Today’s cell phones have become more than a way to stay connected to friends and family. They have become a way to locate people in emergency situations and even a way for parents to track Junior through GPS technology.
From locating a child’s handset online to simply controlling whom and when they can call and text, parents have more options than ever for keeping track.
Sprint, which has an office in Emporia at 2715 Candlewood Drive, offers many options for families when it comes to cell phone usage.
Zac Blankley, retail sales associate at Wireless Lifestyle, the Sprint store in Emporia, said family locator plans are available on all Sprint phones they sell. The phones are equipped with a GPS locator. For $10, which is charged to the main account, families can monitor and track up to four phones. Sprint’s Web site has an option to track GPS-equipped phones.
“A lot of parents want to have security,” Blankley said. “They are going out with friends and starting to drive.”
Store manager Luke Wise agreed.
“It gives parents the peace of mind,” he said. “If your kid goes to a concert in Wichita you can see where he or she is the whole time.”
Blankley said parental controls on certain phones let parents monitor and restrict calls to and from the child’s cell phone. Parents can program numbers and lock down the phone book. Only calls from that phone book can be made and received.
Parents also can block text messaging and Internet access on phones. Blankley said he’s seen several bills where a child had texted without a plan and it can cost hundreds of dollars.
“(Texting) is a quick way to run up the bill,” Blankley said.
Rachel Duncan, retail sales manager at Alltel, 2313 Industrial Road, said Alltel also offers ways for parents to restrict texting and downloads.
“We can just eliminate text messanging,” Duncan said. “All that stuff is huge.”
Although eliminating text messaging can save money on the bill, Duncan said, not having it could be a safety hazard.
“Sometimes in an emergency situation you can’t call out, but you can get a text through,” Duncan said. “We hate to just eliminate that (option).”
Duncan said a lot of parents start children out with a pre-pay plan to save money and to teach them to use the phone responsibly. Plans can be paid daily, by the minute or monthly, Duncan said.
“A lot of really young kids don’t use a lot of minutes,” she said.
jasonf (anonymous) says...
for those interested (and for those who are Sprint Nextel customers), you can try the Sprint Family Locator FREE for 15 days here:
http://SFL.sprint.com/FreeTrial
July 12, 2007 at 6:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )