Thursday, 6 May 2021, 5:20 pmPress Release: Spark
Within
New Zealands borders, many kids are leading fairly normal
lives, taking part in school, enjoying weekend sports or
other hobbies and are growing up fast. But border closures
continue to physically separate them from overseas family
and loved ones who may fear theyre missing out on some
precious younger years.
Spacetalk Adventurer, the next
generation of kids smart watch is designed to better
connect family and loved ones near and far with the Kiwi
kids in their lives the new watch enables kids to chat
with overseas family, features a camera for photos and
videos, and launches today, exclusively available through
Spark.
Equipped with the latest kids smart watch
technology, the watch lets kids aged 5-12 enter the world of
mobile technology without having open access to the internet
that means no social media, no video streaming websites,
and no other apps.
But the new Spacetalk watch
provides a safe platform for kids to take part in family
group chats with emojis, photos, videos and voice chat.
Their contacts are pre-selected, and adults can chat via the
Spacetalk App using any compatible iOS or Android device
that is connected through New Zealand or supported overseas
network providers.
Spark customer, Myron Simpson said
his daughters first generation Spacetalk watch has
offered him and his wife great peace of mind while she goes
for bike rides or walks to school. But said that with her
granddad living part time in Mexico it would be great to
have the ability for them to stay connected directly without
access to a mobile phone.
It would be fantastic for
our girl to be able to keep in better contact with her
granddad shes growing up so fast and I know he
sometimes feels like hes missing a lot. Were looking
forward to setting up her new Spacetalk Adventurer so she
can send him videos and photos and share more of her life
with him directly when hes overseas, said
Myron.
As well as its social functions, the watch
offers parents some comfort while allowing their kids the
freedom to follow their curiosity and enjoy the adventures
of childhood.
The app lets parents and caregivers
monitor their childs whereabouts using GPS; view the
weather at their location; and get notifications if their
child enters or leaves a pre-defined safe zone – all whilst
keeping them safer from potential online harm. Kids also
have an SOS button they can press if they were to run into
trouble.
Spark Product Director, Tessa Tierney said
kids are growing up in a world where digital solutions are
an intrinsic part of our daily lives, and this is only
increasing.
Naturally, mobile is something kids
want to take part in, but it can be challenging monitoring
how theyre using smartphones and other devices, and what
theyre exposed to. The Spacetalk kids watch is a great
first step for kids until parents are comfortable they have
the wisdom to use the internet responsibly, said
Tierney.
The Spacetalk Adventurer has many other
features including reminders parents can set up for their
kids for things like remembering to take their medicine, or
bring a school newsletter home, a school mode allowing
the watch to be disabled for distraction free learning, as
well as heart rate monitoring, step counting and movement
sensors for kids to start learning about health and
fitness.
Spacetalk CEO Mark Fortunatow said the launch
of the new Spacetalk Adventurer and new Spacetalk app is a
huge advancement for the kids connected wearables
category.
It builds on what we have learned from
the phenomenal success of the existing Spacetalk Kids
device. Were excited to be working with Spark to make it
available for Kiwi families to help them stay connected and
children safe, said Mark.
Spacetalk Adventurer is
available in a range of colours, exclusively from Spark
retail stores or at spark.co.nz for
$369 incl. GST which can be paid off over 24 months interest
free when added to any Pay Monthly or Broadband account.
Sparks specially designed Pay Monthly Smart Plan provides
all the NZ calling, data and text needed for $7.99 per
month.
The Spacetalk app is available for the whole
family to use on their own devices with one subscription at
$6.99 per month, which is payable in addition to the Pay
Monthly Smart Plan. More information at https://www.spark.co.nz/shop/mobile/kids-spacetalk/
Devices
are powered by Sparks extensive, nationwide 3G and 4G
mobile
coverage.
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