If you are a customer of Disney’s Mobile Phone services, you probably already know that they are ceasing business as of December 31, 2007. What to do for a phone service to go with your new MoGo headset?

Not to worry, several other kid-focused cell services are courting Disney customers in a big way.

Firefly is offering a free  phone plus $10 credit is you switch from Disney to Firefly (6 month minimum contract, executed prior to Oct. 31).

The recently re-vamped flyPhone  is a fully functional kid-tough phone with a cool ‘morphing keypad’ feature that changes the keypad display to adjust to the controls needed to make calls,  play MP3’s, videos, or games. It can store up to 500 phone numbers.

It also has some of the parental-control features that lured customers to Disney in the first place, including :  : limiting incoming and outgoing calls to numbers stored in the phone book while also restricting what numbers are held in the phone book. There are also texting controls, pay-as-you-go plans,

The glowPhone, meanwhile,  looks and works much like the younger-child restricted phones previously offered by Disney. Kids are restricted to only numbers that parents have placed in the address book and a couple of ’speed dial’ buttons on the keypad.

What’s missing? The ‘Child Find’ services that utilize the phone’s built-in GPS to allow you to see where your child is whenever you wish.

This may be part of the reason that Disney is recommending Verizon for their customers.  Verizon is offering Disney-switch  customers Disney ringtones and wallpapers as well as 3 months free of their Chaperone service, their package  that locates the child’s phone from either your PC or your Verizon phone.

What’s missing from this plan is the gee-whiz kid-friendly phones .  Verizon’s offer comes with the same selection they make available to all grown-up new customers, with no products specifically geared for the younger set. Parents may be a little nervous about giving their 6 year-old a RAZR headset, and with good reason. Children are notoriously rough on their kit, and cell phones are hardly an exception.

Kajeet is also attempting to lure form Disney customers with kid-freindly services and a $50 credit.

Their phone offerings are also from the traditional line, although the prices are reasonable . However, they  do add a feature many Disney customers grew to love - the configuration management software. This allows parents to block the use of the phone during set hours (like school hours) except for calls to/from specific numbers (like 911 or a parent), as well as track  who your kids is texting and talking to.

Kajeet was the option Yahoo tech mom Dory Devlin chose in switching from Disney. Her review of her experience is here.

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Good Gracious, another great gaggle of alliterative goodness.  Well all the “G’s” are adding up to the news that a patent has been filed for a new “pay as you go” mobile service from Google.  Speculation is what the internet does best and lately, with the quiet fluttering of photos around the blogosphere of a rumored “GPhone,” it’s at an all-time high.

The GPhone is purported to be a low-cost, internet enabled phone that allows users to place mobile calls, browse the internet and who knows what else.  With the iPhone already out, it’s not a stretch to imagine the types of features a company with Google’s money could throw into a new mobile phone product.  I gotta admit, I’m a bit excited about the prospect.

According to the article I just fumbled upon, GPay’s patent basically describes the following:

“…a system where a user sends a text message to Google that gives details of a payment to a specified payee. GPay would debit the user’s bank account and credit the payee. It suggests that a user would not have to keep an account with Gpay as payments would be made externally.”

Smooth.  The bottom line is, it better be Bluetooth, because if it’s not I’m gonna be a hot little potato.  IF a GPhone enters the mobile playing field, you better believe I want to be able to use the MoGo Headset with it.  Hey Google, if you’re reading, make sure it’s Bluetooth Ready.  Please.

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Last May, I wrote about the growing trend in other parts of the world to use your cell phone as a kind of mobile payment device (like the unlamented ‘Speedpass’).

Well, ‘Other Parts of the World’? Just became your house, if you’re a Verizon customer.

ComputerWorld is reporting that Verizon and boPay are partnering to let customers use their cell phone as a credit card. According to the article;  “Users access their mobile money with an Obopay prepaid MasterCard, which can be used at any ATM or retail outlet that accepts credit cards. Users also can check their account balances, collect money owed from other mobile users and view transaction histories.”

Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg says;  “We used to say you needed three things when you leave your house: your cell phone, car keys and wallet. Soon, you’ll only need your cell phone.”

According to ComputerWorld, Seidenberg did not detail any upcoming automobile-ignition capability for Verizon cell phones.

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