14 DAY TRIAL // Losing a child is pretty much the worst thing ever that can happen to a parent, especially when the child is still very young, so a team of engineers and designers has created a watch that will let you track their location.
The GPS watch is called hereO, like the company for that matter, and the targeted user base is children with ages of 3 years or more.
Well, technically, the target customer base are the parents of those children, but it's the latter that will actually have to wear them.
Let's just hope your son or daughter can get by without getting annoyed or tired, or curious enough, with or about the watch to take it off.
We suppose that children under a certain age won't have nimble or strong enough fingers to unlatch the strap, but anything could happen.
Then again, nothing is ever perfect, so GPS watches are more or less the only way to go if you want to be able to keep a remote “eye” on your child.
The hereO is not a new invention. Well, it is, but as a concept it's fairly old by now, since we've known about such things since 2002, and there might even have been some out before then.
The hereO does have some features not normally found on locators though. There may not be a voice call function (for parents to call their kids back in the house), but there are other things.
For one, when you have the accompanying app installed on your smartphone or tablet, you can see where your child is at any time.
It will also show where your other family members are too, by connecting to their devices as well (if they have the app as well, presumably).
A cellular connection provided by Wyless allows for the constant communication between the mobile items (it should work in 140 countries without roaming charges).
Apps have not been made yet, but they should be ready for iOS and Android in a week (or a few weeks), with Windows Phone and Blackberry set to get their own later this year (2014).
Moving on, parents can draw a virtual fence around specific areas, like schools and gardens, using the map in the hereO app. If the child leaves those areas, you'll get a notification.
As for the hardware itself, an e-ink display shows the time, while a SIM card is hidden inside, sold with a monthly mobile contract. There's an accelerometer too. If the child shakes the watch horizontally 5 times, you'll get a notification. Finally, the battery lasts for 50 hours on a single charge.
To get a hereO GPS watch, you can pledge $99 / €99 on Indiegogo (6-month contract included) or wait for retail availability in July, and pay $149 / €149 (with a 3-month contract).
