The Disney phone

Marketed to parents but designed for kids. That's the approach of Disney Mobile, announced at the big wireless communications trade show in Las Vegas this week. This fairly customizable (and thus kid-friendly) camera phone for 10-to-15-year-olds (or more realistically 7-to-10-year-olds – can't imagine a 15-year-old using a kid cellphone) makes Mom or Dad the phone's "family manager," USATODAY reports. Parents can designate, on the phone itself or by computer, when and how much the child can both talk and text on the phone, as well as add ringtones and other downloads. "The manager is alerted when a kid bumps the limits and can raise them. When kids exhaust their allowances, they still can exchange calls with their parents and other designated numbers and can dial 911." There's also a GPS feature, so parents can find the phone (and hopefully its owner) from their own phones or on the Internet. The phones cost about $60, and usage plans can be found at disneymobile.com. Disney's not the only company to market kid phones, but "Firefly Mobile and Tic Talk from Enfora and LeapFrog are not full handsets with conventional keypads," USATODAY points out. Here's further coverage at ABC News and the New York Times.