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In this day and age of technology, it's not unheard of for us to give our kids cell phones as young as age 5. We want our kids to be safe, and when we give them the means to communicate with us, it sure helps give us some peace of mind. That's why the folks at Firefly Mobile came up with the glowPhone, especially for kids ages 5 - 8. It's been around for a few years, but they've done some tweaking and upgraded it to appeal more to tech-savvy kids (my four year old is already a master at pbskids.org - soon, she'll be blogging too!) to keep it interesting, like age-appropriate games, a limited keypad with speed dialing for mom and dad, send and end keys, a 911 emergency button, and the ability to store up to 50 phone numbers. Perfect for little fingers. For the older kids in your life, theres's the
flyPhone, the first ever phone created just for tweens (ages 8 - 12). It's a multi-media cell phone with a built in camera. The flyPhone features a unique electro-luminescent morphing keypad that automatically toggles between game controller, mp3 or video controller and number pad. New proprietary software, flyKicks, age appropriate video, songs, games, wallpaper, ringtones, and more are all available for downloading and make this phone more appealing to tweens than a standard cell phone. One feature parents will love about this phone is the PIN protected parental controls. They can limit incoming and outgoing calls to only those numbers stored in the phone book, preventing additional numbers from being added. Texting can also be restricted. This phone can be used with a pay-as-you-go plan to keep monthly bills from being sky-high.
Whatever the age of your children, chances are there's a cell phone out there that's right for them. We didn't have cell phones when I was younger, but when I look back at all the times it would have been helpful, I realize how reliant our generation has become on cell phones. It's a great way to keep in touch with your kids. Who knows - your teenager just may decide she wants to have a heart-to-heart at a time when it's not face-to-face.
The flyPhone and the glowPhone will both be available October 10 at Target, Toys R Us, Kmart and BarnesandNoble.com, as well as regional mobile phone operators.
3 comments:
FYI. Too bad they chose to have a "mom" and "dad" button (complete with stick figures: one in a dress on one in pants)and alienate all the kids that don't have a mom and dad or wouldn't necessarily call them first. How about the kids that have 2 moms or 2 dads? Or the kids that live with their grandparents? Or maybe would call an older sibling more often (i.e. if they needed a ride from school...)
Seems that firefly may have kept up with technology but they have not kept up with the sociology of families.
And really, what's the point? They could have just had 2 buttons with anything on them to let kids pre-program 2 numbers.
I might look at the phones made for younger kids. My teen is blind, and needs a phone with buttons he can feel. Easier said than done, with today's phones. And yes, he would call his big sister on his phone, too.
The company's first phone had an interchangeable keypad that could be replaced by any two symbols (two men, two women, moon and star, etc.). But there never seemed to be much demand for that from consumers, or so I heard...
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