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By SHARON KENNEDY WYNNE
Published April 13, 2005
A cell phone just for kids is getting good reviews for being a breeze to use while giving parents the power to control how much it rings.
Instead of a standard numeric keypad, the Firefly limits the user to a "Mom" key, a "Dad" key, and a phonebook that can store up to 20 preset numbers.
A prepaid system and parent controls over the calls it can receive make the idea of handing a cell phone to your preteen a bit easier to take. And the switchable faceplate and glow in the dark rubber cover makes it cool to look at.
It's available for $200, and that includes 1,200 nationwide minutes for the year. You can get it at www.suncom.com .
Firefly came up with the phone by surveying kids and parents. Its studies showed that 90 percent of the kids 8-12 had no mobile phone, which was no surprise. Those that did came from parents who spend freely or from large families where older siblings had phones, making the whining more effective.
Firefly found that with a prepaid plan, and the ability to restrict inbound or outbound calls, parents were much more likely to give their preteens a phone.
And in the end, it could prove to be a good way for busy parents to stay in touch with their children as they shuffle between after-school activities and play dates.
-- Sharon Kennedy Wynne wynne@tampabay.com
[Last modified April 13, 2005, 17:47:05]
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