This is a pretty new concept, being offered by Cingular (my new favorite company) and many other retailers such as Target and Toys R Us. Cingular has recently signed on to offer this phone that was in traditional retailers in the past.
This company Firefly Mobile has come out with a new phone for your kids called the Firefly. First of all, they did a great job on the design, as it is cool looking and most kids would be happy to have this phone.
Secondly, this phone has some great functionality that is not groundbreaking, but simple and good for the parents and kids. The phone was just introduced and is being sold online at the Cingular website.
Some of the cool functions of this phone include:
- Mom & Dad dialing keys (note they are separate numbers)
- Call restrictions on inbound and outbound
- 20 programmable phone numbers
- Cool ringtones, colors, animations, and colored shells
The phone weighs 2 ounces and is pretty sturdy and rugged for riding in the backpacks of today’s kids (it even comes with a backpack clip.) Firefly Mobile is a privately held company with worldwide headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, and a regional office in Northern California. Firefly Mobile designs, develops and sells the Firefly phone, accessories and airtime services. The Firefly phone was designed from the ground up to address the needs of pre-teenage kids and their parents.
Firefly Mobile exists because a guy named Don Deubler noticed kids and parents had a need for something specific that didn't exist yet. So he created it and made it fun. Click on this link to read how it happened in a nut shell.
The phone currently runs for about $50 after rebate, and I think it is a must have for any parent of a child who is at least in middle school if not earlier. I have heard parents say it is too much, and they did not have such a thing when they were kids.
People should realize the world has changed. It is not just the fact there is more danger, but people are more mobile, and having this access is just a part of life. With nannies, after school programs, multiple parent households, working moms, many sports and activities, kids have a need to have more direct access to their parents or friends.
Anyway, check this out. It is worth the investment in safety alone. Dryver and Stryde will have something similar when they are in 3rd grade, though by that time I am sure the technology will be even more advanced with GPS and other cool capabilities.
