14 DAY TRIAL // A lot of device makers seem to think the key to making more profit lies in smartwatches, so we have seen a plethora being announced or showcased at CES 2014. And if adults are being treated with smart wearable tech, children should certainly be given the same treatment.
On top of releasing a tablet built for babies, VTech has also pulled the veil off a smartwatch dedicated for children between the ages of 6 and 12 years of age.
The VTech Kidizoom has a 1.4-inch color touchscreen display that can customized with 20 different watch faces, says Ubergizmo. The watch can be used to snap a quick photo or for shooting a video (via its modest 0.3MP camera) and bundles a bunch of educational games.
I’m not really sure of the utility of such a product, since most smartwatches for grown-ups are used as a sort of smartphone companion, to relay notifications and other info from the handset. A kid wouldn't traditionally need something like this, but there’s certainly a coolness factor here.
On the other hand, the Kidizoom is expected to launch with a pretty reasonable £40 / $65 / €49 price tag, so children looking to impress their play mates might be actually convince their parents to buy them one.