By Sarah Weimar, special to wtop.com
WASHINGTON – When you can’t keep an eye out for your kids, there’s a watch that will do it for you.
The still-to-be-released FiLIP smartwatch works as a phone and GPS tracking device, allowing parents to communicate and monitor their children without the cost and risk of buying them a full-blown smartphone.
Parents can program five telephone numbers into the FiLIP. Also, the device has GPS and an emergency button, says Twanda Washington, regional director of sales for AT&T.
“If the child is in danger, they can hit this button. It’ll initially try to call the parents. If they can’t get in touch with the parents, it automatically calls the authorities,” Washington says.
While some parents have chosen to buy cellphones for young children for emergency situations, Washington says the FiLIP combines watch and phone, with built-in safety features.
“It keeps an eye out on your child,” Washington says.
If the emergency button is pressed, the FiLIP watch triggers an automatic location beacon, records the ambient sound near the child and calls the emergency contacts.
The GPS tracking allows parents to monitor a child’s location using cell tower location and WiFi triangulation.
“At any given time, you can go on to your computer and find out exactly where your child is,” Washington says.
Parents can also establish boundaries for their kids, with its “Safezones” feature.
“You can set parameters on where you want them to go, say for example their route from home to school. If they step outside that parameter, you get a notification,” Washington says.
The price is expected to be approximately $200.
Washington says the release date for the product is still being discussed, but it will likely be available before the holidays.
WTOP’s Neal Augenstein contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP
