Looking to create a smartphone for the home that’s easy for children, the elderly and their families is what start-up firm Insensi is aiming to do with the debut of its ILY Family Phone.
The ILY Family Phone has an 8-inch touchscreen that can be placed in any convenient location in homes and enables children and family members to communicate with voice, video and text messaging, Insensi explains in a press release. It’s WiFi-enabled and all communication is done via a broadband connection, although it does also support voice calls via an existing TDM based phone line as an option.
Notably, the ILY Family Phone does not come with an Internet browser, which means that children and family members can connect without access to video games, sites or inappropriate or unsafe websites and Internet content, according to Insensi.
“Even with multiple smartphones and tablets, families still have difficulty making sure the youngest and the oldest family members talk regularly, much less use video or share pictures. We struggled with this in our house,” Insensi founder and CEO Ilan Abehassera was quoted as saying.
“Our children were too young to have unsupervised access to a smartphone, and their grandparents were simply less technical. That’s why we created ILY. ILY makes everyday connections effortless, regardless of age, location or tech savviness.”
Reinvent Home Phone Service?
Aiming to enhance ease-of-use, users tap on a person’s photo on ILY Family Phones’ screens in order to initiate a video or voice call. Photos and other visual content can be sent easily via the touchscreen as well.
In addition, ILY Family Phones can be linked to form family networks, Insensi highlights. Content stored on ILY phones can also be transferred to other smartphones and tablets using Android and iOS and desktop computer apps. End-users can record video and share daily communications with ILY’s Family Feed.
At an introductory price of $199 Insensi’s taking pre-orders for the ILY Family Phone on its website. There is no monthly service fee, but the introductory price is expected to rise after the product launches. ILY Android and iOS apps are available on Google Play and Apple App Store for free beginning this fall. Initial shipments are slated for this fall as well.
