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The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast
1KHO 532: Taking Back the Neighborhood, How Family-First Tech Can Revive Real-World Childhoods| Russell York, COSMO Technologies
01:00:47
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- [00:00]
Russell York
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- [00:31]
Ginny Urich
Welcome to the 1000 Hours Outside podcast. My name is Ginny Urich. I'm the founder of 1000 Hours Outside and one of our favorite guests ever, Russell York from Cosmo. Well, welcome back.
- [00:41]
Russell York
Thank you so much. And I gotta say, congratulations. I heard you guys crossed 500 episodes recently.
- [00:46]
Ginny Urich
Yes, we did. It's been fantastic. So it's really cool to look back. And I've loved our conversations talking about ways to get kids out in this age where we're kind of afraid and we want to make sure that our kids are getting this freedom to roam. So welcome back, Russell. I love talking about the Cosmo Watch because kids are out and about. You get all these amazing stories of kids that are out doing what kids used to do, which is play.
- [01:12]
Russell York
That's right. That's right. We. We like to say we're taking back the neighborhood. We're giving parents permission to push their kids out the front door and go have real life adventures. So. So we're very positive about real world childhoods and what that means for families, especially today.
- [01:26]
Ginny Urich
Yes. Okay. So here's what you talk about. You talk about 90s summer, but 2025 safety, which I love because you're pairing the two, and I think that's what we need in this day and age. Talk to us about that. It's an amazing goal.
- [01:39]
Russell York
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the 90s were a simpler time in some respects. I think that's, you know, everybody likes to say that about the past. Not that the 90s were so simple for in all respects, but in a certain way, there's a magical moment of childh that still existed in the 90s before the juggernaut of big technology came along and changed so much about the way that we connect with each other and about the way that we think about safety. And, you know, the statistics say that kids don't spend as much time outside as they did in the 90s by, like a wide margin. It's, it's really. I've heard it. It used to be on average four hours a day. That a kid would spend outside playing with friends in like a non school related activity or organization. And today that's less than 30 minutes. Yeah, you can see it driving our neighborhoods. There's fewer kids out playing, riding bikes and climbing trees and skinning their knees. And we think parents want that, we think kids want that. And so how do you bridge the gap? How do you make that something that we can all reclaim and do it while feeling like responsible parents? And we think technology has a part in that.
- [02:38]
Ginny Urich
Well, talk to us about that part because what part does technology play now? Like you say 90 summer nostalgia, but 2025 safety, 2025 technology that actually works for kids. Because the things that I read and I've read a lot of really good about consumerism and books by Dr. Susan Lynn. She talks a lot about how like kids are the, this product that companies are really going after. They're going after their money, they're going after their attention starting at really, really young ages. I mean even she talks about how now there's, you know, a spot in the stroller for the iPad or an iPhone or in these really young kids products. So we're moving away from. And this is what I really love about what you do. It's like you're not seeing a child as some long term investment. You know, we want to capture this kid when they're four forever, you know, and do that. You're like, no, we want to provide for them what they actually need.
- [03:30]
Russell York
Yeah, that's right. Well, and so just for maybe some of your listeners that don't know, we make an award winning kid smartwatch. It's a 4G enabled GPS device. So you know, parents buy this product so that they can stay connected to their kid when they're not in line of sight. And you're right, technology companies today, there's a land grab for kids and kids attention. They're trying to grab that data as young as possible because it creates a lifelong Persona that they're able to model and advertise to. You know, it's everywhere. And I want to be careful about being too, you know, sort of the sky is falling about technology. At the end of the day, there's a lot of good that comes with it, even for kids. And parents have found a lot of those benefits and use those at their own discretion. But that's where our product development principles start, is we say parents know best. And so our customer is not the kid. Right. Our customer is the parent. And we're building a utility and a platform that's designed around what parents want to achieve with their kid. When we talk about the 1990s being a simpler time and maybe a less connected time, where kids would run around the neighborhood and not be able to be tracked with a GPS device, right? It sounds like a simpler time, but it actually wasn't less connected because neighborhoods used to be more connected. You used to know the phone numbers of everyone in your neighborhood. And if you didn't know where your kid was or you wanted to know if they were at the park or on someone's, in someone's backyard, you would just make a quick phone call and everybody knew each other. That's less the case today. Neighbors are less connected than they used to be. You know, the cul de sac is a little bit more isolated. And so when your kid is out playing the neighborhood, who are you going to call? Right? And that's different family to family, neighborhood and neighborhood. But we see that as a trend that in general, when kids leave the front door and they're out of line of sight, they're actually unreachable. And so there's a role for technology to create that connection. And we think that over time, as kids re enter the neighborhood and begin to take back that space, that it actually does connect families. Parents meet each other through their kids. And so we've seen a lot of really great stories at Cosmo about entire neighborhoods that have become connected and formed community because the kids are all meeting each other at the park, playing on their own. In fact, my cto, my co founder Shil Sondergar, he was just telling me yesterday that he was in his garage loading boxes in a kid's. Kid comes walking up and is trying to sell him cardboard boxes or something like that. And he's like, who are you selling this for? Is your, is your dad running a business here or something? Kid says, yeah, my dad sells, you know, things. And I go door to door and try and get leads for him, which is a very funny thing for an eight year old to be doing. But it's also great, right? Like, that's kind of like the what you would hope a kid would be doing on a, on a summer afternoon. And so thinking on the spot, my CTO said, well, why don't you sell Cosmo watches? You can go door to door for us and sell Costco watches. So this kid takes a watch, goes home with it, comes back the next day and says, you know, we love this thing. I've got five customers, right, and had just walked around the neighborhood and met all These kids, right? And now they're all, you know, all the parents see the value in this. And now they're all. These kids are connected. They're all messaging each other. Of course, with Cosmos platform, parents are able to review text messages and make sure all those conversations are hunky dory. But it's connected kids, it's connected neighborhoods, it's connecting families, and it happens really fast. It just takes one kid, one family on a block to take the step of saying, hey, we're going to be connected with our kid. And with that, we're going to give our kid more permission to run around and have fun and meet other kids. And it's a snowball effect.
- [06:49]
Ginny Urich
I love it because it's a solution to a lot of things. And you hear a lot. I'm sure you hear this too, Russell, where you hear a lot of times where people say, and I believe this, they say, you have to find another family. You have to find another family that's willing to set screens aside. You have to find another family that's willing to have their kids play. There has to be somebody else. You can't do it by yourself, otherwise your kid is alone. And so this is really a great bridge to say, instead of saying, is anybody in the neighborhood doing no screens this summer? Or, I mean, this is a different bridge. You could say, hey, we're doing this Cosmo watch thing. We found this is a really good answer for our kid. Does anybody else want to do Cosmo Watches this summer? And that would be a way. It solves a couple problems because then it allows the kids to. Especially, like, if parents are working and things that allows the kids to communicate and say, well, I'm outside or I'm going to the park, or do you want to go at 10? Especially because a lot of people don't have landlines anymore.
- [07:42]
Russell York
That's right. And I think you've actually keyed on something that we've recently found to be very interesting, which is that families have a hard time unifying on things that they're against. Right. So let's say that's video games. Let's say that's tv. Let's say that's whatever the thing is.
- [07:57]
Ginny Urich
Yes, exactly. Exactly. So if you. I would imagine that if you're. Okay, here's what I'm thinking through the actual logistics, because people say this so much, Russell. They're like, find another family. Find another family. And the other day I had posted something and people responded, I can't find anybody else. I can't Find anybody else. I mean, over and over and over again, I can't find anybody else who's not doing screens. So if you popped on some sort of, let's say, neighborhood Facebook group and you were like, we are not doing video games this summer, it puts you as this sort of like, I don't know, kind of orner. It could put you in this light of this like, ornery mom or like over controlling mom or even braggadocious mom. Sure, like it. It definitely may not be the connector. So it's hard to even know what to say. So I like this to keep going.
- [08:43]
Russell York
Well, I mean, imagine every family's different. We like to say there are as many kinds of families as there are families, meaning every family is literally unique. And so when you come along and you say we're not doing, let's just say we're not doing screens, right? There may be so many people in that Facebook group or that you're talking to that want that for themselves, but just that's not realistic, right? Maybe they don't have daycare, maybe they don't have, you know, this, that or the other. And so for one reason or another, it's convenient for them once in a while to break that rule. And so it's hard to find something to be against that everyone can get on board with. And it creates kind of a puritan culture about it that isn't fun. So we think it's. It's much easier for families to unify on something that they're for and being for something, being in favor of something, wanting to accomplish something. That's where you generate really positive community support. And it's goal setting, right? Like, I want my kid to be outside for a certain number of hours a day. I want my kid to have adventures, I want my kid to get certain number of steps, and I want my kid to learn how to ride a bike this summer. Like, whatever those things are, it creates so much more support and it's such an easier thing to get on board with than trying to limit or restrict, right? And so cosmos for stuff. We like to be for family. We like to be for real world. We like to be for, you know, connected, you know, real life experiences. And we've seen a lot of other brands in our space go against, against big technology, against these things. And we feel like that maybe is preaching a little bit to families about what families should or shouldn't be doing. And frankly, that's. Parents know best. Parents know what they should or shouldn't be doing. And so we're supporting goals, we're supporting ambition, and we support families that want to be for something.
- [10:19]
Ginny Urich
I mean, that's why we're so well aligned, because that's what we are, too. Right? It's about what do you want to do instead of what do you not want to do? And by doing what you do want to do, then it crowds out the time for the stuff that you're not quite as enthusiastic about, you know, and it just. You just have less time for it at the end of the day. Okay, so talk to us about your typical family. Who's your typical family? They're going to get this Cosmo watch you. It's a product launch week for you. And we're heading back into the school year. So this is coming out at the end of July. We're doing a big giveaway. It's going to be awesome. So. So coming out at the end of July, so you can still use it for part of the summer. And then heading into the school year, this is a really big time when parents are thinking about technology. So talk to us about your typical customer. What's out right now, this big product launch week.
- [11:00]
Russell York
Yeah, I mean, I would say our typical customer is just a very busy family or a family that aspires to be busier. Right. They want their kid in more activities. They want their kid, you know, out and about doing more things, whether that's walking to school or spending the weekend at the grandparents. Right. There's like a number of use cases where we find families. You want their kid to have those childhood experiences and just want that extra level of assurance that they're connected and that their kid can call them or feel like they're not alone in some of those moments. I mean, it's interesting. I don't know. I can't remember if you and I have ever talked about this, but, like, the first time that your kid leaves your line of sight and is genuinely on their own for some period of time. Right. And it's somewhere, you know, maybe that's daycare. Right. But, like, I mean, like, in that. In that sense of, like, they're a kid now, right. And they're going to go in and have a whole day of experiences and they're going to have all the good and bad. Right. Maybe much of what happens at school and back to school can be stressful for kids. Right. And it's a big turning of the page. And so there's a lot of emotional support and connection that needs to happen there. So the technology that facilitates that that just connects parents and kids so that whether the parent wants to know for their own peace of mind where their kid is or the kid is feeling alone or having feelings or has something exciting that they want to share. I scored a goal, I got an A. Those kinds of things. It makes that connection at this really crucial juncture of life where a kid is developing so fast. So families that reach for our product typically have a kid between 6 and 12 years old. You're right. We get a lot of customers finding us during the back to school season because it's such a big transition and because there's an obvious need for connection. And so, yeah, we're excited to be doing a giveaway with you guys as well and telling more of the story about this new product, Junior Trek 5.
- [12:42]
Ginny Urich
It's interesting about the back to school season, Russell, because when I think about Back to School, like if you're talking about 90s nostalgia, you know, back to school, there's always been this back to school conversation and sort of figuring out what do we want our life to look like this coming year. I actually feel like it's almost different than a new year where you're really determining what do we want this year to be like. So we're a homeschool family, we do the same thing. And even now, you know, we're taping this at the beginning of July and, and my mind is already starting to shift toward that. What do we want our dinners to look like? What if we all read the same book and we called it, you know, book club? What if we had a, a supper club throughout the school year and all five of our kids are reading the same book. Cause our youngest is old enough to read now. And we come together around the dinner table because our kids always want us to ask them questions. And I always run out of ideas for questions. So I was like, well, what if we did a book club or so Already my mind is there. My mind is thinking about what will our routine be like? What are some things we want to change? Small adjustments. So this man, Chris McKenn, protect young eyes he talks about, and this was really eye openening for me, Russell. He talks about how technology is just part of the picture now. If you become a parent in this day and age, you're going to have to grapple with that. And I just thought that was such a great thing to say because sometimes it feels like we're doing the wrong thing with all the struggle with it because our parents didn't have that or I mean, but My truly, my parents did. My parents got rid of our Nintendo within a couple weeks because they were grappling with that. I know it was. Oh, no, we were kind of devastated because we got it for Christmas and they did a trade out. But like, I, I think we realized not very long after that we kind of got duped. But this is something that all parents are grappling with. So I think part of the why then, the back to school time is such a big time for figuring this out is that is now, you know, it's like, well, we're going to get our kid three new pairs of jeans and a new pair of tennis shoes and, you know, we have to get school supplies. But this has become part of the conversation.
- [14:34]
Russell York
Yeah, I, you know, it's. That's a great point. Back to school is a moment where families make a lot of resolutions about what the year ahead is going to look like. I call it, you know, New Year's for kids.
- [14:42]
Ginny Urich
Yes.
- [14:42]
Russell York
There's this, like, aspect of we're going to talk about what the we want to accomplish in the whole next year and what that's. I remember one, I was homeschooled as well. And I remember one year my mother decided that all of her kids were going to learn Latin. And that was really ambitious.
- [14:56]
Ginny Urich
I get that. I totally get that. Like you do as a mom. You're like, this year, this is what we're going to do. I love that, Russell.
- [15:03]
Russell York
I'm going to make my Rhodes Scholar happen this year. Yeah, there were no Rhodes Scholars in my family, but she gave it an honest effort. And I still have a little bit of Latin in my brain. But no, it is that moment where you kind of have ambitions that you give voice to and you write them down. Maybe you put them on the fridge. Maybe you use an app. Right. To create a family shared goal setting platform.
- [15:27]
Ginny Urich
Yeah. We like this one called Skylight. So when you talk about technology as being helpful, Skylight is this one where the kids can check off what they've done that day and you can monitor that. And so, you know, it's like one of those things where, you know, in our family, I'm like, I want to make sure people are practicing music and our kids reading and our kids outside and have they done chores like you want to make sure. And we've got five kids, so it's tricky to, to keep track of all that. My friend Tessa talked to me about it, talking about how, like, friends influence.
- [15:53]
Russell York
Yeah.
- [15:54]
Ginny Urich
I've actually seen ads for it a ton. But then I went over my friend Tess's house and she's got it on the wall and she's like, this is how we use it in our family and this is how it works. And you can put your meals in there and all of that. So it's really a helpful tool. And when things are a helpful tool, I think technology tools, they really spread pretty quick, like you said, from family to family, because you're like, this works. This is working for us.
- [16:14]
Russell York
Yeah, that's right. Families, I mean, I think we call it the village for a reason. The village shares knowledge and helps each other out. I love the Skylight product as well. I think it's one of those things that's broken out in the last few years as something that parents just gravitate towards as a great organizational tool and something that can be in the kitchen or, or in a shared family space. Right. And help to organize everybody. It's a great example of technology for good. Kind of like Cosmos. There's no big data designs there to re engineer the kid's brain into some sort of a productized human being. Right. Like, it's just good tech. And so when we talk about screens and we talk about technology, it's really easy to accidentally discard the baby with the bathwater. It would be wild to just be against technology. Right. In my opinion, it's not the solution to try and live in the past and say, well, we're just going to. We're just going to cut off all of our access to anything made after the year 2000, thousand and say that's, that's not good for us. And instead, I think the onus is on companies to make stuff that is good for customers. And that's not a hard mandate when there's customers that want it. Right. There's customers that want this stuff.
- [17:14]
Ginny Urich
Yeah.
- [17:15]
Russell York
And it's. In the last few years, we've seen, and I'm sure you have too, so much technology that's being designed specifically for the family. You could have a whole retail outlet, you know, now at a mall that's just technology. Products of the family, organizational tools, connection tools, games and entertainment that aren't, you know, stuff that parents would object to. And so it's awesome to see that community of entrepreneurs and even investors start to form around the group that, frankly, you speak to every day, which is families that are thinking about childhood in a way that's maybe a little bit retro. Right. Like, let's go back to the 1990s and try and recreate that magic.
- [17:53]
Jenny Urich
Yeah.
- [17:54]
Ginny Urich
To grab the parts that we want to grab from it and integrate that with the 20, with where we're at in 2025. And I think to Chris McKenna's point, it's, you know, if you're a family and you're listening to this and you're heading into this back to school season, whether you've got small kids, older kids, whether you're homeschooling and you're grappling with what are we going to do about technology for this coming year, that's normal. And I love that Chris said that because this is just part of the parenting package these days. So if you're grappling with what are we going to do? What decisions are we going to make? Just know that that's a normal thing. All families are across the country, across, you know, the world. If people are heading back into this back to school season, are also dealing with the same questions you are.
- [18:31]
Jenny Urich
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- [19:22]
Ginny Urich
So go upgrade your sleep head to.
- [19:24]
Jenny Urich
Cozyearth.Com and use code outside for 40% off. You'll feel the difference the very first night. Remember to use code outside to save 40%@cozyearth.com Sleep cooler lounge lighter Stay cozy As I talk with parents all over the country, one thing keeps coming up. How do we protect our kids? Stay connected and and still give them the independence they need to grow? We want to say yes, you can more often to build their confidence, give them freedom and reclaim some of that childhood magic. But without handing over a smartphone that is why I always recommend Cosmo, a very unique tech company that is run by wonderful family focused leaders like Russell York who you've heard multiple times on this very show. Cosmo makes a safe smartwatch for kids called the Junior Track and their brand new Junior Track 5 is better than ever with upgraded GPS, real time location tracking, calling, messaging and more. It is designed with families in mind. There's no social media, no Internet and you approve every contact. It's step by step independence for kids and confidence for parents. As a mom of five and the founder of 1000 Hours Outside, I know how powerful it is when kids can explore, go on outdoor adventures and build real world confidence while you still have peace of mind. Cosmo is a common sense way to make that happen. Right now Cosmo is running an amazing back to school deal plus free shipping and a risk free 30 day guarantee. Head to Cosmo Together.com one kho to grab one today. That's Cosmo Together.com the number one kho for an incredible deal today. Hey friends. Ginny here from 1000 hours outside. And with summer in full swing, I always get the itch to refresh my closet. But I don't want to waste money on trendy pieces I'll only wear once. That's why I love quince. Their clothes are timeless, feel amazing and somehow cost half of what you'd expect. For that kind of quality, we're talking 100% European linen tops starting at just $30, washable silk dresses and skirts and ultra soft cotton sweaters perfect for warm weather layering. I found myself reaching for my quince pieces again and again. Quinn works directly with top artisans and skips the middlemen. So you get luxury without the markup. And everything is made in ethical, responsible factories using premium materials. In fact, I'm heading to Virginia to speak at an outdoor event in July. I'm really looking forward to it, but I know it's going to be hot, so the 100% European linen sleeveless swing dress has got my name on it. Give your summer closet an upgrade with quint. Go to quint.com outside for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q-U-I-N-C e.com sl outside to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quints.com outside.
- [22:11]
Ginny Urich
So help us then Russell navigate these waters. So there's a couple options if kids are heading back to school. Obviously there's going to be a lot of kids in their class that have an actual smartphone. There's going to be people that have a dumb phone. There's going to be people that have nothing. Also, you can have a smartwatch. I mean, really, there's a lot to think through. So can you help walk us through the situation considering a parent, let's say, that has an 8 year old and they're trying to figure out what are we doing for the 20, 25, 26 school year in regards to technology? Help us walk through that decision.
- [22:42]
Russell York
Sure. I think that if you want to give your kid an iPhone and they're eight years old, it's. It's up to you. I would say spend a ton of time researching how you're going to lock that device down and make that safe and appropriate. Because that device is not made by a company that thinks about kids as their number one priority.
- [22:59]
Ginny Urich
It's opposite. It's opposite. So the person who talks about it, if you want to read a book about it, it's called the Tech Exit by Claire Morel. And she talks about how basically they, they purport that. I'm not even sure if that's totally a word. They say that we've got all these parental controls. So you get the device and you think, no problem, I'm just going to turn on these parental controls. And she says they don't really work. They don't work how you want them to work you. And so it's almost like it probably maybe not a bait and switch, but it seems like a bait and switch where you think, I'll just use the parental controls that come on this device and they don't work like how you want them to. And she says it just continues to cause more fights and more arguments. It doesn't solve anything. You think it's going to solve problems, but it just creates a whole lot more problems. And so if you're considering that route, like you said, every family's unique. Every family is going to make their own decisions. But if you're on the fence and you want to read something really good about it, I recommend the Tech Exit.
- [23:53]
Russell York
I love that. The Tech Exit. Great book. And I can't remember if this was in the Tech Exit, but the concept is there for sure, which is these devices by the big technology company, namely Apple and Google Android, iOS, right. Like the two big operating systems out there, those are infinite universes of technology. Anything in the world is accessible. When you try and fence that for kids, there's just no fence that can effectively block everything. Right. And that's the concept is Instead of building something for kids, they've taken their infinite universe and they've tried to construct a wall around just the part that's okay for kids and to try and give that, like, the keys of that, you know, little walled garden to parents. And the reviews are out. Right. It hasn't worked. It's not, it's not going very well. But I don't, I don't want to be totally, you know, against that either. I think I've met families that have made it work. So if that's something that is going to work better for you and your family, maybe, you know, and I think again, like, it's important to be aware of all the different circumstances for family and not to be judgmental. Like, you know, maybe their kid is an aspiring artist in the, in the, you know, megapixels on the iPhone that they use to take photos of whatever for their, you know, scrapbook is just what they needed. And so really it's a camera. Right. It's not a smartphone for them, it's a camera. Right. Maybe it's got an application for a health thing. Right. That they need throughout the day. Right. There's a lot of reasons. And so again, I'm not against anything like, and I don't think families should just be against anything either. But if you don't have a specific function for one of those smartphone devices that is unique to that smartphone device, there are other options that come with fewer downsides and compromises. And I would say when we talk about going into a classroom as an eight year old today and being around other kids who have different devices, it is becoming less and less cool to be the kid with a smartphone. There. There's actually a trend among kids, which we're seeing in high school in particular, to opt for what they call dumb phones. Right. Or simple devices, flip phones. It's cool to be retro now, and I see adults doing it too. I'm trying to find the right flip phone for myself. I'm ready to unplug and dive in. I might have to make it for myself. I haven't found the right thing yet, but.
- [25:56]
Ginny Urich
Oh, that's cool.
- [25:58]
Russell York
Wouldn't that be fun? Yes, that's a whole project. But if you're worried about your kid going to school with technology that isn't cool, I think that that dynamic is changing a bit. And I can already hear certain parents saying, you're not in my kid's classroom. And that might be true, but it's certainly the kind of thing where we see just enormous Growth in the numbers of families and parents that are deciding it is okay. And I talked to, actually, the kids. I had a great conversation with a kid last week who is a Junior Track five VIP tester. He's been testing our product for a few months for us, and he wears his watch to school and evangelizes it to his friends. And there's not that pushback about, oh, that's not a smartphone, or, that's not a cool device. And so I think the landscape is shifting there. I think families and kids are understanding, even kids are understanding that technology is. It's not something that should be cool or not cool. It's. It's a tool, and. And it's what you do with it.
- [26:52]
Ginny Urich
Yes, That's a big deal. And it's wonderful that the landscape is shifting. It's great news. It's fantastic news. And in part because of companies like yours that offer alternatives. And, you know, I mean, part of school is like being unique and different and trying to figure out who you are. And so to not go with what everyone else is doing, and especially as that changes and there's so many different options now of what families can do, it really helps everyone. It helps everyone because then they get to make the choice for their family without having this onslaught of pressure for one specific thing. Talk to us about the Junior Track five.
- [27:24]
Russell York
Junior Track five is a great product where we've been developing this product for years now, actually. And that's because what really sets this product apart is the GPS capability. So a couple of years ago, I mean, Covid, when I started this company in the middle of COVID and so that was a unique time to do anything. You were there, we were all there. It was surreal times. But as a result, it was hard to go to conferences and to travel outside of the US and go visit suppliers and do some of those basic things. But a couple years ago, we all got on the road and we went out and really started networking around. And our goal was to develop the best GPS capability in a kid smartwatch. 80% of our customers, when we survey them, say the number one feature that they care about is GPS location. I want to know where my kid is. I want to be able to track where they are. I want to be able to set a safe zone and know if they left a location or if they've arrived at school or whatever the case may be. And GPS capability on a small device with a small battery, with a small antenna is a challenge. And frankly, we see all devices, even Apple watches and Pixel Watches struggle to perform a full day of cellular connectivity and GPS performance and to do it accurately and to do it in real time and a lot of those things. So we saw this as a real area of opportunity to develop something that wasn't possible before. And so this has been a couple of years in development. The the device, Genetrack 5, comes with a dedicated positioning chip and is powered by AGPs, or assisted GPS. So basically, as soon as that device wakes up, it knows where hundreds of satellites are already, and it's able to quickly identify exactly where it is and triangulate its location. It's also able to do that in real time and without straining the battery to the point that you're not getting a full day of use out of it. And so we've been able to extend a full day of functionality out of a super gps. We're calling it Halo gps. And I love testing it. I walk around my neighborhood and it's like this miracle of technology. I'll look at the street sign and I'll look at my location on a map, and it's accurate to within a meter and it's accurate in real time. And my iPhone is half a block off accuracy. And that's not a marketing claim. I don't want Apple coming after me, but they're welcome to. That would be fun. But no, it's fun to make something that we're really proud of with this product. And so the GPS performance is really the big headline here. But we've done a number of other things on the software side. So parents can now review text messages. We heard a lot of parents telling us that they want, you know, with this watch, their kid is being introduced to texting, right? Or their kid is now has their own, you know, phone number and can message friends and message family. And parents just want some training wheels on that to make sure that they're able to provide a little bit of feedback on how those conversations are going or just make sure nothing is going on that they're not aware of. And so text message review is a huge feature that we've rolled out, as well as call logs and all of those things. Device analytics, you can see what apps are being used. So we've really given the parent 100% insight into the usage of that product. And if that's something that you care about as a parent, that's now available to you. We've also updated our focus modes, so it's beyond just school mode now. And we've heard a lot of parents say, well, I Don't want my child using the device except for maybe three hours on the weekend to do messaging. Great. There's no setting for that. Right. And so just kind of across the board, we've gone for a lot of parent customization options with this most recent software update that's part of Junior Track five. And then Voice to Text on the kids end, which is a big feature. Kids walking home from school, you don't want them tripping over curbs while they're trying to type a message on a tiny screen. So just for added messaging capabilities, we've added Voice to text and some other glossy features like that. The last thing I would say too is that with Junior Track five, we feel like we've kind of hit the triad right between battery life, messaging capability and ease of use. It's seamless, it's reliable. Whether it's an all day battery life improvement, precise location accuracy, or just high quality phone calls that you can rely on all the time, it's a reliable product and it's durable. It's smaller. We've made a lot of upgrades like that. So June Track 5 is for us, it's a big step forward with a lot of small parts.
- [31:19]
Ginny Urich
And this is the one that's launching now. It's launching and this is super exciting. Heading back into back to school. I think one of the things that really sticks out to me too, Russell, is that as a parent. So if we're talking about Chris McKenna and saying technology is part of the equation right now, every parent is grappling with technology. That's just going to be part of your parenting path. But you don't really know what to look for or what to ask because it's new. And so what I love about these new watches, you know, you're coming out with. So the last time we talked you had the Junior track four, so now there's the Junior track five. It's like you're doing that. You're the one that's interfacing with a large group of parents, you're interfacing with a large group of children. Your having the conversations about what do you need, what works, what doesn't work. And all that work has already been done for you. So then the product comes and for the parent who hasn't thought through everything, because how can you think through everything? This is a new situation. You've done a lot of that. And so they have these options built in that work for their family. So talk to us about some of these. Like you brought up the safe Zone this is an example of like you talked about the infinite universe, right? You know, so you've got the iPhone, you've got the infinite universe, you got the Internet, you can go anywhere. You know, same with the world, right? You send your kid out the front door. Technically they could walk anywhere, any direction. So you've put up actual guardrails in a way with this safe zone. So that's something that I wouldn't have thought of doing.
- [32:47]
Russell York
Yeah, I mean, safe zones are a powerful feature for peace of mind, right? It's kind of set it and leave it. You can mark where your home is, or maybe you want to mark the park where your kid is allowed to go and play. And the GPS will tell you if they've left that location or entered that location. It could tell you when your kid arrived at school or when they've left school. And so it's sort of a programmatic alert system that you can design for yourself to just know and get push notifications about when your kid is somewhere or where they've left somewhere. I've been on Reddit for the last couple years now, which is new to me. I feel like a very old millennial not being super familiar with Reddit. But I dove into Reddit and started just trying to connect with parents. And like you said, like, we, we've, we've spoken with just hundreds and hundreds of families. And one of those sources of family connection was, was through Reddit forums. I heard from a lot of families that had kids, you know, on the spectrum, ADHD or autism. And they have a whole different set of issues, right, from, from maybe a kid in a different situation. And so for them, you know, location can be a really important thing. Their kid could get stressed and elope, right, and run off. I don't know if you've spoken with many parents in this situation or experts who work in this space, but I'm learning a lot about it, and we're learning a lot about it as an organization. But when we think about location, we actually are thinking about the families that really need it, right? Like at a safety level. And that was one of the things with Junior track five that we thought we'd be able to push the envelope on was how much can we really give parents as far as that accuracy and real time location capability. And if we set the bar at, let's build for the families that really need this at like a safety level, right? Not like a convenience, peace of mind level, but like at a, hey, this is a necessity. If we could hit that bar, then it would be good enough for everyone else. And so that's been how we've been designing this and thinking about the performance requirement for that capability. And it's been great to connect with those parents who have kids in that situation and to hear about, you know, kind of what that location requirement is. I was, it's in my hometown of San Diego. Just the other week there was a news story about a kid who actually was in an autism care center during the day, like a daycare kind of facility, and ran off and was found on the side of a highway by California Highway Patrol. Right. And if you look around, those stories in that community are all too common and it's such a concern and there's so much anxiety that parents have about that. So we just thought, you know, there's a lot of technology out there that people are trying to build for that community. But we didn't see anything that was exactly this, which is a wearable device with an all day battery with a super precise real time location capability. And it's taken us a couple years to get all the pieces together and we've been really patiently waiting to launch this until it was just right. But we think we've got something ready with Junior Trek 5.
- [35:38]
Ginny Urich
And it's interesting because in a situation like what you just described, and especially with a lot of these schools now are changing their policies on cell phones so they can't have their cell phone with them or the cell phone has to be in their bag. It's what if a kid leaves their bag, you know, so you know to have the watch, it's with them, it's on them, and so you know that it's on their person and that's really helpful.
- [36:01]
Jenny Urich
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- [37:13]
Russell York
Close your eyes. Exhale. Feel your body relax and let go of whatever you're carrying today. Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts. Oh my gosh, they're so fast.
- [37:29]
Jenny Urich
And breathe.
- [37:30]
Russell York
Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste.
- [37:38]
Ginny Urich
Visit 1-800-contacts.com today to save on your first order.
- [37:41]
Russell York
1-800-Contacts.
- [37:45]
Jenny Urich
On WhatsApp, no one can see or.
- [37:47]
Russell York
Hear your personal messages. Whether it's a voice call message or sending a password to WhatsApp, it's all just this. So whether you're sharing the streaming password in the family chat or trading those late night voice messages that could basically become a podcast, your personal messages stay between you, your friends and your family. No one else, not even us.
- [38:10]
Jenny Urich
WhatsApp message privately with everyone.
- [38:14]
Ginny Urich
I like the idea of the safe zone too, because I think that as a parent, you can have a lot of anxiety if you're constantly checking. So, for example, people talk about how now you can check a kid's test scores as soon as it comes in. You know, there's like this real time when I was a kid, so I wasn't homeschooled when I was a kid. You got every 10 weeks, every two and a half months, you got a report about your progress that came home to your parents. That was it. Like, parents had to wait every 10 weeks. You had to wait two and a half months to know how well your kid was doing. And then in the in between, you didn't really know anything except for what your child told you. And so now, okay, it seems like it would be a better thing that you can check immediately and it's updated immediately. But I think that increases anxiety, it increases the stress level, appearance, because you can always check, check, check, check. So if you have A safe zone that would notify you that your child left or this notification that they got to where they needed to go, they walked to grandma's, they walked to their friend's house, and they made it. And you just get that little notification that, to me, is better than a situation where you have to. And I know you don't like using better or worse, but I would feel better than having to feel like at the check, check, check, check, because that would increase my anxiety level.
- [39:26]
Russell York
Yeah. There's this concept of helicopter parenting, which is a very loaded term and I'm sure incites a lot of. Of passion on both sides. But the, the concept of helicopter parenting, right, is that you have a parent who's overly protective, overly involved, has a tight leash, is. Is just way too worried about things and micromanages their child. Right. For better or worse, that's what people think of in helicopter parenting. We like to talk about satellite parenting, which is a little bit more chill and laid back. It's 30,000ft. It's not hovering over the ground. Right. And with literally satellite parenting with gps, you know, it's actually not micromanaging. It's actually giving the kid a lot of freedom. With satellite parenting, you're able to say, I have done everything that I need to do as a parent to be responsible, to make sure that I'm aware of their location and that they're safe and that I can contact them if I need to or they can contact me. I'm doing the right thing as a parent. I'm being responsible. But I'm also not going to sacrifice their childhoods to this fear about what's in the big wide world out there because they need to go and figure it out for themselves. Right. They need to swing from a tree branch and they need to hang upside down on the monkey bars. They need to do those things even unsupervised sometimes, and they need to meet other friends and have all of those rich experiences that, in that. That very unique window from, you know, call it 5 to 12, you know, 4 to 12, where childhood, right, where you're becoming an adult, you're becoming a human being in a way that requires that sort of independent play and a little bit of time away from. From parents. And so if you don't want a helicopter, but you, you want to be. Feel like you're being responsible, and I would say you are being responsible, then satellite parenting might be for you. So that's something we like to talk about as well.
- [41:04]
Ginny Urich
Yeah. And just helps because you don't have to feel like you check all the time. It's just going to send you a notification for what you need. Let's talk about the mode. So that's another thing. We've talked about this in the past. You built it for families. It's not algorithmic driven. It's not about capturing them, it's about setting families free. So one of the things that you offer then is this. You know, you said you have school mode, but you've expanded that. So if you're hearkening Back to the 90s, technology was limited by time, especially if you didn't have cable. We didn't have cable. So technology is very limited in its scope because you can't. And especially if you don't have a Nintendo. So you can only use it when the shows come on and the shows don't come on all the time. So I like this idea of having modes. That's really our preferred way of using technology, which is this is the window, you can use it. And then all of this other time it's off limits. And so I would think an example of something that would work is, okay, you know, the child gets home off the bus at 4:30, they have from 4:30 to 5:30 to be able to text the neighborhood friends, see if anybody's home, go find somebody, go play till dinner, and then it shuts off in terms of all of the other capabilities that would maybe distract them. So for example, you know, there's all those little kid. They're not smart watches, but like a VTEC watch, we've had a bluey one. You know, it's like bluey, you know, your kid really wants to get that bluey watch and they can play games on it. And then you're like, this is annoying. And they're really drawn to it. There's no parameters on it. So talk to us about the modes and how that's a really good solution for families.
- [42:37]
Russell York
Yeah. As you're talking about that, I'm thinking back to my own childhood and I want to say it was like at 6:30 my mom would take the phone off the hook. If you called our home, you'd get a dial tone. Right. At least until a certain time. Like the family dinner hour was not going to be disturbed by any telemarketers or anything like that. Right. So it's actually a very old idea to say there's a certain point at which technology needs to be turned off. And even in the landline era, we figured out you could just take the phone off the Hook, Right. And so I think, yeah, it's an integral part of the product for us to give parents the same kind of capability. Take, take the phone off the hook, turn the watch off. And at school, by the way, that's important as well. We've talked to a lot of school administrators about the school phone bans and what they're really trying to accomplish with their technology policies, what they've told us. And this isn't uniform because schools are all different. But the consensus seems to be they don't mind if a kid has a watch. Right? But it just needs to be a watch. It just, you can see the time, right? Well, that's easy enough for us to do. We have a mode for that. So, you know, you flip on school mode and it's just a watch, but you as a parent, you still get the GPS capability out of that. You can still track your kid and your kid can still call 911 or trigger SOS, which will call you. Right. So there's still a capability there, but it's not a distraction, it's not on the screen. It's just a button they can push if they need something. So we found that there is probably a middle road here. And as we talk to more schools and network, the idea about modes and even giving schools access to some administrative capabilities with our devices, right? So that our devices can integrate with the school landscape and when they come on campus, automatically, you know, kick into a certain mode. So I think that, I mean, it's. When I think about adult devices, there's airplane mode when you get on a plane, right? Airplanes didn't say, you know, back in the 90s when cell phones were becoming popular, no cell phones. They said, hey, technology companies make cell phones compatible with this very unique environment. And we need to have the same conversation with schools. It's not no technology in schools. It's not that when your kid goes to school, you know, suddenly the school owns them until they, they are returned to you. That's your kid, right? If your kid needs to call you, they should be able to do. I believe your kid should be able to call. If I want to know where my kid is or if I want to be able to call my kid, I should be able to do that. That's something we believe strongly. We're a parent first organization and we don't think schools fundamentally object to that. We think that schools object to distractions in class. We think that schools think that kids should be connecting in real life and in person, face to face, not texting. Each other that can be designed into the product. And we've already got a version of that, which Unitrack 5. And actually all of our products dating back to some of our earliest models that have that keeps capability. And so we're excited to talk to, to more schools and to hear from more families about their experiences with. With modes and how to kind of customize when. When. When the phone should be off the hook, so to speak.
- [45:23]
Ginny Urich
Yeah, so you had school mode and now that can be extended to other types of modes. So like you talked about the family, I thought it was a great one. We only want them to have three hours opportunity to text their friends on the weekends, like that type of thing. So all of that customization, it's interesting. We've talked about this from the very beginning, Russell. When you came out with this product and we connected several years ago, that's what you talked about. You said you want to make sure you really talk to parents. And you said that the bigger companies, of course they have the money, they have the funds, they have the personnel, they have the capabilities to do all of these things, but they haven't. And you know, if you want to say there's nefarious reasons or if you just want to say it's a financial reason, for whatever the reason, they haven't done those things. They haven't listened to the parents because, you know, you talked about that. That whole tech exit book, a whole chunk of it is about how it doesn't work and parents know it doesn't work. The parental controls don't work. So no one's really listening to that feedback. And so you have created this product. It's just been five years. Just been five years. You're already on junior track five. It's been five years. And every time I talk with you, it's a constant iteration of this is what the parent said that they were looking for, this is what the kids said they were looking for. This is what families are hoping for. And we are responding to basically the market research from our target customer about what they want. So here's what I'm curious about. I think it's incredible, the entrepreneurship side of it. I think it's incredible that you are homeschooled. So throw that out there because we talk about homeschooling some. Meanwhile, in this day and age where what people talk about is the skill of the future is resilience. The skill of the future is can you take risks? All of these things are happening when you let your kids out and about in the neighborhood and try things and give them some independence and be a satellite parent. But, you know, what people say is you have to be able to look around and see what the problems are and find some solutions for them. And that's what you did. So can you just give us a little bit of insight into the entrepreneurship side of this? I mean, it is a really big undertaking to go against big tech.
- [47:30]
Russell York
And that's what all the investors told me in the beginning when they declined to write us a check, was, you're gonna get squashed. There's just no way that you can build a startup that requires, by the way, hardware, which is so difficult you're never going to make it. What they didn't account for was the massive demand for a solution here. And so, you know, from the beginning, I think up until this year, we've had like three people on our marketing team. Like, we don't spend to grow, the customers find us, right? And if our product works. And then like you said, parents talk to each other and that's the best way to grow a business, by the way. And I think that you probably, your podcast is similar, right? Like, I think my entrepreneurial journey, what has been so great about it is to start it with some really foundational principles that I didn't see in any other companies and say, you know, I'm going to build a different business. Yes, the product will be different, but let's build the business differently too. And if we can start with a business model that aligns to real customer interest and that has a stated value proposition and a value structure and principles that are baked into everything that we're doing, would that work? Like, could we do that? And it turns out it absolutely works. Like, you can build a product that customers relate to because it has actual real life principles, because there's real humans behind the brand, because they're, you know, it's transparent and accessible. You can message with me on Reddit. I'm the CEO of a company and I'm on Reddit and I talk to customers all the time. And I don't, I think that scales. I, I really do. I don't think this is something that you can do if you're a small business. I think it's something that all companies should be doing is actually building a company designed around an ethos. And that has allowed us to recruit the best people. We've recruited people from the best companies in Silicon Valley and they've left those burnout jobs building stuff they didn't believe in to Come and join a mission that they did believe in and their parents. Right. And so we're getting those people and it's allowing us to build cutting edge technology and building it with a different business model where we're not sucking people's data into a monetization advertising algorithm and trying to suck their attention and do all these things. Things. We're building something that people want, we're charging a fair price for it, we're delivering on value. We are a customer first organization. You can pick up the phone and talk to a human in 30 seconds. I just don't think it's rocket science. I'm surprised there's not more people doing it. I'm excited to see more people building in the family technology space because I think there's a ton of opportunity. We certainly haven't addressed all of the need or demand here. But yeah, it's been an exciting journey for me from like a faith in humanity perspective because it's just proof that you can do the right thing or you can try to do the right thing. Right. You don't have to compromise and sell out to do something that makes a difference.
- [50:09]
Ginny Urich
What were you doing before this?
- [50:11]
Russell York
That's a great question. I, I've been a bit of a journeyman. I started my career actually in Afghanistan. I was a, a civilian contractor back in the day doing intelligence work. And then I, and then I went to Silicon Valley and I did cybersecurity work and, and then I got into some, you know, e commerce stuff when I decided to start being an entrepreneur and eventually landed on this idea of, of kids watches. So I've kind of been all over and seen a lot of things. I don't know if there's a single thread that ties it all together, except that I've always been a bit of an outsider. I've enjoyed. I was maybe the only person to buy an Amazon Fire phone back in the day. I've always wanted the non mainstream product to work and be a great option. And so maybe that is the thing with Cosmos. I've always wanted there to be something non mainstream, a great option for consumers that weren't happy with what everyone was, was trying to sell them. So that's what we're doing.
- [51:04]
Ginny Urich
I've never even heard of the Amazon Fire phone, so obviously that did not take off. I mean it would make sense. Amazon does everything, they should have a phone. So this is a just a side note, but your homeschool journey has taken you all sorts of cool places into this spot where you are A CEO of a company that is really solving real world problems. So if you're at home with your 7 year old and you're really struggling with your homeschooling and you want them to learn Latin and it's not working or whatever, you know, you can have some confidence here that our paths can go all sorts of different ways. And entrepreneurship and homeschooling go hand in hand, I think, a lot of times, because kids have a lot of time to themselves and they get to try out a lot of different things in that realm of being an entrepreneur in the family technology space. I do think you hit something on the head where you say there's a lot of solutions that people are still waiting for. And I do think one of them is the adult flip phone. You brought that up earlier. And so I thought that was just an interesting thing. I'd love to wrap it up with some of your thoughts on what have you seen that doesn't work and what's kind of stirring in your mind because that's an interesting piece. What if Cosmo were the answer for the whole family? So this is a great answer for the kids. I don't even know if you're planning on going there at all, but I kind of want to talk about that because I just think it would be easy if it's like, okay, I'm going to go to Cosmo. This is the tech solution for my child. But also they have the tech solution for me.
- [52:29]
Russell York
Would it be funny if I just launched a product right now, by the way, launching tomorrow and the Genny phone? Yeah, I agree with you. I think that there's a ton of room for products in the adult space that allow you to thoughtfully disconnect. Yeah, I thought about it like actually at the network level, if you have a plan with T Mobile, Verizon or AT&T, you know, those plans are $100 plus right before you pay for the device, which is probably more like a lot more. And it's like, why? What am I using $100 of every month? Well, you know what it is? It's probably social media or Netflix or YouTube or like one of those major consumer apps that just crunches data, you know, because it's not phone calling, it's not texting, that does not cost a hundred dollars a month. I would love to concept a family mobile service where you could throttle your own social use through like, and save money. Like, if you don't use Instagram, if you don't use Facebook or, you know, Netflix, YouTube, like the big ones or you limit your use, then you get to save money, right? And you can go to the Mints and the Metro PCs's and you can get low cost plans, but they're typically, they get you, they get you on the, on the little overages and they ding you here and there. I would love something that was like built again with first principles and with a real customer focus in mind that allowed you to actively work on your own digital diet by way of, you know, interfacing with your mobile plan that way and to vertically integrate that. If you launched a phone, great. I think there's an interesting piece of technology that fits into that equation, whether it's a cool retro flip phone or some sort of a simpler smartphone. But yeah, I think there's actually a play at the wireless level. Not to get too wonky and entrepreneurial about it, but I would love to see a new, new mobile carrier come along and be on the side of families or just anyone, you know, who wants to kind of turn the tide, the tide on, on their tech consumption.
- [54:23]
Ginny Urich
Do you feel like you're, it would seem like you're pretty well positioned for that.
- [54:30]
Russell York
You know, I, again, I'm not ready to, to announce anything, Ginny, but why don't we have your, your listeners tell us if we should build this? Maybe they've got a better idea for how it should come together.
- [54:40]
Ginny Urich
Yeah, I think that's a great idea. Where, what can they do? Send an email?
- [54:44]
Russell York
Absolutely, yes. My email is russellasmodogether.com I love getting emails. You can find me on Reddit. And if you've got a great idea for a family phone service, I'm all ears. I'm an entrepreneur. I love building things. And if you've got the, if you've got the right idea, I'll, I'll hear it out.
- [54:59]
Ginny Urich
I mean, it's certainly a problem. And that's one of the things that most people say is it's a problem for the parent first. The parent is the one that sets the direction. The parent is the one that's modeling. And so, you know, in, in my opinion is primarily an adult problem that trickles down to children. And so it is interesting. I mean, I don't know, I guess I never really thought about it. I never really thought about it at all until we started talking and you said, I mean, it was right off the bat you were like, well, Apple could have done this, but they haven't, you know, well, why haven't they? And I was like, oh yeah, that's really interesting. They've got a lot of resources, and here you come as a nobody, basically. Right. You know, who knows who Russell York is? I mean, I'm. No one's heard of Cosmo at this beginning, you know, and you're like, well, I'm. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna rival these huge companies. I mean, who can rival big tech? And you say, well, I'm gonna do it. And so it's interesting. All these conversations always get my mind spinning, because there really is not. I mean, like you said, there's little things that are popping up, but nothing that's taken hold, nothing that's captured my interest at all. You hear about a couple different ones, but, you know, for parents to have a different solution that works for their family so that they can have time.
- [56:09]
Russell York
With their kids, there's just no incentive for the big companies to change course.
- [56:14]
Ginny Urich
Yeah, right.
- [56:14]
Russell York
I mean, these are the most valuable companies. Not today, not tomorrow, in history. The most valuable companies in history. And what they've monetized is something that no one has been able to monetize before, which is human attention. And there's. There's just no chance that they're gonna. That they would do anything differently. And it's for a lot of reasons, the structures of the economy and shareholders and all these things. And so it is what it is. But instead of being dark and gloomy about it. Right. Like, I think a couple of things. First of all, I think that there is legitimate space for regulation and that consumers can be on the side of pushing for breaking up certain companies or just regulating kind of how these businesses operate and what they can do with your time and attention. But that's all other topic. We don't need to get into that. But I think that on the other side of that, right, like, entrepreneurs should be clamoring at the empty space that these companies are not addressing. There are so many solutions that people need. People still crave connection, People still crave education, entertainment, news, all these things. But the way that it's being delivered and the options that are available to people right now from these technology platforms, I think many people are beginning to revolt against it. And their only solution is to go and grab a Nokia brickphone and, you know, kind of bury their head in the sands and live in the past. And I don't think that that's. That should be the only other option. I think there needs to be something in the middle. So we're certainly trying to build that for. For families and for young kids. And I think that other entrepreneurs are building things as well. And I'm excited to see what's coming out.
- [57:44]
Ginny Urich
I am too. Because you know that on the other end it is just a march toward same, same, same, if not even way more capturing. I had quoted a statistic that I learned from the opt out family by Aaron Lachner and I'm not going to give the exact numbers right, but she said, let's say that Instagram was making 1.8 billion a year. At some point, you know, they're making $1.8 billion a year. And then when they switched to have an algorithmic, you know, so now we've got artificial intelligence. I mean, someone said 50% of all the algorithms now are driven by artificial intelligence. I mean, eventually you would imagine that'll be 100%. I don't know if any of these numbers are exactly right. But the point is, is when they switched to having this algorithmic flow of Instagram or instead of seeing your friend or your sister, you know, you're seeing who, whoever you might, I don't even know why I'm seeing this, that their profits jump from like 1 point something billion to 48 billion from one year to the next. So there is no incentive to change. There really is only an incentive to double down on whatever is the way that captures your time and attention the most. So super interesting. Okay, well if you announce it it, you're going to come back on and talk about it, right?
- [58:54]
Russell York
You got it. We'll, we'll announce the, the new mobile carrier, smartphone for adults or whatever. We'll do it right here.
- [59:01]
Ginny Urich
Well, Russell, this is fantastic. Okay, so tell people where they can find it. They're heading back into the school year. They're making decisions about technology. Every family is making decisions about technology. The Cosmo Watch is made for amazing real world childhoods, 90s kids, nostalgia and 2025 safety kids safe talk, text, GPS and more. Junior Track 5, the Smarter Kids phone. Where can people go?
- [59:23]
Russell York
You can find us on our website, cosmotogether.com we're also running great deals all through Back to school. You can find us on Amazon, Amazon prime. And we're available the U.S. canada, Mexico.
- [59:33]
Ginny Urich
Amazing.
- [59:34]
Russell York
So we're officially in three countries which is exciting.
- [59:36]
Ginny Urich
Amazing, amazing. It has been tremendous to know you for several years to see the growth here and to talk about these topics that I don't really talk about with anybody else is entrepreneurship topics and just to see a company that is really listening to families and to providing those needs. Providing the needs from the family, so. What an honor. Russell, thank you for coming back again. And huge congrats on the launch of the Junior Track 5.
- [60:01]
Russell York
Thanks, Ginny. Always nice to talk.