Apps

Swifty is an app that provides an interactive set of tutorials that gradually guide you through the basics of Swift on your iPhone or iPad, from the very basics of variables and data types to the essentials of object-oriented programming.

Privacy campaigners are demanding that toymaker Mattel halts the production of Hello Barbie, a Wi-Fi enabled doll that records children's conversations to learn about their likes, dislikes, and ambitions. Mattel says the doll's voice-recognition technology allows it have a "unique relationship" with its owner, but advocates from the Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood (CCFC) say the new technology could be exploited....

Late last week, news leaked that YouTube was poised to release a new, kid-friendly version of its YouTube service for mobile devices. Today, much to the delight of families everywhere, that app has now arrived, complete with a simplified design, a curated selection of kid-safe content, parental controls, and more. Google says the app will be made available to families on both Android and…

This week's list includes SwiftKey's latest update, an eye-tracking app to help improve your concentration and an app to help Windows Phone users customize their home screen.

Apple's new Swift programming language has only been available for a few months, but iOS and OS X developers from American Airlines, Getty Images, LinkedIn and Duolingo are reporting favorable impressions--ranging from increased productivity to fewer bugs in their shipping apps--as interest in the new language rapidly accelerates.

Two popular brands released interesting new apps for the Apple ecosystem on Tuesday, as web-based password manager LastPass unveiled its first native Mac app while educational non-profit Khan Academy launched an all-new iPad app.

A new company called Kiko Labs is today releasing a series of “brain-training” games for children. Think, perhaps: a Lumosity for the preschool-plus set. Like others claiming to p