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Disney Offers Kid-Friendly Cell Service By Elizabeth Millard April 6, 2006 7:10AM "Parents just want to be able to put controls in place with as little hassle as possible," said Parry Aftab, executive director of watchdog group WiredSafety, an organization that consults with companies like Microsoft on parental-control products. "They don't want to learn how to use something, or have multiple levels of control. They want a few buttons or a straightforward service."   Related Topics Disney Mobile Phones Wireless Handhelds Parental Controls Latest News Endeavour Inspected for Damage Autism Risk for Kids of Older Mothers Go Online and You Can Save the Planet In Haiti, Relief Gaps Are Spreading U.S. To Form Climate-Change Agency The Walt Disney Company announced that it has developed a wireless phone service that will let parents set several types of controls on their children's phone usage. Expected to roll out in June, Disney Mobile will give parents the ability to create limits for spending on fee-based cell extras like wallpapers, ringtones, and other content. Usage also can be tracked, and a global positioning system allows parents to locate their children at any time. All controls will be accessed through the Disney Mobile Web site. In a nod toward the person likely to be doing the phone purchasing, Disney Mobile's tagline is: "Finally, a phone that gives moms what they need and kids what they want." Family Friendly In addition to being able to set limits on usage and downloads, the service also gives priority to calls among family members. Text messages from parents or siblings can bump those of friends. And parents can program family phone numbers that top the directory list. "We have addressed what parents are looking for in a comprehensive mobile service, while also balancing the needs of what kids want in a cell phone," said Steve Wadsworth, president of Disney Internet Group, in a statement. Pricing for the service has not yet been announced, but is expected to be in line with competitor services. Handsets likely will start at about $60 and include a two-year service agreement. Control Room Although it is too soon to tell how well Disney's phone will fare against other cell services, demand for the cell phones is likely to be robust. Interest in parental controls in gadgets, PCs, game systems, and software has been increasing steadily, said Parry Aftab, executive director of watchdog group WiredSafety, an organization that consults with companies like Microsoft on parental-control products. The challenge for many companies has been to create services and products that are simple to use. "Parents just want to be able to put controls in place with as little hassle as possible," said Aftab. "They don't want to learn how to use something, or have multiple levels of control. They want a few buttons or a straightforward service." Products that give parents better control in general are welcome in the market, Aftab added. "Anything that helps parents to be more aware is great," she said.   Tell Us What You Think Your Comment: Also Visit: iPad Info Center Billions of Bytes Mobile Device Now Apple Info Center TopTechWire.com Advertisement  Computing 1.   Nvidia Auto-Switches Notebook GPU 2.   MS: Windows 7 Doesn't Hurt Battery 3.   Tips for More Windows 7 Productivity 4.   The Pros and Cons of Apple's iPad 5.   IBM Power7 Server Takes on Big Load EPIC Objects To Google-NSA Ties Cyberattack meant to rattle Google? Average Rating: Symbian 3 Is Now Fully Open Source But mobile OS remains linked to Nokia. Average Rating: Google Attack Highlights Black Market Paying for bug info is hotly debated. Average Rating:

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