• Phones
• Phone Finder
• News
• Carriers
• Android
• iOS
• How To
• Glossary

• Advertising
• About
• Contact
• Privacy
• Terms of Use

Wherify has been trying for a long time to make it big time with its tiny, simple, GPS-enabled phones.

Like Jitterbug, Wherify is finally ready to launch. Their kid-oriented Wherifone will go on sale early next month at Toys-R-Us and Amazon.com.

The concept is simple. It's tiny. Kids can use it; parents can control it. It stores 20 numbers, which are programmed remotely. The plans are simple and affordable: slightly cheaper than service for an LG Migo from Verizon Wireless.

One of its biggest selling points is the location feature. It has a GPS receiver, which basically lets parents check up on their kid's location at any time. From a PC, the parent can see the location on a detailed map. From a phone, a simple SMS query will return an approximate street address. A service for parents to view location maps on their phones is also planned.

The GPS feature uses a SiRFstarIII chip, one of the newest and most accurate GPS chips available. This is upgraded from earlier prototypes that used a SiRFstarII chip.

Wherify is operating as their own MVNO to offer service for Wherifones, in order to make it a simple standalone service. In order to find a carrier partner willing to offer them good data rates for their unique GPS service, they turned to a little-known regional carrier called Petrocom. Petrocom offers service mostly off the southern coast for oil rigs, but also has a roaming agreement with Cingular, which Wherify is able to use to offer national coverage.

Log In  or  Register

Forgot password

By registering, you agree to our Terms of Use.
We value your privacy and will never share your email address. (full privacy policy)