The TOPs Balance App Helps You Learn While Unlocking Your Phone

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.

Do you have a cell phone? I do, my husband does, and when our kids turn 11, they get one too! With our phones accessible to us constantly, I can easily say that I spend a lot of time on the phone (as does anyone else in our home who has one). So why not learn something new whenever you unlock your phone?

I recently discovered a cool app called TOPs Balance (released by PassTask, LLC, a Massachusetts-based technology company), which helps create balance with the time our children are spending on mobile devices. TOPs (Task Oriented Passwords) is a new unlock method that launches a 10-second Knowledge Burst that users pass through prior to accessing their home screen. It’s actually pretty cool – not only for kids, but adults too! NOTE: Only one Knowledge Burst is presented for completion and then users may exit to their device home screen.

TOPs Balance allows the user to learn unique world and fun facts throughout the day as they swipe the alternative unlock button located at the top of each unlock screen. According to NBC News, teens spend nine hours a day in front of screens and children ages 8-12 spend six hours. To address this growing issue, TOPs balances mobile device overuse with bursts of knowledge delivered throughout the day, every time a user seeks to unlock their device.

The new TOPs unlock method has effectively reimagined a mobile device as a powerful and effortless knowledge delivery system. Whenever the user reaches for a device, an alternative unlock method launches a 10-second “Knowledge Burst.” A “Knowledge Burst” is a 10-second infusion of grade specific educational content that users pass through prior to gaining access to their home screen. Material ranges from moments in history to vocabulary and science, all combined with dramatic imagery and drawn from partnerships with content leaders such as Encyclopaedia Britannica, Merriam Webster and Getty Images. The iOS version of TOPs also features an “audio read” function. I personally love it because I feel like I unlock my phone a lot and have already learned a lot of bursts of knowledge!

Parents and users first customize the intensity of learning by selecting either optional or mandatory delivery of Knowledge Bursts. Then, users are prompted with Knowledge Bursts at every device unlock, thereby balancing their mobile device overuse.
The optional delivery method (low intensity) gives the user a unique prompt or persuasive option for a 10-second Knowledge Burst at every unlock screen. The mandatory delivery method (high intensity) is a more dedicated balance strategy and requires the completion of a 10-second Knowledge Burst at every unlock prior to gaining access to the home screen.

Developed by entrepreneur Fred Curtis Jr., the app is the first-of-its-kind and designed to leverage mobile device use to supplement ongoing learning and education. “Raising six kids in the new mobile world, I saw immediately the incredible time being spent on mobile devices and knew then the difficult challenge,” said Fred Curtis Jr., founder and CEO of PassTask, LLC. “I had to do something to create more value with that time. With TOPs, we balance their screen time with captivating educational content delivered in an effortless manner each time they pick up their device.” Thank you Fred for this awesome app (also coming from a parent with 6 kids)!!

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“Our vast content portfolio has long-been synonymous with education and learning, helping to broaden the world-view and knowledge base of children and adults around the world,” said John Russell, Business Development Director, Encyclopaedia Britannica. “We are thrilled to provide our content for the unique TOPs platform to help foster among young people a sense of curiosity, adventure and quest for knowledge.”

The TOPs Balance App is available both in the App Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android users. It retails for $2.99 USD and is definitely worth the price! I love that you can select the age range for the knowledge bursts as well (choosing from different grades and even adult). Check out this video demonstration of the app.

About PassTask

PassTask, LLC, is a Massachusetts-based technology company that delivers game-changing, incremental mobile learning software for children and young adults. The company was founded by Fred Curtis, Jr., a U.S. Small Business Administration’s Massachusetts Small Business Person of the Year and a father of six. The company’s mission is to give parents and kids a powerful tool that helps balance mobile device overuse with learning. It launched TOPs Balance for Android and iOS devices in 2016. For more information, or video demonstrations, please visit Topsbalance.com and follow on Twitter (@PassTask) and on Facebook.

Who in your home would love the TOPs Balance App?
What do you like about the TOPs Balance App?