MyFirst Fone R2 smartwatch review: helping parents keep in contact with their kids without a phone
This GPS wearable for kids is one of three products from MyFirst Tech that are now on sale in DID stores in Ireland
A firm which specialises in safety-first tech for children, MyFirst Tech is now available in Ireland in DID stores. We've put one of their products to the test already and we are getting lots of enquiries about kids' tech as parents gear up for Black Friday bargains and Christmas gift shopping.
The innovative firm MyFirst, which pledges to put children's safety first, has introduced a smartwatch, a camera and a set of earphones to the Irish market.
The myFirst CareBuds are earbuds designed with the safety of younger listeners as a priority. They have a maximum volume of 85db, which ensures that the little ones won’t be able to turn up the volume to potentially harmful levels. They cost just €49.99 at DID.
MyFirst Camera 3 is a cute 16MP digital camera for Kids with a Selfie Lens and a free protective sleeve. Choose from a Chill Giraffe, Cool Dinosaur or Cute Kitten design. It can capture HD photos, video and macro close-up shots with ease. It comes with a 32GB storage card for saving your shots and costs €79.99 at DID.
The firm has also delivered a round smartwatch, perhaps confusingly called MyFirst Fone R2. But the moniker actually makes sense as this wearable can make and take video calls and has its own eSim connection to mobile data. Fone R2 is a watch that can be used as a phone, GPS tracker, music player, camera, clock and fitness tracker. MyFirst Fone R2 costs €199.99 at DID.
MyFirst Fone R2 key features
The first thing which struck me about the Fone R2 smartwatch is that, in the black model I reviewed with the help of a pre-teen in the family, it looks like a proper watch and not a toy. This should make it more appealing to children in the 10 to 12 years old age group.
Whereas any previous wearable for kids I tested tended to have such colourful toy-like designs that they were not going to appeal to the slightly older kids. (To be clear, R2 is also available in a range of bright colours, but even those models look like a proper watch.)
The main benefit for parents in buying and utilising a GPS watch such as MyFirst Fone R2 is that they can communicate with their child at any time – without giving the youngster access to a smartphone and the internet. There is no need to worry about unsafe apps or
Parents can control exactly which contacts children can call. In an emergency, children should be able to quickly call for help. Text replies on the watch are limited to an array of customisable pre-set quick replies. MyFirst Fone R2 also enables a child’s location to be tracked, so, even without making a call, parents have the peace of mind of knowing exactly where their offspring.
The watch also includes Smart Location tracking which the firm said does not rely on GPS data. It cleverly suggests and classifies frequent locations based on motion detection and Wi-Fi SSIDs, providing real-time insights into your child’s activities and whereabouts. It’s not entirely accurate but it’s close enough. For example, when my pre-teen tester was wearing the watch and attending the Explorium science activity centre in Dublin, the MyFirst Circle app on my phone told me she was in an apartment close by.
Parents can also disable certain features, such as messaging and calling, during school time using the watch's Class mode.
MyFirst Fone R2 other features
MyFirst Fone R2 comes with a built-in heart rate sensor and pedometer. You can monitor your child’s heart rate and fitness data, such as steps taken, calories burned and distance covered.
The lightweight 48g unit has a bright and colourful 1.3in AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 360 x 360. An ambient light sensor enables the display to adjust its brightness according to its surroundings.
A large button on the side of the watch enables both photo capture (using a 5MP camera) and activation of an SOS call that immediately alerts guardians.
There is a Magic Button on top of the watch that allows users to access custom functions with single, double or long presses, adding a layer of personalisation to the user experience.
MyFirst Fone R2 is armed with 8GB of internal storage. MP3 tracks can be transferred to the device and saved on it for playback.
The device is IPX8 rated for dust and water resistance.
Battery life is about a day and a half but I would get into the habit of charging it daily so your child does not get caught out.
Connectivity
A mobile phone modem with eSIM support is installed, and the good news for Irish parents is it can be used in Ireland (and 84 other countries) – even though Irish mobile operator networks do not support eSims.
How it works is you buy a €9.99 per month Stay Connected subscription from MyFirst Fone. You get the first month free.
MyFirst Fone R2 verdict
MyFirst Fone R2 is a decent option for parents of younger kids who probably shouldn't be carrying a smartphone just yet. It gives parents peace of mind knowing that they can track their child's location and communicate with them at any time.
The company said Fone R2 is aimed at children between the ages of five and 12, but I think it might too large a watch for some younger children to wear. But one of the 12-year-olds in our family loves it.
MyFirst Fone R2 pricing and availability
MyFirst Fone R2 costs €199.99 from DID Electrical stores and online. You can also buy directly from the myFirst Tech website.
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