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December 18, 2006 5:30 AM PST

A kid's phone for peace of mind

by Mike Yamamoto
(Credit: Mobile Magazine)

When we saw the "iKids" safety system the other day, we liked the idea but suggested that it come with some other function that might give children more of an incentive to avoid losing it, such as games or music. Japan's Softbank Mobile has come up with a similar idea for an even more obvious device--the phone.

Mobile Magazine says Softbank is marketing its Toshiba 812T clamshell handset specifically for kids, as its pink and blue cases would indicate for the clueless. The phone has an emergency tab at the bottom that, when pulled, sounds an alarm and signals parents with its location.

Don't get us wrong: We by no means advocate any form of technology as a substitute for parental responsibilities. We just think that, if your kids are going to carry a phone anyway (or any other personal device, for that matter), this kind of feature isn't a bad thing to consider.

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