yatatoy. This means that for the next 7 days, you'll be able to pick up the critically acclaimed children's title for both iPhone and iPad for free—a solid savings of $3.

Loopimal is essentially a building kit of handcrafted animations and sounds that teaches kids about music. The graphics are both sharp and charming, and the rhythmic/melodic content makes for endless possibilities of creations and compositions.

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Apple’s free app of the week: Sago Mini Road Trip

Cody Lee ∙ June 2, 2016

Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with the game Sago Mini Road Trip. This means that for the next 7 days, you’ll be able to download the popular children's title on both iPhone and iPad for free, a solid savings of $3.

In Sago, kids play as Jinja the cat as they set out on a road trip. There are more than 10 vehicles and 6 destinations to choose from, and no rules or time pressures to worry about. So kids can relax, hit the road and explore at their own pace.

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Creative video app CHOMP goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Cody Lee ∙ March 31, 2016

Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with CHOMP, by Christoph Niemann. This means that from now through next Thursday, you can pick up the popular interactive storybook app for free for both iPhone and iPad—a solid $3 savings.

CHOMP combines playful, humorous, hand-drawn animations with live video, enabling children and adults alike to slip into a variety of comical roles. From a virtuous pianist, to a spaghetti-slurping dog, or a living cuckoo-clock, almost anything is possible!

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MarcoPolo Ocean goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Cody Lee ∙ January 21, 2016

Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion in iTunes, and this week's selection is MarcoPolo Ocean. This means that the game, which is highly rated in the kids-education-puzzler category, is going to be free from now through next Thursday—a handsome savings of $3.

The concept of MarcoPolo Ocean is pretty simple. It's a digital sandbox of sorts, where kids are encouraged to do things like explore the deep sea, build a coral reef, and much more. Plus, its animations and playful narration help reinforce vocabulary, ocean concepts and other attributes.

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Nighty Night Circus goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Cody Lee ∙ August 27, 2015

Apple on Thursday named "Nighty Night Circus" its featured App of the Week in the App Store. This means for the next 7 days, you will be able to download the popular bedtime story and lullaby app for kids for free—saving you a solid $3.

The sequel to Apple's 2012 App of the Year, Nighty Night!, Nighty Night Circus allows children to play with a variety of circus animals and tuck them in as they go to sleep. The app features beautiful imagery, great narration and lullaby music.

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