# Rogers' Firefly Bell seek and find



## Ottawaman (Jan 16, 2005)

TORONTO (CP) - Canada's largest mobile phone company, Rogers Wireless, is tapping into parents' dual concerns over the safety of their kids and the family budget with a specially designed cellphone called the Firefly.



Designed for the pre-teen set, the phone has only five buttons - including speed dials for Mom and Dad - and special features such as a PIN-protected, parent-controlled phone list that limits who can call in to the phone.

Its is made by Firefly Mobile, Inc., a three-year-old company that introduced the Firefly earlier this year in the United States, aiming it at kids aged eight to 12. Its website www.fireflymobile.com has a cute animated demonstration of its features.

Rogers is the first Canadian carrier to offer the Firefly, one of a growing number of wireless products aimed at kids and/or parents who want to use the technology to stay connected with their children.

"We don't have anything like this. Obviously all other cellphones have the numerical keypad that allows you access to any number you want to dial," Raj Doshi, a Rogers Wireless vice-president, said Monday.

He describes the Firefly as "training wheels on cellular" that gives parents peace of mind while giving children a chance to become accustomed to using the phones responsibly.

"As they grow in terms of responsibility, the parents can give them more freedom" since parents can increase the numbers on the accepted phone list or shut the restriction off, Doshi said.

The Firefly handset also has a number of fun features. It can change colour depending on who is calling, there are different ring tones built into the phone and it can do "a light show, just like a firefly would."

However, the Firefly doesn't have any sort of service for locating the child and it's limited to voice calls only - no text messaging.


Bell Mobility, by contrast, doesn't have a kid-oriented handset like the Firefly but it is launching a family-oriented location service on Tuesday that combines the capabilities of text messaging, the Internet and global-positioning technology.

"It's really Canada's first wireless location service that will give parents the ability to determine their child's whereabouts . . . just by using the cellphone and access to the Internet," said Ken Truffen, Bell Mobility's director of wireless data.

To locate the GPS-equipped cellphone, Bell uses a combination of satellite and ground-based technologies that can be accurate to within a few metres or a couple hundred metres, depending on where the person is located.

Parents can then use the Internet and a standard web browser to locate the cellphone, which will show up on a map once it has been pinpointed. It can also be set up to automatically check the phone's location and provide a log to parents.

It's a simpler version of a business-oriented location service from Bell, called GoTraxx, which provides a lot more detailed reporting.

"With children, all you want to know is where they are at a given time," Truffen said.

For privacy and security reasons, Bell's Seek & Find service automatically sends a text message to the phone indicating that it has been located and by whom and the person searching out the phone must have access to the account.

The location feature can also be disabled either by shutting off the phone or shutting off that particular feature - making it impossible to track the kid's location.

Younger children might not know how to shut off the Seek & Find service but for teenagers there will have to be an element of trust by the parents, Truffen said.

For Seek & Find to work, the handset must be enable to us the GPS feature. Such phones have been available from Bell for more than a year and all future phones will have the feature, Truffen said.

In the case of both the Firefly from Rogers Wireless and the Seek & Find location service from Bell Mobility there are different pricing plans available. The products are available through the usual retail and web channels.

Marina Amoroso, a Boston-based researcher with the Yankee Group, said Monday that the Firefly hasn't really taken off in the United States but she expects other kid-oriented products like it will follow.

"It's great that it's the first to come to market, but there are just so many things that could be improved by a competitor, that it leaves the door wide open for potential improvements," Amoroso said.

For example, she said, the parental controls on the Firefly must be done on the handset - and it would be easier if they could be adjusted through an Internet web browser.

Such a product, called Tic Talk, is being developed in the United States by educational toy maker Leapfrog and Enfora, she said.

Regarding GPS capabilities, many of the U.S. carriers have been wary of marketing a service that promises to find kids, since they could be open to law suits and bad publicity if the service doesn't work.

"The other thing is (the potential for it) to be used for harassment purposes - an angry boyfriend or girlfriend being able to use it to track the other person and find their location," Amoroso said.

A notification "each and every time" somebody uses the tracking feature would prevent that, but there could be problems if the application allows the notification to be shut off, she added.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=sto.../kid_cellphones
http://www.bce.ca/en/news/releases/bc/2005/08/09/72623.html

Anyone using these services? I'm looking into this for the upcoming school year for my kid.


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## PeterBarron (Sep 21, 2004)

About time. They should've had phones like these years ago.


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## CN (Sep 3, 2004)

Interesting...I'm surprised its actually taken this long for a service such as this to come out...


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## Ottawaman (Jan 16, 2005)

I understand Telus offers a tracking service
"AccuTracking
GPS Cell Phone Tracking

AccuTracking software turns your Motorola iDEN i58sr, i88s, i325, i355, i265, i285, i605, i710, i730, i830, i850 or i860 cell phone carried by Nextel, SouthernLINC (US) or Telus (Canada) into a GPS tracking device. The free online GPS cell phone tracking service provided by AccuTracking.com lets you see locations, speed, and headings of your mobile clients, family members or valuable assets."
http://www.accutracking.com/


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## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

Why do kids need cellphones in the first place?

I don't believe in using cellphones for anything other than work. I don't need to be reachable 7/24, any time, any place.


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## iPetie (Nov 25, 2003)

Kosh said:


> Why do kids need cellphones in the first place?
> 
> I don't believe in using cellphones for anything other than work. I don't need to be reachable 7/24, any time, any place.


Well, in this day and age, with both parents working and families having complex schedules (Like 2 kids, soccer, hockey, karate, Movies, parties etc)it makes life for everyone a lot easier. 
Also, acts as a safety blanket.


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## Melonie (Feb 10, 2005)

iPetie said:


> Well, in this day and age, with both parents working and families having complex schedules (Like 2 kids, soccer, hockey, karate, Movies, parties etc)it makes life for everyone a lot easier.
> Also, acts as a safety blanket.


Safety blanket, eh? Tell them that when they are diagnosed with brain cancer at 40.

A salient point missing here is this is simply another money maker, marketed under the guise of "you will be a bad parent if you don't have these available for your children" crap. It's like religion - get 'em young and ya got them for life.

What a sad state our society has gotten into, IMHO.

Mel


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## iPetie (Nov 25, 2003)

Melonie said:


> Safety blanket, eh? Tell them that when they are diagnosed with brain cancer at 40.
> 
> A salient point missing here is this is simply another money maker, marketed under the guise of "you will be a bad parent if you don't have these available for your children" crap. It's like religion - get 'em young and ya got them for life.
> 
> ...


What a load of crap, with all due respect. 

While I yearn for a simpler time as well as everyone else, the reality is that I see a need for this with some families. Whatever Socio - economic reasons for these needs have nothing to do with this particular product. The firefly phone did not cause the phenominon, but it fills a requirement to live with it.

As far as Brain Cancer, that is about the most irresponsible thing I have ever heard. Do you have a wireless phone at home Mel? Better stop using it! Do you use a Business style wired phone that plugs into a PBX at work! Better stop using it! Do you use anything WiFI? Better stop using it?

The simple fact is that you can buy it, Or NOT.


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## Ottawaman (Jan 16, 2005)

My plan was for my kid to keep the phone in a backpack 99.9% of the time. 

The issue is one of safety, coupled with peace of mind.

The firefly phone would only allow phone calls to numbers I preprogram into the phone.
I like that idea. 
The bell service (and others) that tracks the phone and sends you an email when it enters an electronic fence, would allow me to know when my kid arrives home.
I would love to be home before my kid, or to pick my kid up in person, (like I have everyday for the last 7 years), but I'm not sure my work schedule will permit this again.
Therefore, i was contemplating the options outlined above.


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## iPetie (Nov 25, 2003)

Ottawaman said:


> My plan was for my kid to keep the phone in a backpack 99.9% of the time.
> 
> The issue is one of safety, coupled with peace of mind.
> 
> ...


Jeez Mel, I guess Ottawaman is a slave to "The Man" and his/her practical need is imagined.


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## nxnw (Dec 22, 2002)

iPetie said:


> Jeez Mel, I guess Ottawaman is a slave to "The Man" and his/her practical need is imagined.


Perhaps Mel is not a parent, and is not attuned to our responsibilities, fears, etc.


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## Jason H (Feb 1, 2004)

Ottawaman said:


> I understand Telus offers a tracking service
> "AccuTracking
> GPS Cell Phone Tracking
> 
> ...


Those are all mike phones, and chances are you kid doesnt have and doesnt want a mike phone this service is closer to bells gotraxx


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## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

iPetie said:


> As far as Brain Cancer, that is about the most irresponsible thing I have ever heard. Do you have a wireless phone at home Mel? Better stop using it! Do you use a Business style wired phone that plugs into a PBX at work! Better stop using it! Do you use anything WiFI? Better stop using it?


Actually there was an article in the paper (not sure which) recently that parents should moderate the use of cellphones for kids as there is some proof that high cellphone use causes brain tumors. Not sure how much I believe it, but it's best not to take a risk. One of the other reasons I don't use my work cellphone that often.


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## iPetie (Nov 25, 2003)

Kosh said:


> Actually there was an article in the paper (not sure which) recently that parents should moderate the use of cellphones for kids as there is some proof that high cellphone use causes brain tumors. Not sure how much I believe it, but it's best not to take a risk. One of the other reasons I don't use my work cellphone that often.


Maybe so, and I'm not trying to argue, but, the radiation from a cheap (and they're all Cheap) cordless home phone at 2.4 to 5.8 ghz is much more than a cell which is shielded.
Now, anyone who buys a cell phone for their middle aged child and lets them use it unconditionally is probably irresponsible.
However, such is the beauty of the Firefly. The parent controls who can be called, and just as importantly, who can call.
The way I see it for a young one would be, Home, Mom Work, Mom Cell, Dad Work, Dad Cell, brothers/sisters, caretaker (if applicable) and 911. Incoming and outgoing. You could add friends if they showed responsibility as they got older but I personally would not!


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## Ottawaman (Jan 16, 2005)

iPetie said:


> Now, anyone who buys a cell phone for their middle aged child and lets them use it unconditionally is probably irresponsible.
> However, such is the beauty of the Firefly. The parent controls who can be called, and just as importantly, who can call.
> The way I see it for a young one would be, Home, Mom Work, Mom Cell, Dad Work, Dad Cell, brothers/sisters, caretaker (if applicable) and 911. Incoming and outgoing. You could add friends if they showed responsibility as they got older but I personally would not!


exactly
OM


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## andrewenterprise (May 22, 2005)

iPetie said:


> Maybe so, and I'm not trying to argue, but, the radiation from a cheap (and they're all Cheap) cordless home phone at 2.4 to 5.8 ghz is much more than a cell which is shielded.
> Now, anyone who buys a cell phone for their middle aged child and lets them use it unconditionally is probably irresponsible.
> However, such is the beauty of the Firefly. The parent controls who can be called, and just as importantly, who can call.
> The way I see it for a young one would be, Home, Mom Work, Mom Cell, Dad Work, Dad Cell, brothers/sisters, caretaker (if applicable) and 911. Incoming and outgoing. You could add friends if they showed responsibility as they got older but I personally would not!


What age of children are we talking about here?


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## iPetie (Nov 25, 2003)

I would think 8-9 to 12-13.


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## andrewenterprise (May 22, 2005)

Yeah, I think its a good idea. If you pre program a few numbers, like you mentioned earlier than I doubt there should even be talk of brain cancer. With busy lives, it is very convienent. Who knows, they may need it some day. Pre programming the phone teaches the kids that they don't have to be dependant on their cell phone. I think its a good idea.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

.


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## andrewenterprise (May 22, 2005)

Yeah, I've never believed in those studies either.


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