Facebook rolls out “Messenger Kids”

Just as Facebook was earning a lot of praise for adding new “Care” emojis last week (reaction options which are intended to express support to others during the COVID-19 crisis), the social media giant also made waves in rolling out the kid-friendly variant of its Messenger suite to 70 countries.

Dubbed “Messenger Kids” and initially released in the US in 2017, this messaging app was made specifically for users aged 13 years old and below.

It mirrors a number of the main Messenger app’s features and functions, but comes with restrictions like a “supervised friending” feature (where parents have control over whom their kids interact with), parental controls on video messaging/conferencing sessions, usage monitoring features and more.

The reason for the suite’s expanded release to more areas is attributed to how stay-at-home measures have compelled more and more people to rely on technology to keep in touch with each other. More information about the app is hosted on Facebook’s official online channels.

Motorola rejoins the flagship phone fray

Motorola had the unveiling of a new phone last week – a mobile that’s rich in features and functions that’s been described by tech pundits as the brand’s first serious foray into the flagship phone segment in years.

Named “Edge+”, the model comes with a screen measuring 6.7-inches, an octa-core CPU and a triple-lens camera setup that boasts a 3x optical zoom factor.

Completing the phone’s features are support for 5G connectivity, the availability of a 3.5mm headphone jack (a rare feature among current gen flagship phones), 12 gigs of RAM, 256 gigs of storage that’s expandable to 1 terabyte via microSD and a 5000mAh battery.

Originally planned to be unveiled in this year’s Mobile World Congress, which was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Android-driven device’s unveiling comes after the unveiling of the foldable Motorola Razr early this year.

It is unclear as to when the mobile will be made available globally, but its US availability has been set for May 14, 2020. More information about the model is hosted on Motorola’s official online channels.

Apple launches Apple Music for web

Apple Music subscribers can now access their subscription’s service offerings with a web browser through a recently launched web portal.

Accessible via music.apple.com, the interface of the web-based Apple Music mimics Apple’s standalone music application, links its users to tracks/playlists which they have synced with their accounts, links their access to subscribed radio stations and more.

The launch of the web portal affords Apple Music subscribers with more options to access their subscriptions to platforms that don’t have direct Apple Music standalone apps like Linux or Chrome OS. More information about the matter is hosted on Apple’s official online channels.