If it feels like kids could take a page from yesteryear from time to time, you may not be alone. Kids can have phones and tablets and apps aplenty, but they may not see the simple things and you or I grew up with.
Everything is tech savvy and nothing is old school, but there are instances where the two can combine.
For instance, if your kids wanted to talk to nearby friends and family, the modern approach would be to use a phone, but that can bring other issues with it. However, back in the old days, a walkie talkie would have sufficed.
Two-way radio systems like a walkie talkie are a little old school, and mightn’t be exciting to the kids. But what if they had video? Then they could be just like a phone, only without the drama of using a phone.
That appears to be what Uniden is trying with the KVWT01, a set of two modern walkie talkies charged by USB-C that also come with screens and provide video chat over the 2.4GHz wireless radio connection. It means there’s no WiFi or mobile connection needed, and can simply work within range of each other, though may run into reception issues depending on what else is around.
For kids across the road, it can mean conversation over video, while kids and adults walking between groups on a bush walk might use it to stay in contact, too. It’s a short-wave communications gadget, and more a bit of fun than a mobile replacement.
Its price more or less confirms that, with the Uniden Adventure Series Walkie Talkie set for under $70 in Australia.
“Walkie-talkies have always been a simple way for kids to explore, play and stay connected, and our new Kids Video Walkie Talkie brings that familiar experience into a more interactive format,” Brad Hales, Head of Marketing for Oceania at Uniden.
“By adding live video without relying on Wi-Fi, a mobile network or an app, we’ve created a product that gives kids more ways to play while keeping the experience incredibly simple for parents,” he said.
It’s likely that Uniden’s kid-focused colour walkie talkie isn’t much more than a repurposed baby monitor made to keep kids in contact using radio, but the gadget is still one kids could really find useful. There are also three voice effects and four screen viewing modes, plus a single button to talk, more or less making the whole thing a cinch.
Australians can expect to find the Uniden KVWT01 in stores across the country shortly for $69.
