Conclusion:

Initially this TickTalk 3 was a complete disaster. At one point the app wasn’t even available on Google Play, and when it was, most features just indicated they were coming soon. In a few weeks they have turned this around substantially, but I still don’t think this is a good value at $170. I don’t mind being involved in a Beta release, but that would be a device I am not counting on and certainly not sending out into the field with a kid. My personal opinion is they rushed this out for the Holiday season and should have waited.



Unfortunately just as I thought things were improving; things got worse. The watch shown in this review was replaced due to an issue with the microphone and the replacement watch just got returned because it won’t charge. So it seems the rush to market may not have been isolated to software problems.

I hope they sort out these issues since I think they are making great strides to making it a good product. I think by next holiday season this will be in a much better place. I really wanted to love this since it had great features and seemed to be everything we wanted, but until they figure out all these little issues and fix the battery drain so that it can last from 8am to 8pm with moderate use I can’t recommend it.

Pros:

» Do not disturb and firewall work well
» Camera is fun for kids to play with
» Call quality is OK but sound levels are low
» Reminders are a fun way to get kids to do their chores
» Month to month service is reasonable at $10/mo.

Cons:

» Battery life is awful
» Location/tracking doesn’t quite work
» SuperHearing is weak at best
» Needs push notifications for messages

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