(MONEY Magazine) – • WHAT THEY ARE Two cell phones for kids 8 through 12: the Cingular Firefly and the Verizon LG Migo

• THE BUZZ Techie websites and magazines, which review products relentlessly, are gushing. "Your tots will love having a big-boy phone all their own," writes Engadget of the Firefly. PC Magazine describes the Migo as "a good buy for moms and dads of well-behaved under-10s." MobileBurn says it's "one cool little handset."

• THE TRUTH Believe the hype. Both phones are cute and rugged, with just a few buttons in place of the traditional keypad. Kids can call only preset family and emergency numbers. The Firefly even blocks calls from unapproved numbers. Each phone costs $50 and comes with a two-year contract. The phones look a little toylike, but the parents we talked to said they like the security of knowing they can be in touch with their kids whenever there's a change of plans or a dire situation. They also like the fact that their kid's phone bill will never become a dire situation.

• BUZZWORTHY? [X ] Absolutely [   ] Not quite [   ] For geeks only [   ] Forget it