Keeping in touch with kids
Smart watch offers tech without internet nasties
The watch is water resistant and has basic features like a step counter, reminder alarms, a stop watch and a weather app. A dedicated SOS alert button on the side of the device can be programmed to call a sequence of guardians and even local emergency authorities when it is pressed and held down.
For a device marketed towards ensuring the peace of mind of parents, security is also a paramount concern for the company. All of the data from Spacetalk and the app is hosted in Australia in “highly secure” data centres and protected by Australian privacy and data security legislation.
If articulated correctly, Mr Fortunatow sees this as an advantage Spacetalk has over much cheaper Chinese-made alternatives in the product category.
In NSW, public schools have begun enforcing a mobile phone ban as part of the State Government’s plan to reduce online bullying and unnecessary distraction. But that can create new problems for parents who want to stay connected, and Mr Fortunatow thinks there is a growing appetite for safety-oriented smart watches for kids.
Founded in 2001, MGM Wireless started as an SMS alert provider for parents when their children failed to show up at school. The service TOY tie-ins with movies are a decades-old idea – though not always great for parents’ wallets.
The most recent game to get a toy connection is Blizzard’s popular team shooter Overwatch, with the publisher teaming up with the iconic Lego company to create a line of kits based on the game.
Given Lego stuff is usually excellent, and Overwatch is a fun game too, it seemed like a great combination and one my six-year-old son was very keen to experience (he likes watching daddy play Overwatch).
There are several of the Overwatch Lego kits available and the folks at Blizzard sent through an impressive one representing the map Watchpoint is still used in many Australian schools but the company has been forced to reinvent itself due to the cheaper and cheaper cost of SMS messaging.
After entering the children’s watch market more than a year ago, its share price has moved from less than 0.50 cents a share in 2017 to as high as $4.90 late last year.
The global wearable tech market is growing at a steady pace and a recent report by US market research firm Gartner predicted kids’ smart watches will make up about 30 per cent of the market, compared with 21 per cent for the Apple Watch.
The Spacetalk device sells in Australia and New Zealand, ACTION: Lego and Blizzard team up for Overwatch kits. Gibraltar, in which one team is trying to escort a satellite to a spaceship launchpad.
The Lego kit focuses on the spaceship launchpad and includes the large spaceship, launch gantry and Lego minifigures and the company is planning to enter the UK market in the next few months.
Aussie customers can buy it online and at JB Hi-Fi and the company is “currently in negotiations” with Australian telcos and will partner with one later this year to offer the product as an add-on to mobile plans.
Because the watch is optimised to work on the Telstra network, it seems likely the company will strike a deal with the nation’s largest mobile provider.
Outright the device costs $349, plus there’s a $5.99 monthly app fee. And of course, you’ll need to get an extra SIM card too.
Lego kits a blast for Overwatch fans
of the characters Winston, Mercy, Pharah and Reaper.
It is a big kit with 730 parts and took my son and I several hours to put together. What impressed me was how the spaceship is quite large – it splits into two stages – and is a good Lego spaceship in its own right, even without the Overwatch connection.
Other kits in the series include some based on the characters Bastion (a robot), Reinhardt (with massive armour) and D.Va (who has a mechrobot).
With an RRP of $139.99 it’s clearly for dedicated fans of the game or people who really want a new Lego spaceship.
Royce Wilson