About a week ago on w2forum.com I wrote about a new handset designed for kids being manufactured by the toy maker Bandai. At the time there was very little information about the phone other than it would run on the Willcom network.

Yesterday Bandai unveiled the new handset and started taking pre-orders for the phone on its website, kidskeitai.com. Like the kids handsets on the DoCoMo and au networks, it comes with a range of safety features such as location tracking and restricted internet access. New features on the Bandai phone to note are a function which sends GPS information to parents when the phone’s battery is low or the power switched off and a range of pre-installed educational games designed to improve numeracy and literacy. The phone also has customisable covers and Bandai-themed content such as wallpapers and emoticons.

The phone is closely targeted at 7-12 year-olds and is the latest example of how operators in Japan are turning to the young and old to fuel future subscriber growth.