In the case of Epic v. Google, the jury on Monday announced its decision in December 2023, determining that Google made its Google Play app store and Google Play Billing service into an unlawful monopoly. This was a surprising turn since almost all of what Google does is meant to dominate whatever market they’re in.
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Many parents love cell phones, and cell phone watches, for kids that have no Internet or social media access. Here’s why.
Read more: Cell Phone Plans for Kids: Gabb Wireless ReviewThere is a growing problem among children with unlimited access to the internet and other online platforms. Kids are being exposed to harmful content and unhealthy interactions. These dangers come in all shapes and sizes. Learn why Gabb is here, and what we are protecting our children from.
Gabb Wireless
Gabb Wireless is on a mission to keep kids and families connected and protected. The company believes there is a growing problem with kids having too much tech, and unlimited access to the internet with harmful content.
Gabb Wireless is equipping families with products that keep kids safe while still connecting them to friends and family.
Gabb Devices have an innovative spam filter for texting, no internet browser, no social media apps, and no third-party app store. Gabb plans include coverage on a nationwide 4G LTE network with unlimited talk and text on a flexible monthly plan. Gabb Devices are meant to help kids develop healthy relationships, and focus more attention on hobbies and other things rather than video games.
Giving older kids some independence is important for their development, but it can be hard for parents to feel safe letting kids venture out on their own.
If you’ve been thinking of getting your kids a cell phone, but you’re concerned that they’re not quite ready for a full smartphone, a Gabb phone offers an alternative solution.
Essentially a portable version of the analog telephones most of us grew up with, the Gabb phone for kids offers the ability to talk and text—and not much else.
There’s no internet access, no social media, and no apps or games, but it does feature GPS tracking as well as optional kid-safe music streaming (meaning no explicit lyrics).
The standard Gabb subscription doesn’t allow users to send and receive images or group texts, but that can be added for an additional fee with the MMS add-on.
The Gabb Watch is a stand-alone smartwatch that is designed with kids and safety in mind. Gabb makes the watch with limited features compared to most smartwatches and smartphones. Instead it prioritizes the features that kids need to communicate with parents without any other distracting features common on smart devices.
The Gabb Watch is simple and doesn’t have a lot of features, which makes it unique to other smartwatches. They’re meant to communicate with the parents, and maybe a few other family members only.
Gabb has its own network, the Gabb wireless network, though they connect via Verizon. On the plus side this means that Gabb users can take advantage of Verizon’s huge network. The downside, however, is that since Gabb has its own network, you can’t add a Gabb phone to your existing plan, even if you’re a Verizon customer.
The Gabb wireless phone itself is free, though you do have to pay a monthly plan fee to connect to the network.
For unlimited talk and text messages it’s $24.99 a month with a two-year contract. If you want to add the MMS feature it’s an extra $2 a month, and a warranty that covers damage from drops and spills will run you another $4.99 per month.
The Gabb music feature is free for the first 30 days, and then an additional $4.99 a month after that.
Kids need independence as they get older, and as a parent it can be nerve-wracking not knowing where they are during the day—especially if they take public transportation to or from school. Gabb phones and smart watch allow parents to have convenient communication with their kids without distractions of high-tech games and gadgetry.
Social media is the most common place where kids are exposed to mature content, bad language, extreme ideas, and damaging interactions. Kids can even fall victim to perpetrators, cyberbullies, and sex crimes.
Gabb Wireless
Gabb phones have a real-time GPS tracking so that you’re able to simply open the Gabb app and see where your kids were at any point during the day.
Parents can also set multiple “safe zones” through the companion app, so that when kids and their Gabb phones venture outside of the preset boundaries, they’ll receive a notification. You can set safe zones for our neighborhood, the kids’ school, and the various locations of their extracurricular activities.
Whether you prefer texting or calling, the Gabb phone has you covered. I was able to shoot my child a text if I just had a question about something random.
Your kids may not always respond but you have peace of mind that I always had an easy way to keep in touch with them throughout the day.
Your kids may complain about the best part: There’s no internet, no social media, and no video games.
If you’ve ever been around a child who just stares at their phone you’ll know what this is about. Not to mention school complaints of phone overuse. Gabb makes this easy.
While most kids’ smartwatches (including the Gabb watch) have a feature that enables parents to control which numbers can call them, the Gabb phone does not. You can block specific numbers, but otherwise random unknown phone numbers can call.
If you are looking for an even more basic and affordable phone that lets you keep in touch with your child and track their location using GPS, there are lower-priced options with great reviews. While $149 is a great price, parents can find options for half that cost with even lower tech features.
Gabb phone is a fantastic choice if your kids are begging you for a cell phone, or watch.
Gabb Wireless gives parents and children the option of affordable and safe tech. It is designed to teach kids healthy screen habits and give them independence while allowing parents peace of mind.
The My Verizon App has been accused of secretly collecting a user’s browser information, tracking apps, location, and contacts, for the purposes of understanding user interests. The mobile network provider appears to be automatically enrolling users in the data collection feature.
Input was first to report about Verizon’s “Custom Experience” feature that is concealed in the My Verizon app. There is also the “Custom Experience Plus” feature that is more invasive in data collection.
According to Verizon, the purposes of these features are to “personalize” users’ experience and “give you more relevant product and service recommendations” through the “information about websites you visit and apps you use on your mobile device.”
The company further states that a user “must opt in to participate and you can change your choice at any time.” However, it appears users are automatically enrolled.
Input’s Andrew Paul learned about the features by accidentally opening a promotional email from Verizon describing the program.
Emma Roth from The Verge claims she checked her phone and found that both “Custom Experience” and “Custom Experience Plus” had been turned on and she does not remember choosing to opt in.
To opt-out of Custom Experience, open My Verizon, go to Settings (the gear icon at the top-right corner), scroll down to “Manage privacy settings,” then turn off “Custom Experience” and “Custom Experience Plus.”
In “Custom Experience Settings” you can select the “reset” option to erase the data that Verizon has collected.
The company claims it does not sell the data and uses it “only for Verizon purposes.”
Originally published: Dec 6, 2021- Reclaimthenet.org
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