[June 13, 2006] Verizon helping parents track kids Tweet (Record, The (Hackensack, NJ) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jun. 13--Verizon Wireless introduced a child tracking device Monday that lets parents keep tabs on their kids via global positioning system technology embedded in a cellphone. Dubbed "Chaperone," the monthly service, which is available on a cellphone from Basking Ridge-based Verizon Wireless, follows a similar child tracking device introduced earlier this year by Sprint-Nextel. The Verizon Wireless service will be available for $10 a month, but customers can get it only on the child-friendly Migo phone ($50 with a two-year contract), which has a modified keypad that allows a child to call four programmable phone numbers plus an emergency number. In addition, the Chaperone is available only to customers on a Family Share Plan, which is done "to help restrict unauthorized use of the service," the company said. The service uses GPS technology in the phone that lets a parent locate the device. The parent can get a fix on their child's cellphone using their own phone or access the information via a PC and Web site set up for Chaperone users. The service also lets parents set up geographic zones a child might visit, such as a school or playground. If the Migo phone leaves or enters the zone, for instance, the service will send a text message to a parent's Verizon Wireless phone. The zone feature, which also lets parents create multiple zones based on time of day and day of week, is $20 a month, the company said. Analysts believe these tracking devices could increase in popularity. Cingular, the nation's largest wireless carrier, is considering a service, and Disney Mobile plans to introduce one this summer. "By combining tracking and cellular technologies, wireless carriers could jump-start what has been, to date, a sluggish segment of the GPS market," said ABI Research analyst Ken Hyers. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]