Updated 25 May, 2012, 6:23 pm IST

Samsung Launches Handset For Pre-Teens

28 Nov, 2008, 11:35 am IST | by Shayne Rana |

I’m not entirely sure if this is good news, bad news or just ‘news’ news but Samsung has recently launched a new handset - The Tobi S3030 slider phone - that’s apparently designed and directed toward the pre-teen market. Of course it would be irresponsible to assume that that’s their prime demographic, considering the release also states that it’s for ‘young adults, and anyone who desires to experience fun and safety features from their mobile phones’.

The handset is available in colorful variations (Sweet Pink, Bright Orange, Loyal Blue, Oasis Blue, Apple Green and Snow Silver with interchangeable back covers) and is reportedly made from non-toxic recyclable and biodegradable bio-plastic. It’s painted using non-toxic paints and non-allergic materials to keep the environment as well as the health of the users safe. Does this mean that kids can safely shove this up their nose, or bite on it without the materials causing them any harm? Hopefully. Additionally, the earphone is also made of eco-friendly materials without any polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

The Tobi is quite an equipped handset that comes with a 1.3MP camera, audio player, Bluetooth (with BT messaging), a 1.9-inch TFT display (176�144 pixels, 65k colors), GPRS and microSD card support. What’s supposed to make the handset so enticing are the GUI colorful themes - Monster theme, Snowman theme and Ocean World theme as well as the interchangeable cover with a transparent portion at the back for inserting a photograph.

It’s a light-weight phone at just 85g so I’m presuming it’d be easy to misplace or break too, unless the company has thought of that and it comes equipped with Samsung’s resident Mobile Tracker software and is made of some truly rugged yet ‘eco-friendly’ material. But jokes aside, the handset does come with safety features that include - SOS Call, SOS Message and a feature called Fake Call. Using these safety features, users can be directly linked to their family members and friends in emergent situations and even “easily escape from dangerous situations”. I’m not sure how, but that’s what the release says.

The handset will be out sometime this month in the Europe sector and could make its way to Asia soon after that. There’s no price mentioned yet.

There are probably a slew of arguments for a scenario that arises out of a pre-teen requiring a cell phone. While a mobile handset can in no way be construed as a mere toy and there are innumerable handsets that are directed at the youth in general, the S3030 is just another electronic gizmo for a slightly younger generation. Whether or not it’s relevant is something for you to decide.

I’m curious, and I’m sure most of you mobile maniacs out there are too, to find out what everyone thinks of a mobile phone for kids. But before posting your comments do stop to think of the security features etc. that the handset comes with.