Review: Spacetalk Watch

The first in Ireland…..

I initially did a video review of the watches, but realised very quickly that I am not pretty enough and my video skills…. suck.

A while back, I reviewed the Vodafone V-Kids Watch. Since then, and I will get in to it later, I have been looking for a replacement to better serve the needs of me and the misses, as well as our (almost) 9 year old boy / girl twins.

I knew about the Spacetalk watch for some time. I have been following its progress. In Australia, where it was first created, it was seeing massive success and online reviews were excellent. The issue was always that I could not get one unless I was willing to ship one from Australia to Ireland and pay all the import duties. Then, earlier this year, I woke to the news that Spacetalk UK now existed, and Sky UK were going to be selling and providing data / gsm plans for same.

Of course, my first thought was that – of course – Ireland would be left out. Sure enough, Sky Ireland were not providing the watch. Me being me, I promptly got on the twitter machine to hunt down Spacetalk / MGM Wireless / CEO and leader types to give out to 🙂

Then I found Mark:

MGM were on this super quick…….

So, I waited… then in the background the MGM Wireless social media team and I got chatting. From that, I was introduced to the product manager for UK. I tried over and over to order from the UK site, but it was not working for various reasons – tax, shipping, delivery…

I WAS BEING A PAIN

Then Peter, the UK account manager stepped in. He was flying over to Ireland. I bought the devices and got a hand delivered set of two SpaceTalk Watches. Now we get to try them out!

The Unboxing

Inside the box is the watch, a charging cable (USB to Mini USB), the custom charging block. Of note, there is no plug with the cable, but the dock is magnetic, which is a huge improvement on the magnetic cable we tried with the Vodafone V-Kids. There is also a manual, some stickers and some setup instructions (which I of course didn’t follow).

One complaint here. There is a protective cover in the box. I had a disaster both times trying to put that on the phone. SpaceTalk should consider a couple of spares in the box. I am hoping I will be able to get a replacement protective cover from them.

Choosing a SIM / Network
Of course, the first problem we have here in Ireland is that *currently* there isn’t a Network offering the SpaceTalk watch as a plan. Whomever grabs the deal first will be the winner though, because I can already tell (half way though my review of testing) that this watch is excellent.

So, since I am a fan of the Vodafone network for coverage and its far superior network, plus I have an account with them, I chose Vodafone sim’s. You never need really more than 200MB of data a month, and the device needs a 3G/4G/GSM sim. It will not work with a IOT / or “V” Data only SIM – Unlike the Vodafone V-Kids watch, this is essentially a phone and can do full two way calling.

AllMyTribe App
After my experience with the Alcatel TCLMOVE (V-Kids) watch, and its terrible app, I was hoping for a much better experience here. I was not disappointed.

Pairing up is as simple as sending a SMS from the app to the watch SIM, and confirming a code. Once that was done, everything paired up without issue.

Once you have paired up there are some really cool features, such as:

  • Tracking, to the meter. (This seems to be unique to this watch for kids)
  • Tracking History
  • Step Counter on the App, not just the watch.
  • Watch face backgrounds. You can use any picture behind the clock face. The Kids will love this one.
  • Setup one watch, then clone those settings to another watch. Simple but handy idea!
  • Reward 🌟. Who doesn’t like reward stars! You can set the amount of stars and give a list, or simply have one task for all the stars. I LOVE THIS FEATURE!
  • Contacts you trust. Who can call, who can SMS etc. The system also messages you if a number tried to call your child, but wasn’t allowed. Awesome stuff.
  • Custom set messages. You set “Hi Dad, I am waiting outside for you” and they just select it from a list.
  • School Mode. You set the times and disable features you want from a list.
  • Alarms. Nice to remind them of events in their day that you are not necessarily there for. “Go to the after-school music” for instance.
  • Safe Zones – Not something I think is necessary, but its there if you need it. There is also Alerts feature that lets you know if your kid has not left or arrived at the safe zone by a certain time. For me, this is overkill big brother, but hey….

S.O.S

Contacts you choose can also be set as SOS contacts. If they are, then if the child presses the SOS button on their phone, the phone calls those people in order. It ALSO SMS messages those people. This is brilliant compared to the V-Kids which every time I tried out that button, it tended to only alert me on the app 1 out of two times. The AllMyTribe App and SMS made SURE I got that SOS.

Summary

This watch is hands down the best for kids on the market as of right now, and I can only see it getting better in later versions. Get it and pay the extra for the full sim for the kids, its worth it. Or wait for SpaceTalk to do a deal with a network here, like they have with Sky UK.

The Pros

  • It does everything a kid and parent need.
  • It is well built and designed.
  • The app (AllMyTribe) has been very well designed.

The Cons

  • The Battery Life appears to be only just a full day
  • Not Waterproof (hopefully the next one)
  • Its not exactly cheap

  25 Replies to “Review: Spacetalk Watch”

  1. Ian
    October 11, 2019 at 2:29 am

    Great review!

    • Nick
      October 12, 2019 at 2:49 pm

      Thank you! 🙂

  2. lEE
    October 23, 2019 at 1:16 pm

    Really interested in this but where can I buy one from Ireland. Sky UK website is only selling by subscription. No option to buy the watch outright.

    • Nick
      October 23, 2019 at 1:20 pm

      Let me talk to them and figure it out.

      • Nick
        November 12, 2019 at 1:59 pm

        I was considering stocking these for supply. But its a logistical nightmare 🙂

        I suggest if its a retail purchase the easiest way is via the Spacetalk website, with a Parcelmotel Northern Ireland mailbox.

  3. Jessa B
    November 12, 2019 at 1:34 pm

    Thanks very much for this review. I am based in the UK and have had my eye on this for my nearly 9 year old. Together with the Xplora watch (there are various versions). The Xplora latest version IS waterproof. But the Xplora does not yet have the ability for the child to send text messages (which I think is often more useful than the ability for them to call).

    I wondered if you have done or are planning to do a review and comparison of the Xplora against the Space Talk?

    Also, how many preset text messages can you have stored at any one time?

    Thanks again!

    • Nick
      November 12, 2019 at 1:58 pm

      Hi Jessa,

      If the Xplora people send me a watch, I’ll review it 🙂 Until then, I am still happy that this is currently the top kids watch on the market. I think it must be high on MGM agenda to produce a waterproof one, and I am sure that they will have funding available for that given the recent sales partnerships with Sky UK etc.

      So far I think there is well over 20 pre-set text messages. More than enough for me to get feedback from my twins without too much feedback 🙂 They are using them a LOT more than the Vkids to send messages to us and each other, but not annoyingly so.

      One other thing worth noting. The support team for Spacetalk, whom I have engaged with on a few occasions now, are very helpful and also take on feedback for the app. I have made one suggestion about three weeks ago and its already implemented!

  4. Kieran
    November 27, 2019 at 6:55 pm

    Really good review, thanks. Is that supposed to say 200GB of data month though?

    • Nick
      November 27, 2019 at 7:39 pm

      No, 200MB, and thanks for pointing it out. 🙂 Imagine your 9 year old telling you they managed to use 200GB on a watch! Knowing one of my two that might actually happen somehow!

  5. Mairead H
    November 30, 2019 at 7:47 am

    Hi Nick – really helpful review! So you buy the Vodafone sim and then top up as needed ? Or is there a minimum top up per month? We have twins too plus another and have to get three watches so trying to get a feel for the long term cost with this.

    • Nick
      November 30, 2019 at 8:00 am

      Twins plus another. Ouch

      My advice in Ireland at the moment is to get a Tesco Mobile 10 euro for life sim. It has 3g and 4g data as well as including SMS and calls.

      Vodafone and others right now don’t have low enough pricing. I’ve not checked out Gomo yet either but i think that may not have GSM network.

      Basically. With Tesco it’s 10 euro a kid a month.

      I wish one of the Irish carriers would get their act together and engage with MGM wireless!

      • Marion
        June 22, 2020 at 2:49 pm

        Hi Nick, thank you for the review of the Space Talk watch. I am in the process of ordering one from the UK to use here in Ireland. Is the Tesco sim you recommended still the best way to go? Marion

        • Nick
          June 22, 2020 at 5:27 pm

          Last I looked. Yes

  6. Donna Flynn
    December 7, 2019 at 10:12 pm

    Hi nick Im in Ireland i have an 8 year old I would love this for so I can order the watch online and get the Tesco sim is that what you would reccomend

    • Nick
      December 7, 2019 at 11:36 pm

      Exactly that. Use a parcel motel Northern Ireland address and get it shipped to Republic for a few euro extra.

      • Donna Flynn
        December 10, 2019 at 11:09 am

        Brilliant thanks a million

  7. Sharon Kavanagh
    December 19, 2019 at 11:04 pm

    Hi Nick, if I buy it from the uk, are there any issues using it in ireland?

    • Nick
      December 19, 2019 at 11:12 pm

      No.. you just need to sign up to spacetalk app and a SIM provider…

  8. Gill Jackson
    February 17, 2020 at 12:35 pm

    The spacetalk watch can now be bought online at Currys PC World for £199.

  9. November 27, 2020 at 12:17 pm

    Problem with the battery. Have had it for about 18 months and used it a handful of times. Battery drains from 100% to 0 in less than 1 hour. Am awaiting a response from Spacetalk about this. Friends had the same problem and Spacetalk sent them a new watch…….

    • Nick
      November 27, 2020 at 12:49 pm

      I didnt have this issue. But I find their support pretty good.

      Battery issues when i initially had them, were because the location updates were updating all the time. Lowered to 30 min updates.

  10. Celine
    March 11, 2021 at 8:17 pm

    Hi, wondering how you feel about this watch since you’ve had it over a year now? Thanks

    • Nick
      March 11, 2021 at 8:19 pm

      Still like them, battery holding up. One we had repaired due to an accident and that was dealt with once we shipped back to them.

      Instead of a phone, this is a perfect option (I wish it was waterproof)

  11. Andrea Fitzpatrick
    November 19, 2021 at 8:53 pm

    Hi nick, thanks for putting up such a good review of the spacetalk watch. I’m looking for one for my 10 year old son and feeling pretty clueless. To be sure, irish sims will work in this? And is there a monthly subscription required for the app on the parents phone?
    Thanks

    • Nick
      November 21, 2021 at 11:25 am

      Hi Andrea!

      Yes. The original in my opinion is a great watch. I have the new adventurer version and the kids love it but find the strap hurts their wrists a bit. But they still use it.

      You might also check out the newer Vodafone Ireland watches which I have not managed to get my hands on to do a review on. But I’ve heard good things as they have a built in SIM and app on one package. The downside of Spacetalk in Ireland is you have to pay for the SIM and app separately

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