Issue 33.16
When it comes to our grandkids (now that our children are mostly out of the nest), we are very interested in technology that can keep them safe and help us know where they are. The big cellular companies are aware of this and are now providing products that can definitely assist in that process.
My grandson recently got a Gizmo (that is the name) watch for his birthday. The watch is a little bit big for him, but is workable. He has a few games he can play on it, but the important part is that he can call any of 5 preprogrammed numbers which include his parents, us (the grandparents) and his sister. It also has gps capability included which makes it so any of us who have access can determine where the watch is at any time.
This has been proved to be important. As long as he has the watch on his wrist or in his pocket (and it is powered on) it can help us locate him if he wanders. While he doesn’t do this as much as he used to, it is nice to not have to check at all three of his playmates houses in the neighborhood to figure out where he went. We can also call him to check on things. It has also come in handy a couple of times when he couldn’t remember where he left it and we had to zoom in on where it was.
The Gizmo is only one of a number of new products with similar features. The price is around $150 (only for Verizon customers) for the one our grandson has but there is a lower priced one with less features. The subscription is part of your Verizon bill.
There are a number of other watches on the market, some from cellular companies and others that are not connected to phone companies. For example, the AmbyGear watch has the gps tracking but not the phone features. You can text back and forth however. The cost is about $100 and the monthly subscription will be about $15. This watch is supposed to be available in September. The Filip and Caref watches are in the $100-$200 range as well depending upon features and have various types of monthly contracts.
All these watches with GPS can be tracked with your cell phone and you can set up safe zones and be notified if the watch goes out of those areas for any reason. There are other products that only allow communication with one other person but still have the tracking option for around $50 if you are on a budget.
All-in-all, we are happy our grandson has this watch. Some of these products can actually show you where the child has been over time periods from an hour to a day. It is worth checking them out or asking your cellular company what they offer in this category and what the monthly charges are to keep it activated. I am not in favor of big-brother watching our every move, but I am happy to know I can keep track of our grandson.
As with all products, do your homework before you buy to be sure the watch has the features and subscription plan you need – and remember to always have a backup of anything important.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 33 years, 26 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently works as a computer consultant. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or shaun@musicomp.net.