What you need to know
- Amazon reportedly considered making an Alexa-powered wearable for kids.
- The wearable would feature built-in GPS and provide access to Amazon Kids Plus content.
- The voice-activated wearable would also enable parents to monitor and communicate with their kids.
Amazon mulled creating an Alexa-powered wearable that would allow parents to track their kids, as per a Bloomberg report.
The retail giant is said to have started exploring the concept of the tracking device in mid-2019 for its 2020 product roadmap. Unfortunately, the current status of the project isn't known. If launched, the device would go up against the likes of the Fitbit Ace 3, Garmin Vivofit JR3, and Apple Watch SE. Android Central reached out to Amazon to confirm the report, but did not hear back in time for publication.
The wearable, codenamed Seeker, would be targeted at kids aged four to twelve and "could take the form of a wristband, keychain or clip" per documents reviewed by the publication. Along with allowing parents to communicate with and monitor their kids, it would also let children access Amazon Kids Plus content.
The report claims Amazon had planned to sell the voice-activated wearable for $99 in the U.S., along with wireless connectivity and twelve months of its Kids+ subscription service. Priced at $2.99 per month, the Kids+ service offers access to thousands of books, TV shows, movies, and apps aimed at children.
Besides "Seeker," Amazon reportedly teamed up with Disney on a wearable gadget codenamed the Magic Band, which could arrive sometime later this year. Although the two companies are yet to launch a product together, they have collaborated in other ways. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is Walt Disney's "preferred public cloud infrastructure provider" for Disney+. Last month, Amazon began offering six free months of Disney+ to Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers in the U.S. and Canada.
Amazon already offers Kids Edition variants of its Fire tablets and best smart speakers. The Kids Edition devices not only come with "kid-proof" cases but also offer parental controls. However, the company has faced harsh criticism for how the Echo Dot Kids violates children's privacy by storing their voice recordings.
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