The next developer in our “Behind The Apps” series is George Karavias. George is the creator of Anlock, a company that makes puzzle apps and phonics apps for kids. He is also the editor of App Friday, which is a weekly promotion that highlights educational apps. The program was created by family-friendly app developers who want to raise visibility of educational apps.
George comes from a long line of game makers. “My family has been creating traditional kids board games for three generations. It was only natural for me after witnessing the disruption of the mobile phone and birth of the post-pc era, to dive into kids app development head first.”
His kids also played a big role in George’s decision to become a developer. “They motivate me and inspire me every day. I really feel very fortunate since I love what I do.” George’s oldest son was fascinated by jigsaw puzzles and it gave George the idea for one of his favorite apps. “We decided to go all the way and create ‘Kids Jigsaw Puzzles School’ that includes over 300 puzzles. The puzzles included are categorized according to age starting from 2+, going on to 4+ and of course 6+. He had his hands full for some quite time.”
George also wanted his younger son to be involved, so he added features where you could play against other players to see who finished first, and get stars as rewards when you do well. “This in turn got my younger son involved, and now he is into puzzles as well. It has been really fascinating seeing them play and learn together and get better and better at jigsaw puzzles over time with ‘Kids Jigsaw Puzzles School.’”
In this technology age, George feels that it is imperative that we protect the privacy of our children. “Our kids are growing up in a completely different world than the one we did. This new world is exciting and fascinating but it is also profoundly impacting our personal privacy. Moving ahead, as parents and developers, we actively need to safeguard our kids. The Moms With Apps Know What’s Inside™ program is a very significant step in that direction. Parents and teachers need to be fully aware about the content and privacy policy practices of the apps they are downloading for their kids. The Know What’s Inside™ program makes sure they do.”
George’s involvement in Moms With Apps is what brought him to App Friday. “I became involved with Moms with Apps over two years ago and my first active involvement with App Friday came shortly after as administrator of the App Friday Facebook page. A year ago Lorraine, the brain behind Moms with Apps and App Friday decided to step down from App Friday and she passed the torch to me. I have been fortunate to be heading a fantastic team that is actively working in advancing App Friday to bring more value to parents, educators, developers and reviewers alike.”
You can find over sixty Anlock apps in the App Store, Windows Phone Marketplace, and Windows Store. To learn more about George and his apps check out: http://www.anlock.com