Firefly™ Mobile Phone
Firefly™ Mobile has designed a special mobile phone targeted for children ages 8 to 12, however, it could also be a great communication device for older people who may need an emergency lifeline or just a more simple communication tool between family members.
The beauty of the Firefly™ lies in its simplicity. It doesn't play games or music, take pictures, or send and receive text messages. It simply makes and receives telephone calls. As such, it is a reliable conduit to and from the people in its telephone book, providing peace of mind for a parent or care giver.
The phone itself has only five main keys on the front of the phone. Two keys, displaying "mom" and "dad" icons, provide easy access to pre-programmed numbers. The remaining three keys are for accessing the 20-number phone book and for starting or ending a call. An emergency call button is located on the side of the phone near the top. To access 911, the emergency call button is depressed for three seconds before hitting the send key. There us also a volume button along the side of the phone opposite the emergency button.
The phone itself has eight colored lights that flash when a call comes in. It also flashes occasionally when in stand-by mode, which can be great for reminding you where you last placed it! I admit to being a sucker for glitz and truly enjoyed the phone's glowing lights, sounds, colors, and animation. I think these features would be a cool factor for kids between 6 to 10, and, and even some adults might come to appreciate them, but a 12-year-old might think them too childish.
The egg-shaped Firefly™ Mobile weighs in at just over 2 ounces. Since it's designed for children, it's small, sturdy, easy to grasp and ready to take a beating. The blue phone has several accessories including a lanyard and interchangeable colored shells, including one that glows in the dark. The phone is light enough to easily be worn with the lanyard as an emergency lifeline for older persons who may live alone. In that situation, the glow-in-the-dark cover could also be very useful.
Only a parent or care giver can access the 20-number phone book using a special PIN number. Since there is no numeric keypad, enter names and numbers into the phone book can be a real pain because you have to scroll though lists of numbers and letters. Luckily you only have to do this once for each number entered. You can also limit incoming calls to only those numbers that have been entered in the phone book.
To place a call using the "mom" and "dad" buttons, you simply press the desired button, then press again to confirm that you want to place the call. Calling a number from the address book requires scrolling to the number and pressing the call button. The Firefly™ also has call waiting and a missed call indicator and list.
You can purchase the Firefly™ phone and mobile service online or at several participating retail stores such as Target and Toys "R" Us. The phone comes with 30 minutes of air time, and you can add additional minutes using a pay-as-you-go system in which you purchase refill cards at participating stores, online through Firefly™, or by phone.
The phone's lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 6 hours of digital talk time and up to 205 hours of standby time. It runs on the 850/1900 MHz GSM frequencies and comes with a one-year limited warranty. Voice quality is not as good as some phones, but it's passable.
All in all, this is a fine little phone and useful phone for young and old alike.
Specifications
Product: Firefly™
Manufacturer: Firefly™ Mobile
Price: $99.99 with 30 minutes prepaid service
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About the Author
Sandy Berger is a nationally-known author and has written several books on computers.
