On December 2, the British telecom group Vodafone unveiled, in partnership with Disney, the connected watch Neo, an alternative to mobile phone, to stay in touch with your child. 

By Ludmilla Intravaia 

Baby Yoda is so cute. Whether he's eating macaroons, to better vomit them, levitating in his cradle, or saving the Mandalorian from the attack of nasty beasts, Grogu is always caught in the act of extreme cuteness.

The Neo watch featuring Baby Yoda, unveiled last December 2 by Vodafone, in partnership with Disney, therefore has everything to seduce the children, for whom it is intended but also parents anxious to exercise soft parental control on their offspring. 

Indeed, technological developments having enabled connected watches to increase their independence from smartphones, for which they were initially only a remote screen, smart watches have today become real small telephones, equipped with GSM and GPS chips. Thus, for parents who wish to stay in touch with their children, without buying them a mobile phone, this connected watch can prove to be a useful wearable to awaken them to the digital world, while providing them a secure environment, without any access to the internet and to social networks. 

With this watch connected to the cellular network via a Vodafone SIM card, it is possible to call a child, while limiting his communications within an approved circle of nine trusted people. In addition to voice calls, the watch can send messages or emojis and take photos, thanks to a built-in forward-facing camera, with which it is equipped. The watch also lets you know the child's last location, as well as information about his activities, all through a dedicated Vodafone application. 

Kids can also personalize their watch by displaying other characters that will come to life on the watch face, such as Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story or Darth Vader from Star Wars. The watch, designed by Vodafone, in collaboration with the design studio fuseproject founded by Swiss designer Yves Behar, is sold with two straps, in mint green and blue ocean, one of which is an angled stap, specially designed to make it easier for children to see the watch face (watch the presentation of the watch in the video below). Finally, remains the last difficult question: to what extent are parents willing to sacrifice their child's privacy, to ensure their safety and peace of mind? 

* The Neo Smart Kids Watch, fruit of the collaboration of the British telecommunications group Vodafone with the American entertainment company Disney, will be available in Europe, for the sum of £99 (approximately 110 euros), plus £7 per month for the data subscription (approximately 8 euros), for early 2021, on registration to a reservation list here.

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