It's the Gecko v the TicTalk

Stuart Corner
Monday, 13 November 2006 15:35

Opinion and Analysis

Fruit juice marketeer Tim Pethick (the guy who brought you Nudies) has turned his marketing skills to cellphones with the launch of the Gecko kids phone. He's up against the big T with its TicTalk.

When the Gecko was announced a month ago my comment was that kids would be singularly unimpressed  (because the want to play games, text their friends etc and are as tuned in to the cachet of owning the latest and greatest as anybody else).Gecko is now in the shops as is the Telstra TicTalk (well, Telstra shops anyway). So how do they stack up? Well for starters the TicTalk is BORING. It looks nothing like a cellphone: it has a few games but basically it is just a grey blob with a screen. The Gecko at least has an option of various coloured skins and at least has the look of having been designed by someone who thinks they know what kids want.
And it has a funky website, http://www.geckoworld.com.au/ which is more than you can say for TicTalk which has its own uninspiring page http://www.telstra.com.au/kidsintouch in stock standard Telstra format.

However I don't really see the point of the funky Gecko website because it's the parents not the kids who will be buying these things. And they both embody the same basic idea: no SMS and parental control over what numbers can be called and what numbers can call the device.

The big difference is that the Gecko is configured by pushing buttons on the device, the TicTalk via a web portal. The other big difference is that in addition to the basic number group the TicTalk has 'reward numbers' designed to allow the child to contact and be contacted by friends. Time restrictions can be place on these numbers and they are designed as a privilege that can be granted or withdrawn at any time.

There's also a big difference in pricing. The TicTalk cost $259, but this is generally included in plan costs, and the Gecko just over $100. There are no bundled call charges on the Gecko, but you have to sign on for a 24 month contract via Vodafone reseller Reward Mobile.  The TicTalk has a number of plans in the usual confusing manner.

So which will win? I reckon it will all come down to the marketing and I'd put my money on the guy who made a fortune selling unusual fruit juice concoction swith a cheeky name (who now styles himself  "Chief Gecko") over the big T any day.