Tin Can Landline for Kids

Source: Tin Can

I never thought I'd see the day: the landline is making a comeback. Say what?!?

For those of you too young to remember or even know what any of this means, the "landline" was a phone anchored to the wall, permanently wired to your house, connected by a cord to a handset. Very confining back in the day and impossible to think of by today's standards.

But I'll admit it: I miss those curly cords snaking from room to room so you could talk to friends in private. I distinctly remember sitting on my bedroom floor, with that cord snaked under the closed door, talking for hours while albums spun on my turntable. Ahh.

Well, a Seattle-based startup just brought the landline back. It's called Tin Can, and it's designed specifically for kids.

This time around, it plugs into any wall outlet, runs on WiFi, and lets kids call other Tin Can subscribers. No screens, no apps, no distractions. Designed so parents don’t have to worry that kids will wander into unsafe territory. It's a closed network where parents maintain real supervision.

Clearly what was old is new again, parents yelling “get off the phone” and all.

Source: Tin Can

Sales are reportedly in the tens of thousands, and parents are embracing it as a way to delay handing their kid a smartphone. Which, let's be honest, is one of the great parenting dilemmas of our time.

The problem is real and the solution is retro and fabulous. BTW, I just love the name. Tin Can! Talking into tin cans!

I'm digging it. This one's worth watching because if it goes mainstream, we can expect other brands to jump into the category as well.

What's your experience? JIM