Vodafone and Disney, today announced a collaboration to create a premium kids smartwatch planned to launch in time for Christmas.
It will feature hardware designed by the Vodafone smart tech team and software experience from world-class designers at Vodafone and Disney. Powered by best-in-class mobile connectivity and some of the most popular Disney characters of all time, the product will deliver a truly unbeatable smartwatch experience for kids.
The product is planned to launch in key European markets ahead of Christmas 2020 when more specific details of the device will be made available. Over the course of the collaboration, the two companies will work together to evolve the dynamic smartwatch experience, including the introduction of new Disney characters, interactive content and features.
With Vodafone placing significant emphasis on the industrial design of its growing family of smart tech devices, the project to develop the kid’s smartwatch will be designed in collaboration with world-renowned designer, Yves Behar and his team at fuseproject. fuseproject will bring additional expertise to the existing talents of the Vodafone smart tech product design team, enhancing its growing reputation for thoughtful user experiences within the emerging smart technology category that Vodafone is building.
Lutfu Kitapci, Managing Director, Vodafone Consumer IoT comments: “At Vodafone, we are building a full range of products that will improve everyday living through the magic of smart technology. Our commitment to connect our customers to the most important things in their lives runs through everything we do and what could be more important than staying in touch with our children.
“We are thrilled to be collaborating with Disney. With the combination of our trusted global network, our world-class product and design credentials and beloved Disney characters, we truly believe that together we have the opportunity to reinvent the children’s smart tech category.”
Tasia Filippatos, Senior Vice President, Consumer Products, Games and Publishing EMEA at Disney comments: “This collaboration will supercharge our presence in an exciting, emerging category that’s only set to grow. By bringing cutting edge design and technology together with the world’s best-loved characters from Disney, we have created the smartest watch yet for kids. Kids will love the independence and fun, while parents will value trusted Disney content and reliable connectivity from Vodafone.”
The kid’s smartwatch will be marketed as part of the ‘Designed and Connected by Vodafone’ range. The first of the new smart devices and digital experiences launched in July with the ‘Curve’ smart GPS tracker, making a significant statement of Vodafone’s commitment to end-to-end product design and application of in-house capabilities. Each product developed will utilise Vodafone’s dedicated in-house design team as well as customer experience labs for testing and R&D.
