The "problem"
OK, so your kid is outside, playing with friends, or so you think. Dinner is ready, you go outside to find him/her, but no one seems to be around. You walk for some time, but he/she is just not anywhere to be seen. Now, you can start calling parents of known friends and hope your child is playing inside at one of the houses. Meanwhile, dinner is cold again...
21st century tech to the rescue!
© Tinitell
So, we bought this wristphone about a year ago (I actually participated in the Kickstarter campaign, so I was eager to finally be able to test it when it was released). When I need my son to come home, for whatever reason, I just call the number and I can tell him to do so, wherever he happens to be.
Just like any other mobile phone, but this one has only the features needed to get in contact, so mostly any kid from age +/- 5 years and up can use this without problem. There's one button to make or answer a call, and two buttons to change the volume and select the number to call (the Tinitell will play a voice message you can record yourself, that represents a specific phone number).
Features
The Tinitell can only call numbers that you, as a parent, add to the device's contact list. There's also the option to block incoming calls from numbers not in the contacts.
If you want, you can check the position of the phone on a map, although I must admit I do not often use this feature. However it can be handy when he doesn't answer for some reason and you need to go look for him (or are in a zoo or amusement park or anything like that).
The Tinitell has an iOS and an Android app. I only have experience with the iOS version, but I expect the Android app to be more or less the same. Configuration is done via BlueTooth and the position data and calls are made via plain old GSM (2G), which works in most countries around the world.
As for the costs for data and calling, this all depends on your network ofcourse. I use a pre-paid simcard from Vodafone and used about €10 since April (calling out is 20 cents/min and data is 10 cents per MB). Just to give you a general idea.
Charging is done via an USB cable, that has a magnetic (Apple MagSafe-like) connector to connect to the phone:
The battery lasts a couple of days under normal usage. I usually charge it before putting it back in the drawer, so I know it has a full charge next time I need it.
The Resistance
We didn't have that when we were young...
I get it, there's a lot of news in the media about these GPS "watches" being hacked and whatnot. I'd like to think I know my fair share of how these things work, and I know it's not possible to make this 100% safe. That said, however, I think there's no reason to believe there is a real benefit into hacking my son's wristphone. Sure, "they" could possibly see where my kid is playing, but that's also possible by just walking around the neighborhood. Much less of a hassle than hacking the device, I believe.
When he's back home, I turn off the watch to save battery anyways. So I see no real problem there as well.
So, what do you think?
For me, this is great technology. No more hassle with getting in contact when needed and that's so convenient. As said, I'm not really worried about the security and up until now, it seems to work flawless.
The phone is rugged, waterproof (rain and washing hands is no problem, don't take it for a swim though) and has a great battery life and reliability.
I can highly recommend it if you happen to be looking for one.
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