NTT DoCoMo updates kid-friendly cell phone

NTT DoCoMo is launching a new cell phone for children that has a loud "panic" alarm and a location tracker to help parents find their kids quickly if they get lost.

The F801i is due to go on sale in Japan later this month and will be NTT DoCoMo's second handset for children. The first was launched in 2006 and has sold just under 500,000 units, according to Takeshi Natsuno, senior vice president and managing director of NTT DoCoMo's Multimedia Services division.

Like its predecessor, the F801i has several child safety features, including a 100-decibel panic alarm that the child can activate by pulling on a cord. When the alarm sounds the phone flashes and sends an e-mail to the child's parents, at a preregistered address, that includes GPS information with the child's location. Children can also send their location without triggering the alarm, by pressing a button on the side of the handset.

New to the F801i is a remote controller that children can wear on their wrist like a watch. The cell phone will lock if it is separated from the controller by more than a certain distance -- if the child has forgotten it somewhere, for example. It will also ring when it gets within 10 meters of the controller, to help find it again. The phone will also notify the parents via email if it is separated from the controller for more than 5 minutes.

The F801i blocks access to adult Web sites, and can be programmed to block access to the Internet altogether between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. At other times, the phone shows a special children's version of the I-mode home page.

Like the first version, the new phone requires a screwdriver to remove the battery, to prevent children from removing it to disable the phone's tracking ability.

The WCDMA (wideband code division multiple access) handset measures 10.5 centimeters by 4.8cm by 1.8cm and weighs 120 grams. It has a standby time of about 400 hours, talk time of 185 minutes, and video call time of 110 minutes. The phone is manufactured by Fujitsu, and there are no current plans to offer it outside Japan.