With the ID Watch from Prim'Time Technology

Mar 13, 2007 08:03 GMT  ·  By

I don't know about you, but I'm quite amazed by the huge number of kidnapping cases presented on the news, most of them involving children who manage to "escape" their parents' supervision. However, since the kids can't be kept on a "short-leash" all the time, modern technology has managed to offer some pretty interesting solutions to this problem, one of them being the ID Watch developed by the people over at Prim'Time Technology, a little Bluetooth device that looks like a toy-watch but helps parents keep an eye on their little offspring.

According to Luc Beal, the general manager of Prim'Time Technology, even if there are several such products available on the market (based generally on GPS or RFID technologies, rather than Bluetooth chips), what sets apart the ID Watch from its competitors is the fact that it focuses on a feature called proximity monitoring. Thus, the device acts as some kind of geo-fence, making sure that the child remains within a safe range of his parent's Bluetooth-enabled handset at all times. Of course, the "safe range" varies from user to user, since the parents can adjust it at will by simply pressing a few buttons on the child's watch.

Another very important element about the ID Watch is its design, the device being very kid-friendly. A normal child would probably hate having a big-black thing hanging on his neck, but the 2 ID Watch models (the bluish Antarctica and the pinkish Sakura) will certainly be quite appealing to today's hip and trendy youngsters.

However, the ID Watch is quite appealing to the parents as well, since it's not very expensive and doesn't requite any extra-costs. Thus, the device is compatible with most Bluetooth-enabled cell-phones, most mobile OS systems (Symbian, Java, Windows Mobile), as well as most mobile networks (CDMA, GSM, 3G, HSDPA, PHS). It could prove to be a very good solution for both you and your kids, since they'll get a nice little toy-watch, while you get to keep an eye on them at all times.

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Photo Gallery (3 Images)

The Antarctica and Sakura ID Watch models
The ID Watch "in action", on a kid's wrist
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