Facebook is launching a messenger app for kids. Bell + Ivy Co-Founder and CEO, Cynthia Johnson, explains how the social media giant is trying to gain more early adopters.
The app, "Messenger Kids," allows children between ages six and 12 to send texts, messages, and videos to a list of parent-approved contacts. Facebook says there will be no advertising on this platform, and only data it will collect from the kids is their names. But still, some parents are concerned.
Johnson says the best way to create customers for life is to get them when they are young. So while launching this app for kids in one way, Facebook is open to evolving it in new ways in the future, says Johnson. Facebook's advantage is the wealth of information it contains in its network, she adds.
Apple became the first publicly traded U.S. company to hit the $3 trillion valuation mark after its stock price jumped to $182.86 in morning trading before slipping back just under the mark. The tech giant has tripled its worth since 2018.
There is a new player in the mobile app stock trading space.
Zingeroo recently announced a funding round of $8.5 million. The company says it aims to bring 'friendly competition' to stock trading, by literally breaking trading down into daily and weekly competitions between friends. Zingeroo also says it hopes its new approach can make trading more accessible, educational, and social than ever before. Zingeroo co-founder and CEO Zoe Barry joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell for more.
As cell carriers AT&T and Verizon planned to roll out nationwide 5G service this week, the FAA and U.S. DOT are asking the companies to pause their plans so more research can be done on the impact 5G has on aircraft technology. The companies are refusing, citing French regulations that limit wireless signals around airports while allowing research to continue. This week's launch wasn't the first time concerns have delayed 5G — last year, Airbus and Boeing express concerns, pushing the deadline into November, December, and then into this year. So what happens now — and what happens next? Will 5G roll out this year as expected? Jon Swartz, Senior Reporter at MarketWatch, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the state of the planned 5G rollout, why the FAA and U.S. Department of Transportation are asking carriers to stall the launch, and more.
Tyrone Ross, CEO of Onramp Invest, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why he believes the current crypto slump is expected to persist and says that investors should be focusing more on Bitcoin's hashrate when it comes to metrics.
Luke Larsen, senior editor at Digital Trends, joins Cheddar News to discuss the largest tech convention in the world, CES, kicking off in Las Vegas this week.