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Colin Dunstan · 03-28-2005, 04:59 PM

Those guys from Harvard Business School have a story how mobile phones specially designed for small kids are "innovative and pioneering." Well, big words, and I am not sure if I should agree.

Firefly Mobile, which was launched in 2002, is selling the Firefly, a small sturdy device designed to fit a kid's hand. Unlike those complicated smart phones from Samsung we see these days, the $99 kid-centric cell has only 5 keys that allow children to speed-dial their parents and best friends (there's room for 22 numbers).

The Firefly not only has a catchy name, but it also comes in bright colors. I only like to ask how many parents are willing to buy phones for their beloved and precious little ones, still not knowing what harm cell RF radiation can do to the human brain (especially since the depth of penetration is more in the child than the adult). I am not one of those who say that cell phones are essentially bad. But until it is proven safe, I would always hesitate to encourage children to use cell phones.

One interesting side-note: CEO of Firefly is Robin Abrams, who was also president of Palm Computing at one time.

03-28-2005, 04:59 PM	#1
Colin Dunstan Is papyrophobic! Posts: 1,926 Karma: 1009999 Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: USA Device: Dell Axim	Firefly - innovative mobile phone for kids? Those guys from Harvard Business School have a story how mobile phones specially designed for small kids are "innovative and pioneering." Well, big words, and I am not sure if I should agree. Firefly Mobile, which was launched in 2002, is selling the Firefly, a small sturdy device designed to fit a kid's hand. Unlike those complicated smart phones from Samsung we see these days, the $99 kid-centric cell has only 5 keys that allow children to speed-dial their parents and best friends (there's room for 22 numbers). The Firefly not only has a catchy name, but it also comes in bright colors. I only like to ask how many parents are willing to buy phones for their beloved and precious little ones, still not knowing what harm cell RF radiation can do to the human brain (especially since the depth of penetration is more in the child than the adult). I am not one of those who say that cell phones are essentially bad. But until it is proven safe, I would always hesitate to encourage children to use cell phones. One interesting side-note: CEO of Firefly is Robin Abrams, who was also president of Palm Computing at one time.