Verizon doesn’t currently sell a lot of “connected” wearable devices, sticking to the Apple Watch Series 4 and Series 3, Samsung’s old Gear S3 Frontier and Gear S3 Classic, as well as a carrier-exclusive GizmoKids line of children-focused products.
The newest member of that family is called the GizmoWatch, eclipsing the LG GizmoGadget and GizmoPal 2 in terms of capabilities in a few important ways.
First and foremost, this bad boy earns the title of the “first 4G LTE kid’s watch in the U.S. powered by Qualcomm.” That means it can make and receive voice calls on Verizon’s high-speed network without connecting to a phone.
But don’t worry, parents, as you’ll need to manually approve and individually add each trusted contact in a companion GizmoHub app for calls to actually go through. There’s a limit of ten contacts for “2-way voice calls and messaging”, including a number that must be registered as a primary caregiver.
There are also other ways to keep tabs on young GizmoWatch wearers, like a GPS locator app that will send you alerts whenever your child tries to leave a predetermined “safety zone.” You can pause all watch activity if you feel the device becomes too much of a distraction at dinner, for instance, or program the thing to switch off automatically during school hours.
Advertised as “more durable” and “sophisticated” than its Gizmo-branded forerunners, the Verizon GizmoWatch isn’t exactly stylish or sleek, but it does resist water immersion up to 1 meter deep for a maximum of 30 minutes.
The colorful, interchangeable bands are another nice touch for a kid-friendly gadget, while the “high-performance” Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor under the hood is old, but still used on a lot of new adult smartwatches.
The GizmoWatch unsurprisingly maximizes battery life by not “relying heavily on apps and data”, boasting four days of usage on a single charge. All things considered, the Android and iOS-supporting wearable device is not overpriced either, at $179.99, available online today and in physical stores on October 10. But obviously, this has a very specific target audience. Namely, children aged three to 11.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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