In today's connected life, many times parents would consider giving their young school going children mobile phones and even smartphones to stay connected and protected. However, most parents and schools feel that this is not the best idea as your standard mobile phone or smartphone opens up possibilities of games, texting or calling during class and much more (like the super dangerous Internet). One of the more interesting solutions is the FiLIP, which is a silicon encased phone watch that can only call up to five preset numbers, cannot text or install games and has a built-in GPS. What makes the FiLIP different is that children can use it to make calls back, perhaps to tell the parents to come pick them up or some other emergency. Parents can also call and send one-way text messages or locate them via GPS (they can also set a safezone) using the smartphone app.
The market for such devices is still very new and not saturated which is probably why many US carriers are looking to offer devices like the FiLIP which is going for $10 (RM32) a month from AT&T on contract. You can also get it for $199.99 (RM642) off contract. However, like most smartwatches today, the FiLIP is still a very bulky device and we're not certain a child would want one on their wrist. The idea certainly has merit though, because while it may be an electronic leash or e-leash at least it allows for two-way communication. The FiLIP will launch in the US on 22 November 2013 but there were no detailson Malaysia release dates or pricing for the FiLIP. We're thinking it will probably come in with one of our local sellers, so do keep an eye out at our sister site of Mobile Mega Mall. For more information, check out the FiLIP site.
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