Firefly - innovative mobile phone for kids?

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.

Chaos · 03-29-2005, 01:53 AM

I can't say that giving kids a cellphone like this is a good idea...

Giving a teen something like this, strictly would not work. I can speak as someone around that age - I'd hate it. And... There's no potential to call anything other than those numbers you program in, as far as I understand. So are you just going to program in emergency numbers as part of those 22? Because that would limit it, depending on how many numbers one considers "emergency".

And if you plan on giving it to little kids... Why would anyone really young need a cellphone anyway? In my opinion small children shouldn't be away from their parents all that much, and if they are, they shouldn't need cellphones. And what are the chances that they'll have to call their friends at a young age?

And I also agree on the safety issue. Mobile phones do have that annoying tendency to give off hazardous radiation... While I do have one personally, I rarely use it (only on when off somewhere alone - which is rare, and when it is on, I only use it for 30 seconds at a time, at most).

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.

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03-29-2005, 01:53 AM	#2
Chaos Evangelist Posts: 418 Karma: 281 Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canada Device: Assorted older devices	I can't say that giving kids a cellphone like this is a good idea... Giving a teen something like this, strictly would not work. I can speak as someone around that age - I'd hate it. And... There's no potential to call anything other than those numbers you program in, as far as I understand. So are you just going to program in emergency numbers as part of those 22? Because that would limit it, depending on how many numbers one considers "emergency". And if you plan on giving it to little kids... Why would anyone really young need a cellphone anyway? In my opinion small children shouldn't be away from their parents all that much, and if they are, they shouldn't need cellphones. And what are the chances that they'll have to call their friends at a young age? And I also agree on the safety issue. Mobile phones do have that annoying tendency to give off hazardous radiation... While I do have one personally, I rarely use it (only on when off somewhere alone - which is rare, and when it is on, I only use it for 30 seconds at a time, at most).

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