After first being announced late last year with a trial launch, AT&T and Filip Technologies have announced the nationwide launch of the FiLIP watch/smart locator for young children. The watch and service are exclusive to the carrier.
The watch features a cellular radio with GPS support and Wi-Fi that allows parents to keep track of young children. The watch is programmable by parents to hold up to 5 numbers in case of emergency or regular contact and also features a panic button for wearers to use if they are in trouble that will contact all 5 numbers stored, send an SMS with the coordinates of the last known location and contact authorities.
The watch can also be programmed with predefined “safe zones” that children are allowed to roam around in, with alerts being sent to parents if the child ventures outside of the pre-defined zones. The FiLIP watch costs $199.99, but is eligible for a $100 account credit when activated as a new line of service and FiLIP plans cost $10 per month on AT&T, which feature two-way voice and one way messaging access to the predefined numbers on the watch.
The idea behind the watch is to provide peace of mind for parents that worry about keeping in touch with their young children, but are otherwise unable to justify a phone and conventional wireless service to do so.
They should forgo the monthly and just offer them for rent at theme parks.