Wednesday, May 6, 2009

PG Key - Review and Giveaway

It seems that as time goes on, we are using the internet more and more, especially for education.  Although my kids are still quite young, I worry what they will be exposed to when they start using the internet for school and other purposes.  I want to be able to safeguard and monitor what they are doing, and I'm sure other parents want to as well.  Now you can, with the PG Key.

The PG key plugs into any USB port and controls when and how long the computer is used, allows your child to search safely online, and allows you to monitor what they access.  This product is inspired by dads who work in an IT based business for approximately 20 years.  Dads that have children between the ages of 6-11 who saw the need to protect them.  I always know if a company is inspired by a parent, it is going to be that much better.
As taken from PG Key's website, here is a little more background on how it was created:

"PG Key was created by a design and development team that includes industry experts with years of experience in creating powerful yet easy to use software applications. In addition to the experienced technical members, the team also includes representatives from law enforcement (an FBI agent that specializes in cyber crimes), education (a PHD that currently serves as a district superintendent), the medical community (an MD and current member of the American Board of Pediatrics) and many others … including ordinary, non-technical, but concerned parents."

Pros:  The PG key was painless to install.  It was very easy and installed in less than a minute.  Once installed, I unplugged it from the USB port to see what would happen.  Immediately the computer went into a type of sleep mode and it was evident I needed to plug it back in in order to get the computer up and running again.  I then decided to try to go to a website that I thought the PG key might think was questionable.  It blocked the site, no problem.  One of my favorite features about the PG key is that it records up to 60 hours of online activity.  This includes searches, chat sessions, and much much more.  You simply plug the PG key into the computer and can view all of their activity in a movie style mode.  Amazing, right?  If that wasn't cool enough, if you choose to do so, PG Key will send you a text on your cell if your child types in a search word that might be questionable or isn't in the bounds you have set.  It is very compact in size and has a keychain loop on the end for easy attachment to keys.  I am incredibly impressed with the capabilites of the PG Key as well as the ease of use.  It definitely gives parents that extra peace of mind.  If you go to PG's website, you can get a free 30 day trial of PG Key.  That's how confident they are about their product, and I think they have every reason to be, it is really that great. 
A few more of the specifications:
Capacity: 1 GB - 60 hours of recorded video
Compatibility: PC or Notebook with a USB interface
Operating Systems: Windows Vista/XP
Transfer Rate: High Speed
Data Retention:  10 Years Minimum
LED Indicator Light: Flash when data is being read or written
Warranty: Lifetime Warranty

Cons:  We are Mac users in our house.  I had to install PG Key on a family member's PC so that I could give an honest, accurate review.  I felt a little frustrated that PG Key isn't compatible with Macs, but then I visited their website, and they have already acknowledged this problem.  It looks like a PG Key for Macs will be coming out soon!  

The Bottom Line:  An easy to use safeguard for kids who use the internet, gives parents peace of mind.

Price:  $59.95 

Where to Buy:  PG Key Website

Rating:  Excellent 

Win One!

Mandatory Entry:
Visit PG's site and tell me something I didn't mention in this post:  1 entry

Additional Entries:
Follow this blog - 1 entry
Grab my Button or Blinkie - 1 entry
Put me on your blogroll - 1 entry
Tweet or blog this giveaway - 1 entry

Please leave each entry as a separate comment.
Contest is open to US residents only and will end 11:59 MST on May 20th.  Winner has 48 hours to contact me.

22 comments:

The Bluths said...

Such a cool idea! I thought this was funny: Any attempt to disable PG Key or even look for information online will be recorded. You can add the word “pg key” to your notification list so you’ll get an e-mail or text message if they look for any way around it.

Don't even try it kids! :)

The Bluths said...

On my blog roll :)

Janaca said...

I liked that if the pg key is lost or damaged you are able to override with your secure password to use the computer and then contact their support department. Also if you’ve activated your PG Key and are a registered user, they will ship you a new PG Key for only $10.00 plus s/h.

Janaca said...

I'm a follower!

Janaca said...

I have your blinkie too.

Janaca said...

You're on my blog roll too.

Amber said...

You can block any site that you want to and you can also add to the websites list of blocked sites. This is neat!

Amber said...

I follow

MOMFOREVERANDEVER said...

I liked that if the pg key is lost or damaged you are able to override with your secure password to use the computer and then contact their support department. Also if you’ve activated your PG Key and are a registered user, they will ship you a new PG Key for only $10.00 plus s/h.

MOMFOREVERANDEVER said...

follow

aggiemomof2 said...

PG Key has partnered it’s technology with Google’s very effective filtering features and created the PG Key Safe Search home page that will ensure that innocent searches don’t result in unwanted images and content.
Awesome!!!
sylviarj at yahoo dot com

mverno said...

you can block any site mverno@roadrunner.com

Ashley said...

This is a great idea! I found out that you don't have to erase the recorded info it will do it for you as new info is recorded.

Ashley said...

I follow.

Ashley said...

I have your button.

moushka said...

What happens if my PG Key is lost or damaged?

You can override with your secure password to use the computer, then, contact our support department. If you’ve activated your PG Key and are a registered user, we will ship you a new PG Key for only $10.00 plus s/h.

Andrea said...

I like that you can block any site

Smooshy said...

you can make a list of sites to block!

Christine said...

I liked how even a grandparent can plug it in! I'm not so sure my mom would be able to figure it out. :) Now if there was only a way for it to stop my 3-year-old from turning the fridge off or eating her baby sisters formula!! :) I would love to have this for our computers!!

Christine said...

I follow!

Christine said...

I have your button on my blog!

yadgirl said...

PG Key is located in Tucson, AZ.