Glaxstar Launches Glubble to Make Firefox a Family Browser
Glaxstar today launched a new tool called Glubble that turns the Mozilla Firefox Internet browser into a family browser and is designed to create an Internet world you can trust for kids under 12. Glubble was developed initially for the millions of Firefox users dedicated to making the Internet a better place. Glaxstar, specialists at building extensions to the Firefox browser for blue-chip companies such as eBay and Yahoo!, is making the Beta version of its new free Glubble software available to the public for download at www.glubble.com.
What started as a personal project quickly attracted community support from Firefox users who wanted a way to allow their young children to explore on the Web. Responding to the interests of other parents within the Mozilla community, Glaxstar launched an official development project and received private funding from a set of initial investors, who are all fathers of young children. Included in this group is Morten Lund, one of the first investors in Skype. Glubble enables safe surfing, safe search and online chat–kids can use search engines like Google and Yahoo! to discover new things in the Glubble World.
“I knew there was a better way for my two young daughters to play on the Internet, but I couldn’t find a product that worked the way I needed it to,” said Ian Hayward, CEO, Glaxstar. “Instead, I was able to leverage the Mozilla code to build the tool for them, and now I’m thrilled to make it available to a whole host of other parents.”
For its Beta launch, websites included in the Glubble World have been pre-loaded to give kids access to a range of trusted brands popular among the under 12 set, including: American Girl, Animal Planet, Barbie, Discovery Kids, Disney, Fisher-Price, Lego, National Geographic Kids, Nickelodeon, Scholastic, and Sesame Street.
A Browser Safe and Fun for the Whole Family
Glubble essentially turns Mozilla Firefox into a multi-user, Internet browser. Each person in a family has his or her own user name that can be password protected. This user name permits the range of sites on the Web to which the user has access, and shapes the user interface to be age appropriate–freeing parents of the worry that kids will visit sites with unsuitable content.
Simple and easy to download and use, Glubble is pre-loaded to access only a host of trusted sites and it allows grown-ups to add or take away sites and tailor a child’s personal Glubble. For grown-ups, the experience is surfing as usual with access to the entire Internet. However, kids only have access to sites trusted and approved by grown-ups authorized to add and remove those sites in a child’s Glubble World.
When children attempt to search for or access a site that is not approved an alert is sent to the grown-up, asking if he or she would like to add the new content to the child’s Glubble. Parents can empower anyone–grandparents, aunts, uncles and babysitters–to receive alerts and give approvals as well.
Creating a Trusted World on the Internet
Glubble will look first to engage the global Firefox community in the effort to expand the playground of sites trusted for kids. This community-driven effort will rely on users to contribute to the Glubble World in an ongoing basis, as well as enhance the product and user experience. Glubble will facilitate interaction in order to provide useful services and the richest Internet experience you can trust for kids. Each user of the Glubble Beta will be a part of the creation of a fun, safe way for kids to play, search and chat on the Internet.
“Ian has made important contributions to the growth of the Mozilla community,” said Christopher Beard, VP Products and Marketing, Mozilla. “He has had a long-term vision of making a safe Internet a reality for kids and parents. Glubble showcases the beauty of the Mozilla platform — created by the people, for the people, to make the Internet experience better.”
Millions of active Firefox users will be the first to drive the growth of Glubble by suggesting sites to be approved and added. Glaxstar will take users’ top site recommendations and will offer updates to content available within Glubble as a whole. While the collective of adults making recommendations play a vital role, individual parents and trusted adults (such as grandparents, teachers, babysitters, etc.) make the final decision about what is added to a child’s personalized Glubble.
Looking ahead, Glaxstar plans to offer a service that provides grown-ups the option to subscribe to automatic updates for a child’s Glubble that have been vetted for them from the pool of community recommendations.
About Glaxstar
UK-based Glaxstar (www.glaxstar.com) has built successful Firefox extensions for sites such as del.icio.us, PayPal and eBay. Glubble was created by founders Ian Hayward and Willem-Jan Schutte, as they looked for ways to provide an Internet experience they could trust for their young children.
Glubble received initial funding from Morten Lund and Soren Kenner, as well as from its founders. Lund is a serial entrepreneur and an internationally recognized authority on Web applications and viral marketing, and was one of the first investors in Skype. Kenner started Medialog in 1994 and most recently was Chairman of McCann MRM in Europe. For more information on Glubble please visit: www.glubble.com.