Now Phones That Let Parents Monitor Children

[deepu 0]

Now phones that let parents monitor children

Motorola Inc. chairman Edward Zander said his company plans to make phones that would let parents monitor their children's whereabouts and censor obscene content.

Phones that assuage parents' concerns are also to be matched by features to attract young consumers, like next month's planned release of a phone with iTunes, Apple Computer's popular media player, said Zander, who is also the company's chief executive.

"Mobile phones today are more like television when I was a kid," Zander told reporters late Tuesday after visiting his company's software development centre in Bangalore, India. But "there is a way to keep it secure."

While parents need to adapt to the emerging youth culture surrounding mobile phones, adults are right to be concerned about what their kids are listening to, watching and reading, he said.

To meet those concerns, Motorola, based in Schaumburg, Illinois, is planning models that would inform parents of their children's whereabouts and carry censorship software, he said.

Motorola, the world's third largest mobile phone manufacturer, had worldwide revenues of $31.3 billion last year and employs 2,900 engineers in India.

Zander said the Indian engineers were working on security features, including access control and data protection. About 40 per cent of the software used in Motorola phones has been written in India.

Courtesy - rediff.com

[jusmail 0]

Hmmmmmm, children may start using 2 SIM cards or phones to counteract their parents

[anujit 0]

Maybe they should get whacked on the b'utts for being such spoilt brats!

[Ashokjp 15]

Do they think the kids are SOO DUMB ?

[Arun 795]

SMS culture damaging for children ?

August 25, 2005

- Rediff.com

SMS technology may have revolutionised the world of communication but it has its flip side too.

Children who regularly send SMSs to friends on mobile phones are at the risk of developing Repetitive Strain Injury, according to health experts.

"The thumb is not a very dextrous digit. It is good at grasping but not good for repetitive movement. RSI symptoms include tingling, numbness, weakness, loss of movement, muscle spasm and shooting pains, " says Bronwyn Clifford, of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Occupational Health and Ergonomics, London.

Using just a thumb to type could cause pain and swelling in the tendons and possibly long-term injury.

As mobile phones get smaller and with more children acquiring them, they are at risk of a condition more often linked to desk-bound adults, reports the Telegraph.

Is your child watching too much television?

The Indian perspective

"All fingers have two joints but the thumb has only one joint. So, the pressure gets concentrated on this one joint when the child is engaged in texting continuously. Thus, most of the traumas happen to this joint that is most mobile and the most vulnerable part of the thumb, " says Dr Amar Mallick, a practicing physiotherapist in Mumbai.

Repetitive movement can also render the epiphysis plate of the thumb (which is responsible for developing joints and joint movements), at risk. If injured it can cause trauma to the cartilage thus leading to the development of small aches and pains.

" It is not just the thumb but the whole hand that can get affected because the wrist, the fingers and thumb all work in close synergy. Excessive texting can strain any one of the above components and lead to tendon injuries, trigger thumb or trigger finger, " says Dr Shreyasi S Jadhav, a physiotherapist at Talwalkars gym, Mumbai.

" However, these injuries are more likely to happen to children with a deficient diet plan as compared to an active and a healthy child, " she adds.

Tiffin treats for your child

Prevention is better than cure

Texting besides leading to obvious damage can also affect the fine movement of the thumb and fingers on a long-term basis. For instance, children may not be able to paint or sketch with perfection or play a music instrument with ease or conduct any activity competently that requires extreme fine movement.

~ Monitor the frequency of texting and playing of mobile games by your children. Prevent excessive use of the mobile phone.

~ Teach your child the different positions in which s/he can hold the phone, to ease the pressure on the thumb.

~ Watch out for symptoms like tendon injuries, swollen thumbs, and restricted hand movement. If you spot them then immediately stop your children from texting.

~ Ice and heat provide temporary relief for tendon and limb injuries and swelling. In the meantime, seek medical help.

i. The thumb needs to be bandaged in its extended position and kept warm and protected.

ii. For children above 12, any form of superficial heat like wax and ultrasonic therapies can be used.

iii. For children below 12, splinting and bracing -- a method of bandaging with the support of a thin metal sheet while the thumb is kept in a functional position -- for a couple of days and treating the affected area with ice are recommended.

[ashoksoft 83]

This was in yesterday's Mumbai mirror as well........ and considering people like me spend almost the whole day in front of the comp. using the keyboards and then when away from it , sms thro the mob... I guess we are at the highest risk!

Ashok

[Arun 795]

Beware! Computer games could kill

- Rediff.com

August 26, 2005 14:43 IST

Keyboard and mouse in hand, he battled until nearly his last breath.

The death of Lee, a 28-year-old man identified only by his last name who passed away earlier this month after nearly 50 straight hours of playing online computer games, has South Korea concerned about the health of the millions of gamers in the world's most wired country.

Many of South Korea's 17 million gamers regularly stroll into Internet cafes, the $1-per-hour hangout popular among young South Koreans, and camp out in front of monitors to play for hours -- and even sometimes days or longer.

"I've seen people who play games for months, just briefly going home for a change of clothing, taking care of all their eating and sleeping here," said Jun Mung-gyu, 27, who runs an Internet cafe in southeastern Seoul.

More than 70 per cent of South Korea's population of 48 million uses the Internet, and the country has the highest per-capita rate of broadband connections in the world. With all that access has come the rising problem of Internet addiction.

[anujit 0]

Yes well if you do anything outside limits it could hurt you.

Take too many medicines, eat too much, take too much oxygen or play 50 hours non-stop.

The games are fine (except ones that put porn in G-rated stuff). Just dont play them 50 hours without eating sleeping or drinking (alcohol)! Thats plain crazy.