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AT&T gets Smart Limits, details emerge on two new Firefly models
Never been a better time to be a parent looking to equip their tykes with kid-safe phones and services, it seems. AT&T recently launched its Smart Limits service, a $4.99 monthly add-on that gives moms and dads a pretty unprecedented level of control over their little ones' mobile usage, including voice, text, and purchase allowances, daily usage schedules, allowed / blocked contact lists and internet usage restrictions. That's all well and good, but check this: the same Wall Street Journal article also sheds some light on a couple new Firefly models, one of which we'd seen not long ago up in the FCC's business. The glowPhone (pictured) seems to be the simpler of the two, targeted at ages 5 through 8 with a nice, low $49.99 price point when it drops in October. The more interesting of the two is the flyPhone, designed with ages 9 to 12 in mind with support for downloadable goodies and that crazy dynamic keypad we'd mentioned before. That one's gonna run $129.99 and will be available with a prepaid service of some sort, though there's no word whether Firefly's relationship with AT&T is going to continue when these hit the street.[Via mocoNews]Read - AT&T Smart LimitsRead - Wall Street Journal, "Keeping Junior on a Wireless Leash"
Firefly Mobile's flyPhone with dynamic keypad hits FCC
What's this, you say? Kiddies like traditional numeric keypads, too? For Firefly, that's been a problem -- its original model lacked all but the bare essentials necessary to get calls through to parents or authorities. Its new "flyPhone" candybar makes good on that indiscretion but goes one giant step further, offering a dynamic touch sensitive area that can change appearance based on the phone's current mode. Listening to music or watching a movie (yes, watching a movie on that little screen -- the manual says so!), for example, you get the appropriate controls; playing a game, you get directional buttons, and when making a call, you obviously get digits. The flyPhone also offers a camera, so all in all, it looks like this is a giant step up for phone-toting tykes everywhere. Actually, we kinda want one. Does that makes us weird?
