Kid Cell Phones

Coming in the higher price range for kid-tracker/smartwatches is AT&T’s FiLiP2 phone and tracker. With a price tag of $149 and a $10/month plan through AT&T, it comes in just about twice the price of Verizon’s LG GizmoPal. The FiLiP boasts more features though, such as geofenced “SafeZones,” the ability to receive and call up to 5 numbers, and receive (but not send) short texts. Location is tracked with GPS/cell tower/Wi-Fi hotspots. The watch comes in four colors: Watermelon Red, Limesicle Green, Awesome Orange, Superhero Blue.

The FiLiP is a fun-looking smartwatch packed with features and has a simple but colorful design that kids are likely to appreciate.

Operation is simple. There are two buttons on the side of the device—the red one changes the time appearance from words to numbers, and the black one toggles between up to 5 pre-set numbers to call.

In an emergency situation, holding down the red one for 4 seconds triggers the automatic cycle of calling the primary number, then each of the 4 numbers if the primary doesn’t respond. A recording of the call and background noises is also made, and immediate updates of a child’s whereabouts are given every 60 seconds until the emergency mode is canceled. 911 cannot be reached through the watch.

The voice and microphone quality for the watch isn’t as good as other models but gets the point across and connection is reported to be good. It has a fixed ringtone that may or may not appeal, so you might want to test it out first. The wristband on the FiLiP2 has been improved so that it wraps completely around the wrist and comes with spacers to enlarge it. The device is listed as water-resistant but not waterproof, so making sure your kid knows how to remove it if they are going to get wet is essential.

The watch comes with a USB charger cable but no outlet adaptor, so the watch needs to be plugged into a computer or a wall adaptor in order to be charged. An adaptor can be purchased through the company website for about $20, but most already have an available USB port or can pick up an adaptor at a gas station market for a couple of dollars. Each charge lasts about a day and a half which means it’s a good idea to charge it every night if used daily.

Required is the smartphone app which allows up to 5 caretakers to access the phone. The app is used to setup the 5 numbers allowed to call or be called by the watch as well as send 16 character texts, locate the watch, and create SafeZones which alerts the user when the wearer has passed in or out of a specific area. The watch’s ringtone can also be muted remotely for when the child is in school, and the tracking refresh rate can also be adjusted through the app. While the watch has a standard phone number, it can only be accessed through one of the 5 programmed numbers.

The FiLiP watch wins points for style and ease of usage, but the higher price point as well as the $10/month AT&T plan might not make it as good a trade-off if others that do just as well a job, minus a few features, are acceptable.