London –Filip Technologies, a startup, plans to introduce for Christmas sales of a GPS locator phone that kids wear on their wrist.
The device, called Filip, is targeted to kids ages 4 to 11 and will be available in four bright colors.
Filip doubles as a watch and lets kids make and receive GSM voice calls to and from five numbers approved by parents. It uses assisted GPS, cell tower location and Wi-Fi hotspot triangulation to let parents locate the wearer via an Android or Apple smartphone running a Filip app.
An emergency button triggers an automatic location beacon and dials emergency services if family members cannot be reached.
The ruggedized water-resistant device will be available for pre-sale in the fall and will ship in time for Christmas. The company will sell through its web site, MyFilip.com, and plans to add retailers.
Device and service pricing haven’t been set.
The company was founded by Sten Kirkbak after he lost track of his three-year-old for a half hour at a shopping mall. Filip is its debut product.
The company’s operates a U.S. office in New York City and is manufacturing the device in Lynchburg, Va.
