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Version: 1.5
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Kid Zone is a specialized application launcher for Palm OS®, which allows adults to specify the programs that can be listed and run. It allows kids to enjoy their favorite games on the parent's device and prevents them from accessing the other applications. Like many other Beiks applications, Kid Zone was developed because someone from within the company realized they needed it: when Nataly gave her Sony Clie to the 3-year old George during flight she was very glad she bought herself some quiet time. Little did she know about George's interest in her address book and memo records... With Kid Zone parents can now specify the applications that can be listed and run on the device. Kids see something similar to the standard Application Launcher, however only with the applications they are allowed to see. The standard hardware Palm buttons are not active so the kid can't access any of the other programs and create mess. Once an application from the allowed list is run, it can again take full control of the device and use the hardware buttons as desired. When leaving, though, the only application it can return to is again the Kid Zone. Parents can assign specific password, which lets them out of the Kid Zone. Note: By its nature Kid Zone is a security application. The level of protection it provides is only sufficient to keep minors and uneducated users away from the other applications. It shouldn't be trusted as a general-purpose security access application, as it can be worked around by power users. If you need serious data protection, consider data encryption software similar to BeSafe.
Kid Zone comes either as a single, WinZip compressed file or as a single self-installing executable for Microsoft Windows® users. In both cases it contains several program files as well as this manual. If you have a file called
KidZone.exe then you have the self-installing version of the package.
All you have to do is double-click on it and follow the onscreen
instructions. If you have a file called KidZone.zip, then you can use it to install the application no matter what your host platform is. However, you will need an application which will extract the particular Palm OS files from the ZIP file. Your computer is most probably already equipped with program that can handle ZIP files. On Windows machines this is WinZip and on Apple machines this is StuffIt. Just double-click on the file and if there is a program in your PC which can handle the ZIP file it will extract it. From the extracted files, you need to install (double-click) on the following:
Once you prepare those 3 files for installation and then synchronize your device, they will be transferred to it. Kid Zone has two major screens: the application selection screen and the actual kid zone screen, from where the selected applications can be launched. The standard software and hardware keys of the PDA are locked in the Kid Zone screen to prevent bogus poking in other applications. In addition to disabling the buttons (which is done automatically), there are two other things that need to be secured in order for the application to be really useful as protection: activating the KidZone module in X-Master and assigning password for leaving the KidZone. Activating Kid Zone module in X-Master X-Master is a completely independent application, which main purpose is to give other applications certain extra functionality, which they need, but are not provided by the core operating system. The applications which use X-Master are sometimes called hacks because they hack into the operating system in order to expand its functionality. When X-Master is installed, it doesn't do anything by itself other than providing certain new functionality to whoever might need it. However, no program can take advantage of this extra functionality without the user explicitly requesting it. When you run X-Master (you can do that form both the standard Application Launcher or from within Kid Zone itself) you will be present with the list of modules which X-Master can service. One of these modules will be Kid Zone itself and you must activate it by checking the appropriate box. The topic of OS extensions and hacks is pretty large and we advise you to learn a little more about it on the net. In short, like everywhere else, any benefit comes at a price and using any form of OS extensions carries certain risks; this doesn't stop millions of users to run X-Master and other similar extensions though. What X-Master does for Kid Zone is to lock the ability to switch to any other application while in the Kid Zone. Without X-Master (and the linking Kid Zone module), or when this module is not active, it would be very easy to access any of the other Palm applications from within KZ by running any of the programs inside and then taping the HOME silkscreen button. When X-Master and KZ module for it are installed and active, they intercept when the application is being changed and forcefully return to KZ. Assigning Kid Zone exit password Once KZ has been activated and secured with X-Master's help, there is no way to run ANY other program except for the ones defined there and KZ itself. Well, since there has to be a way for the adult to return to the normal device behavior, there is a password that then need to assign and use to exit the limited world of KZ. Exiting KZ then works by simply invoking KZ's menu and entering the logout password. Note: BOTH the KZ extension for X-Master and the logout key has to be present so that the KZ can be considered secured. There is a icon of a lock on the main application screen, which reminds you if either of the two conditions is not met.
The trial version of Kid Zone will allow you to select up to 3 programs for the zone and may have time limit. To get the full version, you must register /order the feature unlocking key/. You can do this at our website www.beiks.com or through any of our distributors www.handango.com/beiks, www.palmgear.com or others.
Come and visit our website or mail us! |
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OTHER POPULAR GAMES FROM BEIKS |
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See also: NetWalk |
See also: Pilot Lines |
See also: Kid Paint |
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Space
Lifter, Karateka for Palm OS, NetWalk for PalmOS, Pilot Lines and BDicty are |
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presents 
