I think most parents would agree that communication with
other family members is an important thing to be taught to children. In this
digital era, communication is getting easier by the presence of video call.
To be able to make video calls, of course you need a device
such as a smartphone or tablet, or at least a PC with webcam. However, when you
want to teach the children to contact their grandparents, unfortunately they
are precisely more interested in playing games on iPad. Well ... this scenario
might often happens in the modern households.
A startup from New York, Insensi, would like to offer a
solution for this problem, they has just introduced Ily, a device that's
designed only for communication needs, without other applications for watching
movies or playing video games.
From the name we can see that Ily is part of the word
"family", and if seen as an acronym, Ily has a length of "I love
you". Therefore, it is natural if we assume that this device is intended
to strengthen the family relationships through communication.
Ily has an 8-inch touch screen, a camera, a microphone,
speaker and a number of sensors. Ily is powered by the Family OS, which is
nothing other than the Android operating system that has been modified. This OS
is very minimalist and promotes communication functions. In other words, there
is no browser, no YouTube, and most importantly, no Candy Crush or Clash of
Clans.
Therefore, Ily could be considered as a modern home phone
with video call function, powered by Wi-Fi or ethernet. On its home screen, you
will find a series of photos of your family members. Choose one of them to
start a video call, or simply send a text message to them.
But interestingly, Ily can also replace the home phone in
full. It can be connected directly to the local telephone network, and
functions like a home phone as usual. Thus, elderly users who are generally
less skilled with modern technology can still call in conventional way.
The next question is can you make video calls with other devices
by using Ily? Yes, Ily also comes with companion application for Android and
iOS devices, so when you're out of town for job, you can still communicate with
your children at home.
Ily can be ordered through its official website (www.ily.co)
for $ 199 - its retail price would raise to $ 299. The delivery is expected to
begin in September.