Upgrade your geek with Dwight Silverman













Dwight Silverman | Techblogger, social media manager

18 Responses

  1. Old Dispatcher says:

    Can you get one of these that attaches to your car keys?

  2. Bob says:

    Small GpS locators that attach to shoes and clothing should be sold too.

  3. marcopolo32 says:

    I could use one for my dog.

  4. Rosarian says:

    In the near future, newborns will be chipped at birth.

  5. Billy says:

    Shouldn’t everyone get a chip implant? We would all be so much safer and easier to track by the government.

  6. Curtis Griffin Jr says:

    “It seemed undignified at best and downright cruel at worst.

    First, to address this: I am neither for or against parents leashing their kids. I feel a parent should use whatever method is safe and easy for them to keep track of their kids in public places whether that be a hand, a wagon, a leash, or whatever. Now, that said, I have used a leash on 2 of my kids before and it has been invaluable to say the least. The leash (which is actually a monkey shaped backpack where the monkey’s tail is a six foot leash) allowed my young kids considerable space in which to explore crowded places without them having to hold my hand, be strapped in a stroller, or confined to a wagon. Furthermore, I have never understood why people will readily leash a dog they don’t want to lose but they won’t leash their kid for the same reason? There is definitely something wrong with that logic! Now I am not saying that a child is an animal but, having had 5, they certainly need to be watched like them because they will wander off in a heartbeat. I feel that a leash (which is more of a backpack) gives them the freedom to explore their immediate surroundings without the the unpleasantness of having to hold daddy’s hand everywhere we go. Sure they sometimes like to hold my hand, but many times (such as when we went to Disney and Magic Mountain), they like to have that little bit of autonomy while knowing full well that dad is no more than 6 feet away. If you want to complain about anything pertaining to a child leash, its the fact that you get DRAGGED everywhere the kid goes… but I’ll take that anyday over them getting snatched or accidentally wandering off!

    Now to the watch: it’s a good idea even if it is almost a decade too late. My kids’ smartphones do basically the same thing (with an app). My older kids (14 and 9) keep their phones in their pockets while the younger one (6) has his on a lanyard around his neck. The two smallest kids (2 and 4) are in a stroller and have the backpack leash, respectively. Even so, I’d give the watch a shot for my 6 and 9 year olds as they are at the age where they like to wear my watches anyway and, generally speaking, they are not required to hold anyone’s hand when we are in public (aside from when crossing streets). Also, it would be just one more thing to help keep track of my kids in this ever-growing and ever-dangerous world. What I’d really like to see though is an option that prevents anyone fom taking the watch off other than the parent. I guess that would require some type of key mechanism and I don’t know if that is possible on a watch. Still, I’d like to see it because my 6 year old is pretty adept at removing my watches (double clasp button push) so he’d have no problem removing this one… and that pretty much defeats the purpose. Also, it would work as a deterent for would-be kidnappers if they knew they’d have a difficult time removing something that will pin-point their exact location.

  7. TheBalrog says:

    I like the concept, but I have to say, this particular device looks extremely “thick” or “Bulky”. Imagining my kids and their thin arms with this device on them seems ungainly.

    Also, watches seem to be going the way of the Dodo… I see fewer and fewer people wearing them all of the time, as Smart Phones become more and more the all-purpose device for many people. Looking around my work area at the moment, I see only one person out of 10 actually wearing a watch.

    I can’t remember seeing any kids wearing a watch at the last school event (though admittedly I wasn’t really looking for them). Watches aren’t really something that small kids (in the age range where one of these would make sense) tend to wear regularly. So I suspect adoption rates for this device will be small at best.

    Does it really need to be able to receive or send text messages, or tell time, or play music or whatever?

    I do like the earlier comment from Bob, suggesting a smaller device that attaches to shoes or clothing. Preferably something that doesn’t make noise or have any kind of flashing lights on it (because if your kids is snatched, the last thing you want is for the snatcher to figure out that your kids is trackable).

  8. Skip says:

    There’s nothing wrong with using harnesses and leashes for 2- or 3- year-olds. At that age, they want to explore, and the harness allows them a few feet of freedom without the danger of running into the street. Plus, it’s much better for their arms and shoulder sockets than holding their little hands up in the air in an unnatural and uncomfortable position for long periods of time.

  9. agnerd says:

    As long kids can play games on that watch, you won’t have to worry about them not having it on them at all times.

  10. Ed says:

    A good tool for parents who have kids who are old enough to roam the neighborhood but still need a touch of monitoring.

  11. Justin says:

    “It seemed undignified at best and downright cruel at worst.

    Since when is a leash undignified or even remotely cruel?

    Seatbelts, Car seats, Pet leashes, Safety Harnesses…are any of these undignified or cruel?
    No, in fact most of them are required by law at times. No dignity or cruelty involved.

    Also, calling this device a digital leash is inaccurate. A leash or harness physically prevents an activity from happening…maybe if the watch delivered a shock.
    This is nothing more than a data tracking and reporting mechanism more similar to a surveillance camera than a leash.

  12. Vicky says:

    I think its a great tool for the kids not quite ready for cellphones but who have busy little lives. (like 9-11)

  13. lil ol me says:

    Dwight you totally lost it with “It seemed undignified at best and downright cruel at worst.” Undignified to WHO? You perhaps?

    Some of the others have echoed my sentiments.

    Back OT now: the device is way too large and clunky. Other kids will mock them mercilessly. They’re vicious. And the rare true evil-doer will spot it and remove it in a flash. It’s a fool’s paradise.

    • Yes, to me, obviously, since I was talking about my reaction to first seeing it in the ’90s. That doesn’t mean I “lost it”, just that you don’t agree with my point of view.

      It’s not clear from the info on the site whether this is secured in some way. That’s implied by the language linked to in the FAQ. I suspect, looking at the design, that there may be a tool required to take it off without damaging it.

      While I would never have put my young children on a leash, I would have considered giving them one of these devices. Our family uses the “Find My Friends” app with our iPhones to keep track of each other, both for convenience and safety.

  14. JAy. says:

    I would say that the concept is good. That said, even my 7 year old would figure out to take it off and hide it if she wanted to go somewhere without me knowing. A kidnapper would also see it and ditch it immediately should the worst happen.

    All that said, though, I do understand that there are cases where this is a decent idea. I had a friend who gave his 7 year old granddaughter a cell phone so that he could keep tabs on her during her parents’ custody dispute over her. But again, he wasn’t worried about criminal elements which would have easily defeated something like this.

  15. John says:

    It is a miracle that people my age ever survived to adulthood without leashes and electronic tracking. Why, we used to go out to play after school and our parents didn’t know or exact location for a whole two or three hours! And no one could even call me! I even got lost during a downtown shipping trip in a big city outside the US for an good or so! It was a near death experience depite the nice policeman giving me a candy bar while we loomed for my mom. Horrors!

    In all seriousness I find the child leashes insanely creepy, as is constant electronic location tracking.

    • Carl says:

      Agree completely with John here. Crime and kidnapping are not rampant. In fact, they’re extraordinarily rare. Being lost for 30 minutes is not going to destroy as child’s life. Let kids go outside. Let them play. Teach them responsibility. Trust them. Free the children!