Search »

Disney Launches Family Mobile Service

Expecting to convert its positive relationship with parents and children into a winning wireless brand, Disney unveiled its new Disney Mobile phone service Wednesday, positioning the service as a communications option for busy families, writes the San Francisco Chronicle.

The service begins this June and will include a Global Positioning System locator that can provide real-time maps and locations of family members as well as parental tools to monitor and control family members’ calls.

The plain phones target teenagers and tweens - kids between the ages 10 and 12 - and offer multiple services and content for kids as well as access to Disney’s ring tones, wallpapers and games.

Julie Ask, research director for Jupiter Research, said about 45 percent of 13-year-olds own a cell phone, making “the youth market [a] great market to be in.” Ask added, “Even if Disney just gets kids, that would be great, but if they can get parents, too, they can be really successful.”

Disney Mobile is offering a sweeps on its site: each week they are giving away a pair of handsets and a year of free service. Those who enter are given a special launch offer for a limited edition carrying case and “email updates with news about our launch.”