Fall detection band and kids smartwatch joined by new smart home hub
Vodafone is ramping up its interest in launching more non-smartphone tech by unveiling a band that’s designed to detect when a user has fallen over and a kids smartwatch that wants to help parents keep a closer eye on their little ones.
Part of the V by Vodafone range, the V-SOS band is designed with the elderly and vulnerable family members in mind, including a fall detection feature that will let up to four other family members know that a fall has occurred via a companion smartphone app. The wearable also includes an SOS button that, when pushed by the user, will share GPS location information so they can be helped with the user able to tell that their alert has been seen through a traffic light alert system.
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Available in either grey or blue versions, the water resistant V-SOS Band will last up to one month on a single charge and will send an alert to the band when the battery is running low.
V-Kids smartwatch (left) and V-SOS Band (right)
The second wearable is the V-Kids smartwatch, which is built by Alcatel and offers location tracking via GPS and the ability to exchange voice messages through the accompanying TCLMove app. Available in blue and pink versions, the water resistant smartwatch’s other features include the ability for children to send alerts directly to their parent’s phone with the SOS button. Parents can then follow directions through Google Maps or Apple Maps from their phone. That is as long as the child is situated in an area where Vodafone’s network has coverage and there is GPS signal. Parents can also set Safe Zones, which is something we’ve seen on other kids smartwatches, with notifications fired out to the parent’s phone when their child moves out of those safe zones.
In terms of pricing, the V-SOS Band will cost you £78, plus a £4 monthly service fee to unlock all of the features. The V-Kids smartwatch is a little pricier, at £135, with the same £4 monthly fee to get the full experience. In addition to the two wearables, Vodafone has also announced its V-Home smart home hub that it has partnered with Samsung SmartThings to connect all of your smart home kit.
The band and smartwatch don’t appear to be bringing anything all that new to the party, but after launching a pet wearable last year, too, it’s clear that Vodafone wants to show that everyone in the family can get in on the wearable action.
