Verizon's new kids’ smartwatch has a camera to let kids video call their parents

Verizon has announced the latest model in its kids’ line of cellular-connected smartwatches. The Gizmo Watch 3 is a $150 children’s wearable that gives them basic smart features while allowing their parents or caregivers to keep tabs on their location.

The newest Verizon watch for tikes continues the company’s goal of “providing a safe smartwatch experience for children that aren’t quite ready for a smartphone.” The new version has a front-facing camera, allowing children to take photos, make video calls and record messages with approved contacts. (Although smartwatch cameras can sound privacy alarms, I see the value for children who don’t already have a smartphone camera.) The new model also lets parents add more safe zones, designated areas that the children can’t leave without the watch notifying their parents. The new model also doubles the number of trusted contacts parents can set up — from 10 to 20.

The Gizmo Watch 3 gets a new processor in the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 platform. Verizon says the chip helps it add 80 percent more talk time and 20 percent more standby time than its predecessor. It also includes Bluetooth for the first time so that kids can pair the wearable with wireless earbuds or headphones. Additionally, it has new watch faces (including ones that change with the seasons and time of day) and three new games: Tic Tac Toe, Gizmo Says and Puzzle.

The Gizmo Watch 3 will be available through Verizon on Thursday in Blue Clay and Mint colors. Of course, if you don’t want to pay the full $150 upfront, the carrier will let qualified customers pay it off over 36 months. For a limited time, it’s also running a deal where buying one will get you $100 off a second.