You remember it clearly… the day your little one was born; your angel, your cherub. From that moment the primal instinct to protect your child kicks in. From crawling to walking, prams to car seats, you’ve kept your eye on them – perhaps you have even developed eyes at the back of your head? But, the time has come – school, friends, outings. What now? My suggestion, invest in the DokiWatch.
Touted as the first and most advanced smartwatch for kids, DokiWatch has made a real grand slam with their product. Aimed at kids between 6-12 years the DokiWatch allows for two-way communication but limits conventional smartphone functionality – great for children not quite ready for a real smartphone – or just because you may prefer holding off giving you child a smartphone for as long as possible. So, let’s jump head first into what this device can do…
Operated in conjunction with a SIM card the DokiWatch is basically a “watch-phone” for children. The biggest advantage is that parents (using the Doki App) set or approve authorised numbers into the watch meaning that not any random person will be able to communicate with your child. Your child has access to two-way communication either by voice notes, voice calling or even video calling (video calling can only be initiated through the app and not directly from the watch). Parents can also send text messages to the device but without a keyboard the child will not be able to do this from their side.
So far so good right? But this is just communication – with safety being a massive focus in today’s world, the DokiWatch is actually packed with safety features taking this smartwatch to the next level.
Firstly it has a Smart Locator which allows you to track your child’s whereabouts on your smartphone. Taking location based safety one step further, the DokiWatch also includes a feature called AlertArea. This allows you to ringfence an area or zone your child is allowed to be in. Say your little one goes on a bicycle ride or has arranged to go to a friend for a play date, you can pre-set the zone in which your child is allowed to be in. Should your child decide to perform a Houdini act and escape on an unsupervised excursion you will be alerted immediately.
Adding to this is the SOS function. We don’t like to imagine it, but what if something happens to your child and you are not around? With the DokiWatch, your child will be able to activate the SOS function with a push of a button. Not only will you be sent an immediate emergency notification and update of your child’s location but so will all the contacts on your pre-set contacts list. Over and above that an automatic 60 second audio recording will be sent to the pre-set contacts. This feature alone, in my opinion makes the DokiWatch invaluable!
As parents, you also really don’t want your child distracted during class time. The DokiWatch includes classroom mode. This is a time based setting which, when activated, limits the DokiWatch tothe watch function and in case of emergencies the SOS function.
So far we have focused on the benefits for the parents, so, what’s in it for the kids? Firstly, aside from the excitement of receiving a “watch-phone” and the ability of your child to contact you and send emoji’s to approved friends, the watch also includes a camera and an electronic pet dubbed the DokiPet. DokiPet grows the more active your child is – making activity based entertainment fun.
The doki watch will retail for R2999 but because the dokiWatch operates with a sim card you will require data and airtime. The recommended data allowance is between 150 – 250mb.
Cellucity also offers the dokiWatch on a smart XS contract at R189 per month which includes data and airtime.
