Daddy, can I have a Gecko phone for Christmas?

Stuart Corner
Thursday, 05 October 2006 13:37

Your IT - Home IT

The US Firefly product, a cellphone aimed at six to nine year olds to be launched in Australia and New Zealand in November by Gecko Corporation.

• Announcements

Sonnet Corporation (ASX: SNN) subsidiary Virtel Group has reached agreement with Cicada Mobile Pty Ltd, trading as Gecko which has the exclusive rights to the “Firefly” phone for the Asia Pacific region. Sonnet has also taken a 10 percent shareholding in Gecko and will appoint one director to the Gecko board.

Gecko will handle customer acquisition, including sales, marketing and distribution. Virtel will manage all operations, including activation, credit control and mobile plans. The Firefly  has just five buttons, "plenty of lights, sounds, colours and animation."

Access to the phone book, which can hold 20 numbers is pin protected for parent-only access and calls can be made to, and received from only phone book numbers. There are two keys intended to provide direct connection to Mum and Dad. It can neither send no receive SMS.

It retails in the US for $US80, works only on GSM 850/1900 networks and promises six hours talk time and 205 hours standby and measures 8.7 x 4.4 x 2.0 cms. Local pricing has not been given. At launch the phone will be available from major retail stores such as Coles, Target and Myer.