Kid smartwatches have taken off, even if most parents haven’t given in and bought them yet, but many kid smartwatches bring the same parental controls that all parents demand for smartwatches when it comes to protecting and ensuring the safety of their children. Doki Technologies wants to add its dokiWatch to the mix.
The dokiWatch provides the typical parental controls but also brings a TFT liquid crystal display (LCD screen), video calls, voice messages, GPS tracking, a “virtual pet” that serves as the dokiWatch’s fitness tracker, and 3G cellular connectivity for both video calls and phone calls (phone calls that LG’s GizmoGadget and GizmoPal smartwatches with Verizon bring). The dokiWatch uses 3G to not only make voice calls but also video calls; you can see your child in person when talking to them to get more information on where they are and what they’re up to. The dokiWatch stands out from current kid smartwatches because of this feature, which means that most children will need to be of some age to use all the technology the dokiWatch provides (you won’t want to give this to your 2-year-old).
Doki says that video calling is an important feature that they wanted to give so that parents could have “that extra peace of mind,” which can’t hurt when you’re targeting your watch to kids ages 6-12 (yes, this is the specified age group for Doki’s kid smartwatch) that are not teenagers yet and have extremely limited independence. Voice messages and emoji can also be left in text messages to friends who can add classmates or sports team buddies to their contacts; of course, parents are always notified of all changes made, including the addition of new friend’s to “Max’s” friends list (insert the name of your child here).
SOS emergency messages are the other feature provided on the dokiWatch that help it stand out from the kid smartwatch crowd. SOS messages can be sent to parents and other contacts at the press of a button. Parents and contacts can be alerted of the child’s whereabouts, should the child need help (in the case of an accident or event that mandates emergency action).
The dokiWatch runs on Android 4.4 KitKat (this is full-fledged Android here, not Android Wear, which is a platform designed just for wearables) and even works with iPhones as well (as the company’s promo video shows). Doki Technologies CEO Casper Chien says that Doki’s partnership with UMEOX will allow it to mass-produce the dokiWatch by March 2016 and send the first smartwatches out to backers by May 2016 (four months from now). The dokiWatch has a retail price of $149.99, which matches the price of LG’s GizmoGadget kid smartwatch that seems to be a Verizon exclusive in the US at the moment.
You can head on over to Doki’s Kickstarter page to pledge your financial support and back one of the most, if not the most, advanced kid smartwatch to arrive on the market yet. Doki has raised $183,661 and has 927 backers with just 12 days to go.
