Omego launches kiddie-friendly handset

Omego's kids handset has hit UK streets, allowing parents to control the numbers their children can dial.

That safe Omego handset

The free handset comes with a website where parents can set 40 "safe" numbers, and costs £15 a month on an 18 month contract.

The Omego isn't the first kiddy-friendly offering. iKids offers similar functionality with the addition of GPS for tracking the little blighters. But iKids is limited to dialling four numbers and costs £100.

According to research from Omego, 28 per cent of parents know less than half of their children's friends, while 45 per cent would like to know more about mobile phones.

The Omego is a GSM handset with "educational" games preinstalled and GPRS. The connections are provided by Toucan Mobile, an MVNO running on T-Mobile's network. It also comes with access to a website for managing incoming and outgoing calls, as well as a kids' page for creating ringtones and graphics, but no video camera for recording school lessons.

With mobile phone penetration topping 100 per cent in developed markets it's hard to find a niche to exploit, but the under-10 demographic is still woefully lacking in 24 hour communications technology - but not for much longer. ®