Let's start with the most important for kid cell phones. Times On Line's article "Mobile phones tumor risk to young children" on January 12, 2005 contained a clear warning: "Children under the age of eight should not use mobile phones, parents were advised last night after an authoritative report linked heavy use to ear and brain tumors and concluded that the risks had been underestimated by most scientists. Professor Sir William Stewart, chairman of the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), said that evidence of potentially harmful effects had become more persuasive over the past five years."
And although there still is no scientific evidence that cell phones pose a risk to our brains, more and more sources warn us to be extremely prudent with the use of cell phones, especially by young children.
But they are very handy for children to let their parents know about, say, school scheduling changes and they reassure
parents that they can reach their kids at any time. These contacts can easily be limited to a maximum of one or two minutes per week and this way a cell phone for kids could maybe be justified.
There are two kinds of cell phones for kids: those without GPS and others with GPS incorporated. Let's have a look.
Cell phones for kids without GPS
The Disney D100 is a quadband GSM phone with Mickey Mouse-shaped answer and reject buttons. The phone has parental control that let you prevent changes to the phone or limiting the call times and also disallowing the phone from ringing during school hours. The phone supports both 12 and 4 button keypads and features conventional parental controls. The internal phonebook can be set up to 20 contact numbers. Calls and messages may only be made to, or received from the contact numbers held within the phonebook.
Disney has ended its cell-phone service at the end of 2007.
Firefly Mobile's Firefly was the first cell phone for tweens (8-12 year olds). It has only five buttons. There are speed-dial keys to call mom, sad, and 911, plus on/off and a menu button. Parents can program up to 20 additional phone numbers through the menu. A parent can also limit received phone calls to those listed in the phone book. Firefly is a GSM phone for the 850/1900 MHz band. The company will release a GSM 900/1800 MHz version for Europe, Asia, and Australia/New Zealand. In the US it is available in three ways: Cingular Wireless Contract, OPEX Wireless no contract plan, and Prepaid.
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Enfora's TicTalk lets parents authorize certain numbers to call in and dial out. Parents can also control how and when the phone is used. The TicTalk looks and functions more like a walkie-talkie than a standard cell phone. It lacks a keypad and is equipped with a monochrome LCD screen showing caller ID, the time, and remaining battery life. To place a call, kids navigate an on-screen menu to choose from a list of authorized phone numbers. A scrolling button on the right side of the handset controls navigation. To get service on the unit, parents must buy a prepaid Enfora SIM card. Activation is free. Parents can set a limit on the number of minutes their child can use in a given time period. TicTalk works on a GSM network and is preloaded with five educational games from LeapFrog.
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The Buddy Bear Phone is a simplified GSM handset aimed at children in the 3-10 years old range. The Buddy Bear can only dial four pre-programmed numbers, or send a pre-programmed SMS message to four different recipients. There is a SOS button on either side of the bear's head. For added cuteness, LEDs flash in the bear's ears when it receives a call. There's no screen on the Buddy Bear which reduces cost and is one less thing to break. The Buddy Bear can be remotely controlled by parents who can block the phone with a PIN number if it is lost or stolen. It can also be turned into a remote baby monitor, so parents can listen to what is going on in their handset's vicinity without their child knowing. Parents can also remotely control the Buddy Bear's settings and will get an SMS if the handset gets a low battery. The phone is either remotely programmed from another mobile handset or via the USB cable. Buddy Bear's distributors also say that the handset has a very low SAR rating and is paint-free for added safety.
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The Barbie My Scene cell phone, created by Mattel and Single Touch Interactive, is a Nokia 3587i with the option of three different faceplates, exclusive Barbie ringtones and wallpapers and prepaid wireless service.
Cell phones for kids with incorporated GPS receiver
From Eazytrack comes the OWL Phone, a pay-as-you-go mobile phone for children that doubles as a location device. For the location service, Eazytrack lets parents log on to Eazytrack's web site to locate their children's phone. Alternatively, parents can use their own mobile to request a map locating the child's OWL phone which is then sent directly to their own mobile. The OWL phone can dial just five numbers (pre-programmed by the buyer) and comes with a pay-as-you-go SIM card.
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Verizon's Migo, developed by LG as the VX1000, is a little, rounded green phone that looks a little like a bug. Two little stubby antennas stick out of the top: one is for Verizon's network and one is for forthcoming GPS services. Aimed at the 5-10-year-old age range, it has five buttons; four speed dials and an emergency button; and a two-line text-only display. It doesn't handle text messages or play games. It just calls a few numbers that you program into the phone (and receives calls from anyone). The phone prevents you from accidentally dialing numbers by requiring two key-presses for each call. To dial the emergency number, you must hold down the call button for several seconds.
Verizon Wireless plans to launch a child-tracking service called Verizon Chaperone for parents in May 2006. The Migo will be used with this service. Chaperone will have three options that a parent can choose for the service: "always track", "ask to track" and "deny tracking service". Different options can also be set to coincide with days of the week or times of the day.
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The iKids GPS phone is a 8cm long, pre-teen phone (for ages four and above) which can only dial four numbers via
dedicated buttons. An emergency button dials each of the four pre-set numbers in turn until one is answered. It can receive SMS messages, but can not send them. It has a built-in GPS receiver, which remains working even when the phone is turned off. Parents can select three 'safety zones', areas where their children are allowed to play. If they wander off to another area, parents receive an SMS message. They can also look up the child's whereabouts on a virtual map through a secure website or from their own mobile phone. The iKids phone emits only very low levels of radiation, far less than conventional mobiles designed for adults and far below EU safety recommendations.
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Hop-on's Chitter Chatter kid's phone was designed to empower kids and parents with both phone and LBS tracking
capabilities. The Track-Me! Feature allows the user to send the address of his/her location to their parents' cell phones via a SMS message. Parents can also track their children by sending an SMS message to their child's phone. The parents will receive the address of the child's location. The location can also be tracked over the Internet. Hop-on's Chitter Chatter kids phone will let kids and parents talk from anywhere so they will not lose contact. The kid-friendly cell phone was designed with a form factor as small as a watch and can be worn at all times. Kids can easily contact parents using the Mom, Dad and Home speed-dial keys. Parents can also control who can call the phone and whom their kids can call using 7 parent-programmed numbers.
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Wherify's Wherifone is the world's smallest GSM/Enhanced-GPS Locator Phone and provides a totally unique and
affordable way for families with pre-teens, seniors, mobile workers, or those with special medical needs, to stay connected and in contact with each other. As well as two-way voice calling, the Wherifone features Enhanced-GPS location technology that lets it be located in lightly obstructed areas, such as many types of wood frame buildings and vehicles, and under dense foliage. The Wherifone gives a child or adult carrying it a new level of security knowing they can stay connected to friends, family and colleagues, and request an emergency response at the touch of a button. The Wherifone provides affordable peace-of-mind to the modern mobile family. The slim, small and lightweight Tri-Band GSM cell phone (900/1800/1900 and 850/1800/1900) weighs under 70 grams and features incoming and outgoing calling, five programmable buttons for one touch dialing, a headset jack, and a backlit LCD display. The cell phone is supported by a Location Service Center, which can be accessed 24 X 7, by telephone or the Internet to locate and plot a device's position on both street maps and aerial photographs. The Wherifone is a great "First Phone" for pre-teens. The small, compact design is a perfect fit for kids, and comes in a variety of great colors that will make them the envy of the neighborhood. The phone's five pre-programmable buttons let kids stay in touch with close family and friends, or summon help with one-touch dialing -- while letting parents manage outbound call costs. The Wherifone's Enhanced GPS location technology also lets parents, caregivers and safety officials quickly locate a child in need of help, bringing peace-of-mind and added safety to the mobile family.
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Kajeet, the cell phone service made for kids, announced a new GPS Phone Locator service to help both kids and parents find the kajeet phone. This makes kajeet the only pre-paid operator to offer a GPS phone locator to both parents and kids. The kajeet GPS Phone Locator uses satellite technology to help find your child’s phone and gives subscribing families easy-to-use information regarding the location of their kajeet phone via Web-based maps. Parents can schedule automatic location checks at specific times of the day, so they know where their kid’s kajeet phone is at any given time – whether the phone is in their child’s backpack on the school bus or in their sports bag at soccer practice. Kids can also use the service to help find their phone, addressing another concern of parents and kids who want to find a misplaced kajeet phone. Powered by WaveMarket’s location-based services, the kajeet GPS Phone Locator is the latest arrival to the portfolio of customizable features that kajeet offers
