Latest news with #Xplora
Forbes
26-06-2025
- Forbes
HMD Fusion X1 Offers More Power To Parents
HMD Fusion X1 How can parents address concerns about their childrens' use of smartphones? HMD has introduced the HMD Fusion X1 package to the market, which combines the HMD Fusion smartphone with Xplora's Guardian App. How does it work, and what features does it offer the connected family? The HMD Fusion Smartphone I took a closer look at the HMD Fusion (the smartphone part of this package) when it was released late in 2024: '...the HMD Fusion is a competent smartphone that delivers what the market expects at this price point. It's equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset backed up by 6 GB of memory. You have 128 GB of internal storage, while support for SD Cards means you can comfortably add 1TB if you feel the need for more." Given its price and capability, the Fusion will not win any awards for high performance, but neither will it break the bank. It's the sort of phone that could easily be considered for a younger member of the family, hence the marketing of the Fusion X1 as 'your first phone." I'm going to skip over the curious question about the potential of the Fusion X1 as a first phone in the family—every family's personal ecosystem is going to be wildly different—and move to the X1 part of the equation, because this is where things get interesting. Managing The HMD Fusion Remotely The starting point of the HMD Fusion and a remote management app comes from the company's Better Phone Project. Part of this study examined parental concerns about smartphone usage, with two-thirds feeling they had to devise their own solutions. The HMD Fusion X1 is an all-in-one package that aims to address these concerns through its partnership with Norwegian company Xplora—the X in the Fusion X1 package. Once the Fusion is up and running out of the box, the Xplora Teens Phone App is opened and paired with a phone running the Xplora App. From that point, the Fusion has an additional layer of control that is managed through the parent app, allowing it to pass location, battery status, and relevant data, such as screen time, back to the app. This has two main focuses. HMD Fusion X1 The first is the ' modes' the phone is in, with School Mode and Bedtime Mode available, allowing for different levels of access depending on the time of day or day of the week. Both modes limit contacts that can be messaged or called. Additionally, there is a whitelist set of apps and contacts that can be used. For example you might want the web browser to no longer work after 9pm on a school night. The second core focus is on apps. Specific apps installed on the phone can be hidden from view at app times. Any app installed (for example through Google Play) on the phone will be installed as hidden, so will need to be approved before it can be opened. Each app can also be assigned a timer, allowing a set amount of time to run per day. The obvious use here would be for gaming or social media. It's worth noting that you will need a subscription to Xplora; all plans offer this support, starting at €4.99. HMD Fusion Xplora Experience The other side of the package is on the managed phone, and here the experience is almost identical to the core Android experience, albeit with fewer apps installed. The phone is effectively locked into this customised and restricted launcher. Some unavailable apps are still displayed, but they are greyed out. Typically, these are apps that are either unavailable in the current mode or the daily time limit to use an app has expired. The UI optionally blocks contacts and messages from those not on the whitelist set by the parent phone. All in all, it feels like a painless tweak to the user interface. Any complaints about 'needing more time' or 'I want this app' have nothing to do with the management experience. And yes, when the phone is restarted, it goes straight into the managed UI, so there's no quick workaround on the phone. HMD Fusion X1 The HMD Fusion X1 In The Family The package of hardware and software offers a middle ground between the extremes of 'no smartphones for children at all' and 'here's a gateway to everything in the world, and everything in the world can reach you.' HMD has also focused on making the Fusion a repairable phone with parts available through the likes of iFixit, which should help keep costs down if the phone gets into any scrapes at school or out at play. There's also part of me thinking that a phone that limits apps and offers a whitelist of contacts makes sense to help support older family members. While similar services have been available before, the bundling of the HMD Fusion with the Xplora software is a single purchase (for the phone) and a straightforward subscription service for ongoing support. It's a one-box solution for a complicated issue, and many will be thankful for the easy starting point that answers concerns about the always-connected smartphone. Now read my full run-down of the HMD Fusion...
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Yahoo
Safety-first smartphone for children unveiled
A new smartphone has been unveiled that is designed to keep children safe through extensive built-in parental controls, location tracking and parental approval for messaging and call contacts. Announced by phone maker HMD – the firm behind modern Nokia devices – the Fusion X1 has been created in response to new research from the firm which found that more than half of children had been contacted online by strangers. The study, which included a survey of 25,000 children and adults in the UK, US, Germany, India, Australia and the UAE also found that one in three children had been encouraged to take conversations to private platforms, 40% of children had been sent sexual or violent content and 52% of children felt they were addicted to their screens. In response to this, and ongoing concerns about the impact of the digital world on the physical and mental well-being of young people, HMD's child-safe phone contains controls that allows parents to decide when and if social media apps are accessible. The built-in controls all include parental approval for contacts for messaging and calls, a location-tracking feature which enables parents to receive alerts when children leave designated safe areas, and a 'stay focused' mode which can block app access during school hours or bedtime to reduce distractions. The features have been developed in partnership with Norwegian tech firm Xplora, who make child-safe smartwatches, and are powered by an Xplora subscription, which is integrated into the operating system of the phone. HMD said the aim of the device was to provide parents with an alternative to the dilemma many parents currently face, which is to either give their child a fully-fledged smartphone and the more unrestricted internet access that comes with it, or to keep their child unconnected. The phone maker has committed to launching two devices in 2025 as part of The Better Phone Project – a year-long scheme which has seen the firm work with parents and experts on what to include in a child-friendly device. 'Smartphones aren't just tech – they shape childhoods, family dynamics, and society itself,' Lars Silberbauer, HMD's chief marketing officer said. 'Few companies are building solutions with children and parents in mind. We are working with parents to do exactly that. 'The Better Phone Project is proof that change is possible when families, not corporations, lead the conversation.' In addition, HMD has confirmed that it will begin rolling out a real-time harm protection feature to its phones built with British cybersecurity firm SafeToNet. It will use AI-powered tools to automatically spot and block harmful content before it reaches the user, HMD said. 'This is about giving parents real choices. The HMD Fusion X1 with Xplora and technology planned with SafeToNet are just the start,' Mr Silberbauer said. 'Together, we're pushing for a future where kids are empowered to use technology in a safer way, and parents have the tools for added protection and peace of mind.' New, dedicated phones for young users are becoming increasingly common. Last year, US firm Pinwheel launched its child-safe smartphone in the UK for the first time, which places a special parent-controlled operating system on top of the existing software of a Samsung or Google smartphone.
