kajeet Mobile Web – New!
November 13, 2009
by Carol Politi
We just launched some great new mobile web services! This new offering provides significantly more flexibility for those that want to surf the web from their kajeet device and gives parents the ability to select the level of access they think works best for their family.
The kajeet Navigator (i.e., the browser on your phone) now has a set of free sites, a set of kid-friendly sites selected by kajeet (these cost money to access), access to social networking and IM (these cost money and are in a separately controlled category), and a category that allows you to access the web freely without controls. The new Feature Manager on kajeet.com allows parents to control the access their kids will have to various sites on the mobile web. Login to kajeet.com and select Configurator/Feature Manager to see the full set of options.
What does it cost?
The web services are charged based on use – $0.35 per 0.25 megabyte (each 0.25MB expires 24 hours after purchase). What that means is that we charge you for 0.25 MB and that this is good for a day. (Some carriers charge in MB, for comparison purposes this equates to $1.40/MB).
What on earth does 0.25 Mbyte get you and why did we take this approach? First, it gets you:
- About 10 mobile-friendly web pages
- About 2-3 full web pages (i.e., non-mobile optimized pages)
Why did we take this approach? It is nice to be able to, for a very small cost, casually browse the web – e.g., look at the weather once in a while. Many of our customers just want a bit of web access and they don’t want to buy a big bundle. (For those that are very heavy users, we will add a bundle option in the future!)
Please note: it is still free to browse our Navigator store for ringtones, games, and applications – and all kajeet users still get access to select free mobileweb sites! Access to your “MyKajeet” is also free.
We would love some input on this – so please comment here on the new features. Your comments will directly reach our product team and they will listen to you! We could specifically use help in the following areas:
1. What sites would you like to see in the “free” category. Our plan is to consistently make available at least 3 sites as part of our base service. These need to be appropriate for kids of all ages. We would appreciate customer feedback to help us decide if we have made the right choices.
2. Do you know of other kid appropriate sites that should be specifically listed and made available in our “Other Great Sites” category? This is a category of sites that again need to be appropriate for kids of all ages. This category is a bit light at the moment and we would like to make it more robust.
Please comment here to let us know what you think, and to let us know how you would like to see these features evolve. Thanks!
Text Paks on the Phone
November 2, 2009
By Carol Politi
We offer a variety of ways to purchase Text Paks – including the option to purchase these on the handset itself. Because we assume that a child is the user of the handset, it is only possible to make one time (i.e., non-recurring) Text Pak purchases from a kajeet handset.
There are three options for one-time Text Pak purchases available on the handset:
1. 200 texts for $4.99
2. 1,000 texts for $9.99
3. Unlimited texts for $19.99.
This ability to fund these one-time Text Paks from the wallet allows you to provide an allowance in your son or daughter’s kajeet wallet and let them decide how they want to spend it – talking, texting, playing games, etc. (Note that your calls will always go through – even if they run out of their allowance – if you fund your Parent Wallet).
The handset purchase options are especially ideal if your son or daughter may not be purchasing a Pak every month. For example, if they know they will text more over a holiday when they are not with their friends or if they want the ability to spend their phone allowance on texts one month and games the next.
Are you or your child using the handset purchase option? Please let us know what other tools you would like to see on the handset.
Sleep
September 29, 2009
Sleep
by Carol Politi
Another series of articles have come out describing all the distractions today’s kids have to deal with not only throughout their day, but also throughout their night. A recent article “Night-texting’ taking its toll on N.J. teens” highlights kids that are texting even while they are sleeping.
Research has shown that the lack of sleep impacts not only kid’s school work but also their emotional and physical health. kidshealth.org has a good summary of teen sleep needs.
Kids are going to wake up if they get notified of a text message on their phone. Some parents have a rule that all phones must be powered down and put in a designated spot before the kids retire for the evening. That can work! Another option for kajeet parents is to establish a TimeManager policy that prevents the phone from sending or receiving texts during certain hours. Many kajeet parents put on a block during the nights and during school hours. (Emergency numbers that the parent designates can get through.)
I think we would all love it if our kids would just learn to apply reasonable limits – this is an important part of growing up. However, with texting, we have to be worried not only about our own kid’s behavior, but also that of their friends in homes with different policies and limits. Sometimes it makes sense to give them a little help! Please login to kajeet.com or call kajeet customer care at 1-866-452-5338 to configure TimeManager on your kajeet device.
Best Adventure Books for Kids
September 14, 2009
by Carol Politi
Outside Magazine does not typically focus on kids. However, their recent blog does a great job of profiling adventure classics for kids. The blog was spurred by the recent New York Times article on a teacher that allowed the kids in her 7th and 8th grade classroom to choose their own books.
The Outside picks? Below and on the Outside Blog:
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer- Mark Twain
- Redwall series – Brian Jacques
- Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson
- Moby-Dick – Herman Melville
- Lord Jim – Joseph Conrad
- The Red Badge of Courage – Stephen Crane
- Hatchet – Gary Paulsen
- White Fang – Jack London
- The Call of the Wild – Jack London
- A River Runs Through It – Norman Maclean’s story collection
- My Side of the Mountain – Jean Craighead George
- Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
- The Black Stallion - Walter Farley
- Misty of Chincoteague – Marguerite Henry
- Into the Wild – by Jon Krakauer
- Lord of the Flies – William Golding
- Brighty of the Grand Canyon – Marguerite Henry and Wesley Dennis
- Following the Equator – Mark Twain
- Young Men and Fire – Norman Maclean
- Down and Out in Paris and London – George Orwell
- The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway
- Walden and Civil Disobedience – Henry David Thoreau
- On the Road – Jack Kerouac
As you might expect, not every book is appropriate for every family or every age range. Check out the book descriptions to determine which books on the list might be most appropriate for your family and your child.
Do you have feedback on the books above or recommendations on great adventure books for tweens? Please comment and let us know! We can get the word out to kids on the phone.
Green Tip of the Week
September 11, 2009
by Carol Politi
“Recycle Your Shirts
Got a shirt you just don’t wear? Before you toss it in the trash, pass it on to a friend or a local thrift store. If it is worn out, cut it up and use it as rags around the house.”
Tips by Jenn Savedge, Author of The Green Teen
As we post these tips on the handset, I’m finding myself thinking that my mom did these things naturally when I was growing up. Reusing clothes, bags, etc. and donating lightly used items were all a second nature to her.
I also noted in a recent trip to Toronto that everyone was carrying grocery bags to the store – and that I was not even offered a bag when I checked out. People that had only a few items simply carried the items. There are great trends here that if replicated could vastly reduce the waste we generate!
Please comment & let us know what your family does to reuse or otherwise prevent things from ending up in landfills.
Back to School Prep
August 27, 2009
by Carol Politi
As you are populating your calendar with all the school activities for the fall, take a few minutes to add school blocks and holidays to the TimeManager for your kid’s kajeet phone (go to kajeet.com, Configurator, TimeManager to do this). You can block calls and messages during school hours and after certain times of night to make sure your kids focus on school and are not interrupted at night with texts or calls from friends. (Note that your emergency or “always allowed” numbers will get through a calendar block).
This is also a great time to get familiar with the kajeet.com site – especially Account Activity which gives you a detailed list of how the phone is being used at various times of day. It will let you know if your child is using picture messaging and whether it might be useful to do some coaching on cell phones and pictures. If you have a teen that is driving, you can check Account Activity to make sure the phone is not being used while your teen is driving.
Good luck with back to school!
Bonus for Each kajeet Referral
August 10, 2009
By Carol Politi
The back to school retail season has definitely started. I have already hit Target & Amazon to stock up on the back to school lists for my two kids. The stores are busy!
If you know of friends with tweens or young teens looking for a phone for back to school, please tell them about kajeet. kajeet is the only phone just for kids with service starting at $4.99 – perfect for that safety phone in the backpack. And for older kids the unlimited texting plan with 150 minutes for $19.99 can provide real savings. Our phones are available on kajeet.com and Amazon.com.
If you are an existing customer, make sure to tell the people you refer to kajeet to put in referral code 102962 & your kajeet cell phone number when they activate. You will get $10 in credit to your kajeet account. There is no limit to how many referrals you can make – 10 referrals will get your $100 in the phone wallet! (Remember – you can put that in the parent wallet and use it just when you need it).
Green Tip of the Week
July 28, 2009
By Carol Politi
This week’s Green Tip on the kajeet phone is:
“On the Go?
On the go? Try to limit the paper napkins, plastic silverware and cups. If you are taking a drink like juice or water on the road, carry a reusable mug to minimize the waste.”
Tips by Jenn Savedge, Author of The Green Teen
We are working at eliminating disposable containers of any form at my house. For the longest time it was just so easy to grab a plastic bag to cover food or to carry a kid’s snack. And those small applesauce containers seemed indispensable.
But now we are focused on making use of reusable containers and we are working to eliminate plastic bags entirely. My son’s school pushed us in this direction with its No Waste Wednesday program. The kids are asked to eliminate any and all waste on that day – and once we started in this direction we simply expanded it to every day of the week. The applesauce turned out to be a snap – we now buy it in larger containers and send it to school in smaller reusable containers. We are saving money while saving the environment – not bad.
What techniques have you found useful in working to eliminate disposables?
Cellphone Etiquette For Kids
July 27, 2009
by Daniel Neal
The New York Times recently published a fine article on this topic here.
Not every kid needs a cell phone. Parents are, of course, the deciders of that. But a rapidly increasing number of parents are in fact equipping their children with cell phones to improve family logistics, communication and safety. They may even be helping their children build better and stronger social networks.
One of the things I particularly like about the NYT piece is that it recognizes how widespread kids’ use of cell phones has become, and how we must strive to instill politeness and good matters with our cell phone-using kids (I have two, myself).
We’re proud that kajeet is the only contract-free cell phone service with (free) parental controls. It is also true, however, that controls can’t make one’s child act politely. This requires the setting of good examples, and some effective teaching. Articles such as this one might just help us do the job. Perhaps this is a great summer reading assignment?
Great Deals This Weekend!
July 14, 2009
by Carol Politi
Yes, it is mid-July. Just after graduation and just before the big back to school selling season.
This means it is an opportunity for those that like deals! We have two handsets on sale right now:
- kajeet Samsung m300 (certified refurbished) is now available for $19.99. This is $20 off the regular price of $39.99!
- kajeet Motorola C290 is now available for $16.99. This is $8 off the regular price of $24.99!
Tell your friends and colleagues that might be thinking about a phone for their kids for back to school that this is a great time to buy kajeet. The sale will be ongoing through the end of this weekend (i.e., through Sunday the 19th!).
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