High-end wearables for adults, like the Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch Ultra from Samsung, often grab the spotlight. But AT&T is targeting a much younger audience — your kids. They've introduced the amiGO Jr. Watch, a practical smartwatch designed for children.
As you may have guessed, the device is designed to help you monitor them in place of a cell phone. It makes sense, considering more schools are banning phones.
AT&T’s amiGO Jr. Watch is a smart smartphone alternative for kids
If you’re not ready to buy your kid a phone, AT&T’s latest smartwatch provides something close enough but without the advanced features. It can send text messages, tracks the child's location, and has an SOS button that lets them alert a designated adult or emergency services.
There's also a school mode to limit distractions during class if you're worried that they're getting sidetracked during class. It turns off calls and texts while they’re at school, so they’re less likely to get distracted or sneak away to use it in the bathroom.
The watch is available for pre-order now and won't come out in stores (online and offline) until August 30 for $179.99. There’s also a deal to get the watch for free if you buy a smartphone.
The kid-friendly & stylish smartwatch with fancy features
Visually, the amiGO Jr. Watch is appealing. It has a square face with a bright teal strap and two buttons on the side. The image preview shows the time and an animated dog on the display. There’s even a wireless charging dock where your kids can place the watch until it's charged and ready to go.
Asides that, the watch has a 1.4-inch screen with a resolution of 320 x 360 pixels and runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 chip. It offers 8GB of storage and 1GB RAM, using Android 11 Go.
The watch supports 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.2 for connectivity. Its battery is 520mAh and can last for roughly four days on standby or about four hours with active use.
The fine print before you buy
Most attractive technology usually comes with terms and conditions, and the aMigo watch is no exception. You need to have an active AT&T postpaid wireless plan to use the amiGO Jr Watch. It's a monthly plan that you pay for after using the service. This plan doesn’t include the watch, so you must buy it separately.
Also, it would be best if you had either an Android or iOS phone to manage the watch through the amiGo app. Plus, you'll download the app to create an account and agree to its terms. Each account can hold up to 30 contacts you'll approve for your child. However, there could be data charges for downloading and using the app.
There's also the issue of the live tracking and safety zone features not always being accurate or available everywhere. That said, you shouldn’t rely solely on them and put your parental instincts on hiatus.
