We checked out the
Firefly cellphone for kids a couple of months ago, and
found it to be a pretty slick little device that could actually serve a specialized market. MobileBurn gave it a good
working over, and agreed. Though they found the parental-control menus difficult to navigate, once the phone is set up,
it's simplicity defined: kids can call mom, dad or 911 with a single button, dial other approved numbers via an address
book, and incoming calls from unapproved numbers can be blocked. There's a little eye candy in the form of an animated
"fireworks" display, and a handful of ringtones as well. While this is likely to be a hit with parents (who now have
access to all sorts of gadgets
to track their kids), we expect that tweens will quickly demand a "real" cellphone instead, while younger kids might
need additional functions (i.e., games, music) to be enticed into carrying it.
