I thought this was going to be about the old trick of wiring two land-line phones in series with a 9V battery, which allows them to talk to each other when both are off hook, over short distances anyways - like an electronic version of the string and two cans.
Tin Can – The landline, reinvented for kids
131–138 of 138 posts
Re: Tin Can – The landline, reinvented for kids
#132Make note of the privacy policy[1]. Some users may not like the data they collect. > Information Collected from Children: As detailed in Section 3.C, we collect voice audio during calls, call log information, and utilize the Parent-provided contact list in relation to the Child's use of the Tin Can Device. We may also collect device identifiers and technical usage data related to the Service. [1]: https://tincan.kids…
It's really frustrating now that for every product/service, we have to go through the privacy policy carefully, especially when they're being written in increasingly generic verbiage. We pay for the product/service upfront or as a subscription, then a subscription for additional features, and on top of all that, agree to sell all our data and souls too. And Tech does all this blindly while gaslighting itself that "it's making the world a better place."
Re: Tin Can – The landline, reinvented for kids
#133Love it, just ordered two of the flashback models! To me, the killer feature is the whitelist for incoming and outgoing calls. Is anyone aware of a VoIP provider that offers this? Ooma has a contacts-only calling feature, but 1) only on their Premier plan that costs $10/month plus taxes and fees, and 2) it’s not clear that it also restricts outgoing calls. I have not found any such feature listed for Vonage or Verizon’s digital voice, to name a few.
Re: Tin Can – The landline, reinvented for kids
#134Huh, I was just thinking about something sort of like this after camping with some friends and our kids this weekend -- we brought FRS walkie-talkies for all of them (cannot recommend this enough!) and on the drive home my four-year-old was asking if he could call his friends on the radio -- rather than getting him a Technician's I was thinking about finding or making some push-to-talk cell/wifi devices for them. It…
you could try GMRS over FRS which ends up having more range and only costs $35 for a 10 year license (no test / certification needed). I was recently trying both types of handheld walkie talkies and the FRS range was almost 1/5th the range that GMRS was able to do
alas, his friends are a couple hundred miles away so GMRS won't cut it. The GMRS-enabled radios are much, much better though
Re: Tin Can – The landline, reinvented for kids
#135Huh, I was just thinking about something sort of like this after camping with some friends and our kids this weekend -- we brought FRS walkie-talkies for all of them (cannot recommend this enough!) and on the drive home my four-year-old was asking if he could call his friends on the radio -- rather than getting him a Technician's I was thinking about finding or making some push-to-talk cell/wifi devices for them. It…
You're making me nostalgic for my old Nextel handset(s).
Right?? This was the closest modern thing I was able to find but the price point isn't there for a kid radio: https://rapidradios.com
Re: Tin Can – The landline, reinvented for kids
#136Huh, I was just thinking about something sort of like this after camping with some friends and our kids this weekend -- we brought FRS walkie-talkies for all of them (cannot recommend this enough!) and on the drive home my four-year-old was asking if he could call his friends on the radio -- rather than getting him a Technician's I was thinking about finding or making some push-to-talk cell/wifi devices for them. It…
Apple watches work as walkie-talkies with separate accounts and paired phones. I used a retired iPhone 8 and eBay'd a watch for ~$40.
Re: Tin Can – The landline, reinvented for kids
#137Why subscription service on top?
> Bestie has a Tin Can? Free calling to other Tin Cans is included for every device, no subscription required. > Subject to a valid account & our terms of service. Yeah, subscription aside (though that alone is a deal-breaker for me) I don't like it requiring an account. Might there be a way that an open-software/hardware device could simply have a person enter, what, a friend's IP address to make a call? Or is there…
> Or is there more middleware required to connect the two VoIP?
You need an address of record to translate 111222333 to an actual deliverable location, like a PBX. You can do without it in a software solution, but in the age of NAT having a TURN server is highly advised.
> I don't like it requiring an account.
Remember the value proposition here is for kids calling trusted contacts. You could absolutely and easily build your own VoIP network with Asterisk etc.
Re: Tin Can – The landline, reinvented for kids
#138Earlier quoted context omitted.
Maybe I’m going out on a limb here?… Even this thrifty and most excellent (party on Garth!) 3 to 17 step process might slightly reduce adoption by the target audience: kids.
Set up a couple of ip phones to connect to the other every off-hook, no dialing. Think Batman Batphone!
IP Phone Roulette!