With Halloween upon us, parents all over will soon be subject to an evening of trick-or-treating. Those parents with kids in the “too cool” age are heading out on their own, with friends, brothers, sisters - and it can be nerve-wracking not knowing where they are or when they are heading home.
In the age of abundant mobile phones and connected devices, we are transitioning into a time where it can be easier to know where loved ones are with device location - and though this may be at the center of heated debate, knowing your kids’ location during an event like Halloween night can give parents a little more peace of mind.
So here are some forward-looking apps and devices that we’ve identified that can help you keep tabs on your kids’ safety on Halloween:
1) Webwatcher by Awareness Technologies
WebWatcher is a monitoring software that lets you monitor multiple devices - Windows, Mac, Android, iOS and Blackberry - with one interface. It allows you to see child activity at your convenience from multiple desktops, laptops, and smartphones.
“Today, kids are getting cellphones, tablets, and laptops at younger and younger ages, so parents need new tools to help protect their kids. Webwatcher provides parents with an easy to use technology that helps them track their kids online activities to include texts, IMs, photos, and location.” - Lyndon Laemmerhirt, Controller/Operations Lead, Awareness Technologies
2) HereO
HereO has developed the smallest, cellular-connected GPS tracking device in the world with a ground up approach. After three years of development, they have created a design kids love. The trendy watch is designed for children aged 3+ and is comfortable, water resistant, and can withhold up to 50 hours of usage between charges. The watch also features a built-in accelerometer that sends an alert when shaken horizontally 5 times. Time is displayed on an e-ink display, and stay tuned for US availability.
3) Tinitell
The Tinitell is a durable children’s wearable wristphone. Outfitted with a speaker, microphone, GPS and Bluetooth-enabled location tracker, this device is able to recognize voices and store as many contacts as you install.
The materials are also environmentally friendly, and Tinitell minimizes any mobile radiation issues common to ordinary phones. You can pre-order the wearable now, and it is due to become available in April 2015.
4) KiZon (from LG)
The Kizon is a simple strap designed to be worn by kids. It's aimed at children too young to have smart phones (kindergarten-age), and is a basic product with just one button. There's an app that allows you to press the search button and locate wherever the Kizon is right now. The band then uses a combination of GPS and Wi-Fi to work out where it is in the world, and texts the coordinates back to the app, which translates them into a map location. Children can call their parents by holding the button down for 1 second, which dials the parent's number. Additionally, If you call your child's Kizon and they don't pick up within 10 seconds, it automatically connects the call so you can hear what's going on in the background.
5) Guardian
Available in turquoise blue, gray, or pink, the Guardian is a simple children’s band that can be worn around the wrist or ankle. It is an anti-irritation, water resistant and lightweight wearable that allows you to set a safety range within a corresponding app that will send you push notifications when your children are about to walk out the zone you’ve defined. If children are reported missing and within range of another phone with the Guardian app installed, the app cloud system will immediately send a notification to parents.
Want to learn more about powering wearable device location? Download our eBook on how location data is fueling the wearable revolution, and where the wearable industry is headed by clicking the button below.
