All three kids are homeschooled since birth. They are with me 24/7 most of the time and the thought of me leaving them with other people than family gives me sepanx. Kuya V is already 8 years old and although I allow him to play with other kids in our community, we haven't really left him on his own outside our condo until he took music classes. Since some of his classes, including rehearsals, would take more than an hour and Bunso would not stay put in the waiting area of the music center, I had to leave him and find other places for me and the toddler to kill time. Giving him a mobile phone will not happen until he is in his teens so the next best thing was a GPS watch that is capable of incoming and outgoing calls.
Mommy Yvette of Buhay Mommy Blog wrote about her review of Tech Tok's GPS watches she got for her kids. I checked it right away and at that time my budget would not permit me to buy one. I checked Shopee and found a GPS watch that is 60% cheaper. Thinking it was a good buy I ordered but when I got it, it was busted and the seller does not have the support needed nor the warranty. Totally a bummer. Gave that seller 1 star, if I could give a negative rating, I would.
At the same time, Mommy Yvette ran a giveaway on her blog for a GPS watch. I got excited and prayed fervently to be one of the winners. I also visualized how our trips to the music school would be once my son has the watch. Through God's divine power (hello, law of attraction!) I was one of the winners in the raffle. WOW! After two weeks, I got the watch and it's blue, perfect!
The Q90 GPS Watch from Tech Tok was cased in the same box as the one I bought from Shopee. They provided a SIM card in the box to use for the watch and when I followed the steps, it didn't work. I decided to try a different SIM card and finally the watch was working. It turned out the SIM they provided was either busted or expired. Anyway, I went ahead and loaded a data on the watch so that I can set it up on my phone.
You need to download the app on your phone through Google Play (I am using Vivo Android phone) and set up the watch through the app. To set it up the watch must have a data load into it. I know that data would eat up a regular load, I opted to load the SIM with a data promo using my GCash app. Initially the date and time of the watch would not set up correctly but the next day when I checked, it now showed the correct date and time on the watch
Some reviews I read said that there's a few meters difference in the location and what would appear on the app but so far with our experience, we only had a couple of times that it was about 50 meters difference. This may be because of the poor network signal.
When our two kids went for a sleepover at their grandparent's house, it was easy to contact them through the watch. We can call them anytime and they can also call us through one button. Just make sure you have loaded enough data and call credits so that the child can make a call.
As long as the watch has data loaded, I can send voice and/or text messages to my kid. He can also send me voice messages through the watch. How cool is that, huh?
When V had his recital for voice and piano lessons, parents were not allowed at the backstage. Our tables were near the backstage and I could here him from the dividers. Since I can't call him out to keep his voice down, I simply sent him text messages through his watch. Sumusunod naman sa utos. Haha! It is also through this that I gave him instructions on his clothes, send him I love yous, and tell him we are proud of him.
Note that sending voice messages, as I have noticed, eats up your data allocation. Best to send text messages in my opinion or better yet, call.
The watch has a pedometer.
And you can make friends when there's another Q90 watch near. This feature we haven't tried though.
Right now the Q90 GPS watch is selling at Php1,999 at the website of TechTok Philippines.
Features
GPS
Without data loaded to the SIM, the watch is just a regular watch that can take in calls. But with data loaded on it, you will be able to use GPS to locate your child. One time my daughter brought it with her to Laguna when she went with my husband and to my surprise, the location was so accurate, including the restaurant and shops they were in the mall!Notice the different information in the bubble? Yeah, sometimes it takes a few moments for it to change to the correct location when you make request to locate. But the pin is spot on, accurate. |
Some reviews I read said that there's a few meters difference in the location and what would appear on the app but so far with our experience, we only had a couple of times that it was about 50 meters difference. This may be because of the poor network signal.
Incoming and Outgoing Calls
The watch can accept incoming calls and make outgoing calls. It has a microphone and speaker. Volume can also be adjusted through the touch screen of the watch.When our two kids went for a sleepover at their grandparent's house, it was easy to contact them through the watch. We can call them anytime and they can also call us through one button. Just make sure you have loaded enough data and call credits so that the child can make a call.
Voice and Text Messages
Now this feature I wasn't expecting at all. It is amazing!As long as the watch has data loaded, I can send voice and/or text messages to my kid. He can also send me voice messages through the watch. How cool is that, huh?
When V had his recital for voice and piano lessons, parents were not allowed at the backstage. Our tables were near the backstage and I could here him from the dividers. Since I can't call him out to keep his voice down, I simply sent him text messages through his watch. Sumusunod naman sa utos. Haha! It is also through this that I gave him instructions on his clothes, send him I love yous, and tell him we are proud of him.
I love sending text messages to Kuya V |
Note that sending voice messages, as I have noticed, eats up your data allocation. Best to send text messages in my opinion or better yet, call.
SOS Button
Should there be any emergencies, the child can just push the SOS button at the side of the watch and it will dial the number specified in the app to call for emergencies. When my child does not want to use the Phone Book menu of the watch, he simply pushes this button to call me.Other Features
The watch has a Phone Book where you can store numbers of family members. It also alerts you when a child removes the watch from his wrist. And once the watch is on and has data, you can only turn it off using the app which for me is a good security feature.The watch has a pedometer.
And you can make friends when there's another Q90 watch near. This feature we haven't tried though.
Battery
Battery life of the watch varies. If I continuously use the voice message feature or check his location every few minutes, the battery drains faster. One fully-charged watch with occasional GPS location checks and text messages can last up to 8 hours.You can select how often the watch will check its location. I prefer the power saving mode since I know my child is in one place. |
Overall Experience
I highly recommend getting a GPS watch for your kids. It is a better alternative than a mobile phone because you can check on your kids' location, call and send messages to them. My only tip is, find the best combo load for your child's watch to save money.Right now the Q90 GPS watch is selling at Php1,999 at the website of TechTok Philippines.
Nakailang sablay na rin ako ng inorder sa online..,minsan pakiramdam mo na Scam ka .hehe..
ReplyDeleteAnyways swerte mo po momi naka panalo ka ng hinahanap mo na item.mahal din po pla yun..pero kung may budget din lang talaga bibili din ako nyan,malaking bagay kasi puro babae anak ko,gusto ko lagi sila matract kung nasaan lalo na nasa big school na sila..Bongga,may watch na sila,natatract mo pa sila and you can message pa also.
Hit or missed talaga ang online shopping. So far dun lang ako sumablay. Mas convenient talaga bumili online lalo na for SAHMs kaya dun pa din ako madalas mamili.
DeleteMalaking tulong talaga. Kapag malaki laki na din yung isa kong anak, pagiipunan ko yung para sa kanya na watch :)
Ang ganda naman nito at hightech gusto ko sana para saakin mga bagets
ReplyDeleteMeron po ba itong auto-answer feature?
ReplyDeleteNone that I know of po. Sa son ko po kasi he needs to tap the watch to answer my call.
Delete