Apps and Software

Google is buying the kids app-maker Launchpad Toys, the startup announced Wednesday.

LaunchPad Toys makes a handful of popular mobile apps for children including an augmented reality app called TeleStory and an animation storytelling tool called Toontastic

The San Francisco-based startup was founded in 2010 and took part in Y-Combinator in 2011. It is backed by high-profile investors including Twitter co-founder Biz Stone.

A Google spokesperson confirmed the deal to Mashable but declined to give further details

While it remains to be seen what exactly the search giant has in mind for the acquisition, the deal appears to be part of the company's bid to entice a much younger crowd with more kid-friendly products ...

Wireless routers are notoriously a pain — not just picking one, but installing it, making sure Wi-Fi coverage reaches all areas of the house and getting guests connected are a part of the headache-inducing process.

But new Silicon Valley startup Eero has big plans to innovate the tired, unreliable wireless router

Similar to how the ultra-sleek Nest Thermostat breathed new life into a category that hadn't seen innovation in decades, Eero wants to make the home network sexy and give it the control we deserve. It's even enlisted the help of Nest designer Fred Bould to get things going. ...

The next flight I take will have a roughly 1 in 4,600,000 chance of crashing.

That's according to Am I Going Down? a new iOS app that uses big data to help alleviate the fears of anxious travelers.

Apprehensive travelers enter their flight information (or potential flight information), including airline, plane type and the airports from which you're departing and arriving. Next, the app generates a number that tells you just how likely that flight is to crash.

The ...