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New mobile tools enable families to stay more connected than ever before. The modern family uses wireless technology like 4G LTE smartphones and tablets, as well as emerging social platforms, to stay in touch on the go.
Children are receiving cell phones at earlier ages, and, according to CTIA, more than half of kids ages 8 to 12 have a cell phone. While the most popular mobile activities for children and teens are gaming and texting, mobile tools also help families stay connected.
Keeping conversations going with group messages is one easy way today’s families stay in the know with each other. Apps like MessageMe and Kik provide a dynamic communication tool for families with a messaging platform where members can also share photos, songs and videos. Integrated messaging services such as Verizon Messages ensure that family members never miss important texts by simultaneously syncing them across laptops, tablets and smartphones.
Whether it’s little league practice or dance class, it seems every family member has a busy schedule, making traditional family time, like nightly dinners, harder to come by. Emerging platforms like private family-only social networks help families stay connected even on the go. Save The Mom is a private social network that provides tools like grocery and to-do list collaboration, private photo sharing, family polling, audio notes, and posting individual activities to a schedule. To update relatives next door or around the world, 23snaps, dubbed the Facebook for families, allows parents to share photos, videos and updates of their children to a smaller, more intimate network.
Apps like Cozi Family Calendar help families stick to their schedules by providing a centralized calendar that can be managed from a smartphone, tablet or computer. Services like Family Locator keep families more connected while providing parents with peace of mind via geolocation technology that sends alerts when a family member leaves or arrives at certain locations.
The continued expansion of 4G LTE across the country is allowing more families to take advantage of these and many other technology tools. With the roll out of its network in six new markets, Verizon Wireless now covers Durango, Colo.; Corbin and Madisonville, Ky.; Adrian and Mount Pleasant, Mich.; and Marietta, Ohio. Coverage has also been expanded in Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola and Sioux counties in northwestern Iowa.
