Sprint Unveils 'Starter' Phone for Kids

Is your kid ready for her first cell phone? Sprint's hoping so, and the company wants to be the first to put a device in your 5- to 12-year-old's pocket. Its offering: the WeGo, which Sprint it marketing as "Safe. Simple. Secure." The no-frills phone contains GPS that allows parents to track their kids; it allows 20 pre-programmed safe numbers; and lets parents know whether their kid has seen their texts. There's also a pull cord that acts as a panic button, sending parents a text with their kid's location. Upon receipt, parents can call back, turning the phone's mic and speaker on, Sprint says.

The water-resistant, shatterproof device doesn't offer much in the way of smartphone features. "This device has all of the basics without anything younger children don’t need just yet," says a Sprint VP. That includes 50 prewritten text messages with notes like "yes," "no," and "call me please," Techlicious reports. "Sprint WeGo is the perfect starter phone to give parents peace of mind while teaching kids responsibility—how to keep track of a device, charge it and care for it—at a low price," the VP says. It's $9.99 per month for 1,000 minutes and 1,000 texts; the phone sells for 24 monthly payments of $5. (More Sprint stories.)