- The comparison
- Tutorials
- Do you want to follow your children? Disney's new smartwatch will ask Darth Vader for help
The 'kid-focused' smartwatch market seems to consist of watches designed to appeal to parents more than children, with many features that allow you to constantly track your child and ping them at all times. moment, but little for the young person to really benefit from it. Disney and Vodafone have teamed up to try to solve this problem by putting some Disney characters on a cell phone: meet the Neo, a new smartwatch that uses popular characters to distract kids from the boundary issues presented by consumer-focused watches. children. . The Vodafone-designed Neo will launch in 2021 for €99, with a €7-per-month contract for two years after that, bringing your total cost to €267. There's also a one-year contract that costs €12 per month on top of that initial cost, for a total of €243, which seems like a better option. So far, the watch has only been confirmed for the UK, but it could be coming to other countries where Vodafone operates. Disney comes into play because the software is based on popular Disney Kids movies like Star Wars, Avengers, and Frozen; you can ask Darth Vader, Iron Man or Buzz Lightyear, for example, to get on the clock to remind the children to leave. Go for a walk or tell them it's dinner time in 20 minutes.
Features of Neo
Neo seems to work much like your standard smartwatch with a variety of tools and apps, except the parent is the one in control. So the parent, you probably, can change the calendar to add a reminder to do homework, monitor how much exercise a child has gotten, and remind them to do more. There is also a calculator on board. There's one great addition few smartwatches have: a camera. This allows your child to take photos (so he can show that he's doing homework at a friend's house, not just playing video games) and make video calls whenever he wants. In addition to video calls, you can make standard calls and text messages to and from the smartwatch, so you can constantly harass your child if you want. There's GPS tracking, too, so you can make sure they're safe (or check they're not missing school). Oh, and if you want, you can totally lock the smartwatch for "quiet time." The Neo's Disney look seems subdued, aside from giving a virtual assistant a face. The smartwatch design does not show any mouse insignia; instead, it's a white laptop with a pale green or pale blue strap, and it's a pretty chunky device. We figure it's because there's a camera in there. Vodafone says the Neo will last two days between charges, which is only passable for a smartwatch, but given its consistent connectivity and GPS, the limited battery life is understandable. This watch seems designed for helicopter parents who want to constantly message and track their kids, though we imagine it might not be popular with kids who like their space and privacy. We'll be sure to get more hands-on time with it when it launches, to see what it actually looks like.