FiLiP Smartwatch For Kids Coming To AT&T
FiLiP is a smartwatch designed for children ages 4-11 that gives them a way to call a parent with one touch. One touch also lets parents call them or locate them, too. The device uses an iOS or Android app to let parents connect to the watch, and if you have more than one child, you can simply create multiple profiles.
For voice calls, FiLiP uses 2-way GSM, and the location feature makes use of a blend of GPS, cell tower location, and WiFi triangulation. In an emergency, a child can hit the emergency button, which turns on a location beacon, ambient sound recording, texts all contacts, and calls the primary contact on the watch. (If the first call fails, it will call the other four contacts stored on the watch, in turn.) Although the watch doesn’t allow kids to send texts, parents can send a short message, and it also lets parents set SafeZones, so you can know if your kid has wandered (or been led) out of or into predetermined areas, such as their school grounds or a local park.
Thus the device, which also functions as an actual watch, is designed to let your child call a select few people if and when they need to and also gives you a way to find them if they get lost. It’s also handy for parents who want to let the kids know that dinner is ready and they should come on home.
The app the parents use
There have been several products aimed at the same thing, but this one is different because it’s a watch that can stay on the child’s wrist instead of a handset that at best clips onto a backpack and at worst gets lost when kids forget where they put them.
FiLiP comes in bright green, red, blue, or yellow and will soon be available at AT&T. Although details and pricing have not yet been revealed, it’s likely that you’ll be able to add one or more FiLiPs to your existing plan, probably for $5 or $10 a month.