4 Reasons why the BlackBerry is the safest phone - 30 July 2011

As a parent you have a range of options when buying a phone for your child. Many of us don't know what an important  decision it is. Our editor has set out reasons below explaining to you why the Blackberry is the safest bet for your child

(Please note: that whilst we regard the BlackBerry as the safest phone, unfortunately the Vodacom and MTN adult filters currently do not work on BlackBerry. This is due to the unique network configuration BlackBerry has which allows customers to use unlimited data for a set fee and other technical reasons):

1. Panic button: On the BlackBerry you can download an application for free called SmrtGuard - for info on this application click here. The free version of SmrtGuard lets you use the "Personal Guardian" feature, which is a panic button. The beauty of this panic button is that it is a one "one push" panic button that lets you hold down a hard button on your phone to activate the panic alert. This is pretty significant as in an emergency your child may not have time or clarity of mind to fumble about trying to unlock the device and look for the panic button app and then activate it. SmrtGuard is not the only "one push" panic button service we have featured on this website.Vodacom  Look4help and MTN 2MyAid are also such "one push" application, but the big difference with SmrtGuard is that it uses GPS to locate your child whereas the others use Cell ID. GPS can be up to 10 meters accurate whilst Cell ID up to 300 meters. Thats a massive difference. What's more, SmrtGuard can send the panic alert via SMS, Email and Twitter giving you a wide spread of options. In our view this is the best Panic Button app we have seen and only works on the BlackBerry.
2. BlackBerry Protect: This free app that comes with the BlackBerry allows you the parent to locate the phone up to 10 meter accuracy. If you have not heard from your child, or if they are late and you can't get hold of them then you can login to the BlackBerry Protect website and look up your child's location. This provides a huge amount of peace of mind, but you need to be transparent with your child about when you will use this feature so that they trust and know you are not using it to spy on them.
3. BBM: BBM, or BlackBerry Messenger, is a free chat tool that your child will love to have, in fact this is probably why the BlackBerry is such a hit in the youth market. Your child can chat for free with their friends. Some of you may think this is a bad thing, but you need to understand why this is good. If you child has BBM then they won't have any need to use other chat services like Mig33 or Mxit which come with public chat rooms and are a concern to parents. So embrace BBM, it will keep your child chatting to their freinds and not strangers which is exactly what you want.
4. Controlled costs: At R60 per month for the BBM feature your child can use BBM, email and web browsing for a capped amount of R60 pr month preventing any bill shock that might come from sitting on Youtube all day!