Little brother - GPS in kids phones - sends SMS to parents

Capt'n Midnight

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/25/kid_phone/

kid phone - iKids - with a built in GPS receiver, which remains working even when the phone isn't activated. Parents can select three 'safety zones', areas where their children are allowed to play. If they wonder off to another area, parents receive an SMS message. They can also look up the child's whereabouts on a virtual map. If one pre-defined number isn't answered, the phone will try the next one.

Scarlet, which launched its Buddy Bear on October 15, targets 4 to 9 year olds. Kids can receive calls from all over the world, but they can only phone and SMS to four pre-defined numbers. The € 129 handset can also be used as a baby phone. Parents receive a warning SMS when the battery gets low.

so would you get one for your kids ?

Sparky

ill let ya know when i have some kids

but tbh, id only use something like it, if i couldnt trust one of my kids, id give them a chance first, but knowing kids they will find out they are being tracked and on purpose leave it somewhere

aidan_walsh

I can see the privacy crowd throwing a hissy fit.

Rb

tbh yes I probably would get one for my kids (if I had any), at least you wouldn't have to worry so much about their whereabouts the whole time and if they went missing it'd be a handy way of finding out where they were.
Also, you could make yourself look like the king/queen of hide and seek to them

Binomate

The kid would just loose it.

whiskeyman

was going to get my girlfrield a present of a new phone...

"so you're just going to a friends house eh?
*gets warning SMS as she enters Temple Bar....

Rb

Binomate wrote:

The kid would just loose it.

Yeah the chances of them losing the phones are quite high.
How about tagging them with trackers like they do to sharks/other animals they want to track?:p

Capt'n Midnight

Binomate wrote:

The kid would just loose it.

treasure hunt !

funk-you

sure fu(k it, why dont we just implant chips in their nuts that give them shocks when they stray outside the zone. and lets not forget those oh so fetching barcodes on their foreheads. actually lets just lock them up in the cotton wool room of the house feeding them liquidised food directly into the stomach to prevent choking and a mask pumping pure o2 so they dont inhale anything that MAY be harmful until their 18th. that'll keep em good and safe.

*prepares room for arrival of new baby*

just thought of something else that people who'd but this would be interested in: a camera mounted in the buttons of the child clothes so as to keep tabs on their behaviour aswell, no more anti-social teens. maybe google could start pointing their satelites on anyone under the age of 18 so we can watch them 24hrs.

Google is watching you.

Jimi-Spandex

I personally wouldn't do it. I don't see the point tbh. If your kid is trustworthy then he/she won't go off and do something crazy, If the kids not, they won't bring the phone with them, it's easy to just leave it in a hiding place in a "safe zone"


I suppose it's for those people who are afraid of all those paedo's on street corners waiting to snatch their kids. Paranoia and fear are a big seller, people, especially the parents of small children will pay top dollar for peace of mind

Rhyme

rb_ie wrote:

How about tagging them with trackers like they do to sharks/other animals they want to track?:p

Tranquilise them, paint a number on them and attach a collar? Might draw attention.

Naos

whiskeyman wrote:

was going to get my girlfrield a present of a new phone...

"so you're just going to a friends house eh?
*gets warning SMS as she enters Temple Bar....

Made me LOL.. Love that.

To trust a 4 year old with a 129e piece of equipment, whilst playing in the mud, climbing trees,collecting sticks etc = crazy

Mossy Monk

Binomate wrote:

The kid would just loose it.

use the gps to find it

Rhyme

Binomate wrote:

The kid would just loose it.

Or trade it for candy