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Fisher Price Chatter Telephone with Bluetooth
- oweiler 5y agoI wish the improved the length of the cordle instead of adding BT.
- kkjjkgjjgg 5y agoIf I was a boss, I would want it on my desk. Or maybe something like the "red telephone", it would be reserved for the very urgent calls only.
- yodon 5y agoHas anyone made a guide on how to move the guts of this into an actual old-school dial phone? I have an old rotary dial phone I've been wanting to turn into a Bluetooth extension as a project.
- flatiron 5y agoI bet if you cracked it you wouldn’t need one. Rotary connected to some IO pins. Speaker and microphone off the DAC and probably some more IO for lights, ringer, and stuff. I bet you label the wires when disassembling you could put it in anything fairly easily.
- bluGill 5y agoA number of people have done this in various ways over the years. Search for old blogs the hacker news archives and should find them.
- jaywalk 5y agoThere's a device called Cell2jack that just plugs into any landline phone (including rotary) and connects it to your cellphone via Bluetooth.
- jinto36 5y agoThat description is amazing, it reminds me of Woot in the pre-Amazon era. Maybe they'll make more of them considering it seems like they probably already sold this first batch.
- trompetenaccoun 5y agoGotta start them young. See also: https://www.insider.com/mom-finds-a-camera-inside-the-teddy-bear-her-child-won-at-a-fair-2018-8 https://www.insider.com/mom-finds-a-camera-inside-the-teddy-...
- Xylakant 5y agoThis is clearly aimed at adults, the text gives it away.
- rjmunro 5y agoThat's because the target demographic can't buy it for themselves. It's aimed at being a Christmas present.
- erinaceousjones 5y agoNah, the product page is a gentle rib at smartphone manufacturers, whenever they release a new device and have a flashy video to go with it. Check out the video on the product page. It's definitely "you're a grown-ass adult and you kind of want this on your desk" lol
- lkbm 5y agoSomeone on that page asked about recommended safety age, choking hazards, etc. and support answered with: > This product is not intended for kids.
- andylynch 5y agoIt’s only hinted at in the main copy but in the Q&A they explicitly say this one is intended for adult collectors.
- dr_dshiv 5y agoFisher-Price is doing amazing things these days. I don’t know what happened and I can’t find any press about it. I got a Soothe’n’Snuggle for my 3 year old child and it is a full on sleep-inducing soft robot. It works. Very sophisticated for less than $40. https://www.fisher-price.com/en-gb/product/soothe-n-snuggle-otter-fxc66 https://www.fisher-price.com/en-gb/product/soothe-n-snuggle-...
- OscarCunningham 5y agoLast month HN was angry at them because the music box now only pretends to be mechanical: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29048819 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29048819.
- nindalf 5y agoLast month a few people on a single HN thread were angry with them. Sorry, I find it a bit annoying when people make broad conclusions about a large group of people while ignoring sampling bias.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- soheil 5y agoIt's already understood HN is not a single collective of ideas in just one prevailing direction.
- throw10920 5y agoIs this satire? I can't tell. (because it's quite clear to me that many many people on HN act like it's some kind of hivemind collective, and so it continually needs to be pointed out)
- makeitdouble 5y agoDon't both feelings go the same way ? Last month people were angry they released a lazier version of their toy, and today they're praised for their efforts on new toys. People like nice things.
- qwertox 5y ago"Eyes". I love the teaser. But this would mean that the user would have to memorize the phone numbers again?
- aequitas 5y ago1 is for mommy, 2 is for daddy, 3 is for big sister, big brother has a secret number, 5 is for grandparents, etc.
- onion2k 5y ago1 is for mommy, 2 is for daddy, 3 is for big sister, big brother has a secret number, 5 is for grandparents, etc. Security through obscurity doesn't work.
- falcor84 5y agoIt really depends on your threat model, and can definitely be of benefit when complementing other good security practices.
- dotancohen 5y agoAnd locks are only for keeping honest people honest. That's why we build defense in layers. The obscurity layer is extraordinarily effective for the effort it requires. It also keeps log files clean!
- rjmunro 5y agoIt's not remotely security or intended to be. Not everything needs to be locked down. Just because it's a number doesn't mean it's a PIN.
- wutwutwutwut 5y agoSurely you could tell that he was joking?
- kube-system 5y agoI am very disappointed that I missed this when it was in stock. I needed a new headset for my most important meetings.
- nakedgremlin 5y agoLove the product video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKKFNV0m3SQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKKFNV0m3SQ "Bulky design" "Colors"
- codeulike 5y agoHaha that's great
- allenu 5y agoThis is such a funny product. The original chatter telephone toy is one of my mom's favorite toys when she was a kid. She always brings it up and eventually found one at a garage sale to buy for herself. This would make for a funny Christmas gift seeing as you can use the handset for real.
- Nextgrid 5y agoThis would be great for someone who spends a lot of time on the phone - salespeople, etc. I guess call centre employees would count too but that would be just cruel.
- XiS 5y agoWhy is this nr on HN rn?
- wodenokoto 5y agoIt's a fun piece of technology.
- mas-ev 5y agoBluetooth capabilities to a toy that sparks nostalgia. Also, the time this was posted. I don't expect to still see this post in 8 hrs.
- Foomf 5y ago"nr"?
- XiS 5y agoI meant to say nr 1
- iicc 5y agoBecause it's genius PR. Why advertise when you can create a product people want to talk about? It's the fisher price of Amazon delivery drones.
- wodenokoto 5y agoFor those reading just the headline: Bluetooth is for making actual calls via your phone, just like a bluetooth headset. This is aimed at adults.
- t0mas88 5y agoIsn't the idea that your toddler can call grandma but without holding your actual $ 1000 iPhone?
- bee_rider 5y agoThey've got a video parodying the iPhone announcement video style, so I think the idea is mostly to be a sort of cheerful nostalgic joke. Ideal yankee swap gift, IMO. Too bad it is out of stock.
- aitchnyu 5y agoMy toddler nieces demand video calls, fight for the phone and show stuff around the home. They even tell between Facetime and Whatsapp.
- ascar 5y ago"... a phone smart enough not to come with any apps. Its intuitive bulky face design comes with a 'super-advanced' rotary dial..." Love their marketing speak here :) it actually seems to be made for adults with the Bluetooth connecting to the mobile phone for real calls.
- kralos 5y agoAll I want to know is, can I Bluetooth audio device it into my work laptop's SIP client? It could sit inside webcam view for those important conf calls
- aembleton 5y agoProbably, as I expect its just a bluetooth headset
- ComputerGuru 5y agoI don’t think it’s just a headset, more of a hands-free interface. A headset can’t establish outgoing calls to arbitrary numbers like a hands-free interface can.
- Vinnl 5y ago> Your childhood is calling, now you can actually answer. Seems to clearly target adults.
- flatiron 5y agoI dunno man texting grandma to call, syncing the phone, and having it ring with grandma actually on the other end would be great for toddlers.
- mrtranscendence 5y agoAgreed. My nieces who are still young enough to get a kick out of that live with their grandma (and the other lives in Senegal and doesn’t speak much if any English) so I’m not sure who they’d get a call from … me, I guess! I suppose I should be a better uncle and call my nieces and nephews sometime, cute phone or no cute phone. There’s just so freaking many of them now.
- fhd2 5y agoI doubt anyone needs this, but I want to buy it just for the product description! It's full of gems, e.g. "Sort of sleek mobile design experience with colors, numbers, and wobbly eyes that will turn heads". Can't tell if this is inspired by market research, or if someone at the company simply had the freedom to create something that's just fun. Kinda wish it's the latter.
- bayindirh 5y agoIf it was available here, I'd have ordered one today! Oh, the fun!
- nobrains 5y ago:) “Its intuitive bulky face design comes with a 'super-advanced' rotary dial”
- retube 5y ago"it makes both imaginary and real phone calls" wonderful
- listless 5y agoMy favorite line as well. Someone give this copywriter a medal.
- krstffr 5y ago"A real-working phone for a real adult desk"
- InsomniacL 5y ago"A truly 'mobile' phone" Phone has wheels
- cblconfederate 5y agoThat's a Tesla
- 5y ago
- Animats 5y agoThey actually built this as a volume product. I'm impressed. I'm waiting for the Elf on the Shelf to become Amazon Ring enabled. "He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good..."
- krzrak 5y ago"...he reports to headquarters".
- robbedpeter 5y ago...And waits for you to get paid.
- waxdotrun 5y ago"so buy now for goodness' sake"
- SirOibaf 5y agoReminds me of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KXoBcQER_0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KXoBcQER_0
- rkagerer 5y agoCool product, awful website.
- rapnie 5y ago13 trackers found --> cookie dialog --> select 'only required' --> 13 trackers still.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- yessirwhatever 5y agoWhy? Not hipster enough?
- rkagerer 5y agoBecause this: https://i.imgur.com/wFUvj1F.jpg https://i.imgur.com/wFUvj1F.jpg When you land you get a full-screen Cookies consent dialog (which according to another poster ignores the preferences you choose), overlayed by a notifications dialog.
- BurnGpuBurn 5y agoGreat, more gimmicky plastic crap that'll be fun for five minutes, stored away for a decade and then ends up in a landfill. Good job you guys.
- angryGhost 5y agobah, humbug
- linker3000 5y agoMy new washer-dryer (not as much fun as the telephone) has bluetooth ,and I can monitor and control it with an app ('Homewhiz').. ...that connects to a cloud server 'somewhere'. ...for which the app suppliers want: my location and access to my microphone, camera and contacts - and the app won't install or run if you start denying access. Nope, not happening. I wish I was more of a hacker/programmer because I'd like to do some protocol sniffing and create a connector for Node-Red so that I could link the appliance to my home automation system without becoming a personal data asset for the manufacturer.
- rjmunro 5y agoI would hope this is just using bluetooth headset profile, and doesn't require anything like that. It really doesn't need anything else with the feature set as described.
- creshal 5y agoFrom the product page: "a phone smart enough not to come with any apps". Sure looks like it's a plain BT headset.
- makach 5y agoCan I use it as my office phone?
- monkpit 5y agoJust have it on your desk paired with your cell. Would work fine I think :)
- hackmiester 5y agoMy Cisco 8851 has Bluetooth and supports headsets. I'll be using this with it.
- cr3ative 5y agoAre you aware you're commenting on a nostalgic bluetooth kids phone which pairs to your mobile phone in the same way a headset does?
- brap 5y agoThis is pretty cool, but I wonder if toddlers nowadays even understand what a cord phone is. After all, playing is often just mimicking adult behavior, and adults aren't using corded phones anymore, so to a child this might not be a fun toy. A cool toy for adults, though.
- TotempaaltJ 5y agoPlaying is often mimicking adult behaviour, but certainly not always... They may not use the phone "correctly" but kids have a special skill of using anything as a toy.
- mxxx 5y agoWeirdly enough there’s one of the original versions of this toy in the toy box at our local pub and my three year old saw it and immediately knew that it was a phone. I have absolutely no idea how.
- aembleton 5y agoMaybe they have one at nursery
- lotsofpulp 5y agoMovies/tv shows/books?
- dspillett 5y ago> I have absolutely no idea how. Nurseries have a lot of old books, and TV channels repeat a lot of old cartoons & other shows, so a kid may be exposed to old-style phones in passing quite a lot. And “in passing” is enough at that stage, when a growing brain readily hoovers up any and all available information.
- bluGill 5y agoWe made an effort to not expose our son to that at a young age (no screens at all, and we didn't send him to daycare) He still figured out the first landline phone he saw.
- isthisnametaken 5y agoDid someone at Fisher-Price forget to delete the page on April 2nd?
- beardyw 5y agoI built an Ebay Bluetooth headset into a clunky kids mobile phone I got from a charity shop. Fun to use in public. Total cost £3.
- kwhitefoot 5y agoI wonder how may other toys could be re-released as adult toys. I think this could be a big market.
- lotsofpulp 5y agoI am sure nostalgia inducing toys (and anything else) have been a known business strategy for a long time. See all the recent movies with young people listening to 80s music.
- TomGullen 5y agoI want one of these to use as my mobile phone in the street
- i_love_limes 5y agoI don't know how many people here have interacted with toddlers on phones, but I'm not sure this will take off. The thing that kids love about communicating on mobile phones is video. They love to see themselves and love to see you. I would be very surprised if a 3 year old would prefer this over a WhatsApp video call / facetime.
- echelon 5y agoFrom the product page itself, > Your childhood is calling, now you can actually answer. > A real-working phone for a real adult desk > The Fisher-Price® Chatter Telephone® toy has been helping littles get walking and talking since 1961. To commemorate this incredible milestone, we’re inviting you to give your childhood a call with a real, working Chatter Telephone™ desk phone! Let’s remember what it was like to be little. When everything in the world could be something to play with and all it took was a little imagination to make something really fun happen. Let’s get down on the floor, sing at trees, spend less time growing up and a little more time growing down. Let’s be kids. This product was made for adults. It's a joke / nostalgia play. Limited edition at Best Buy, while supplies last.
- isoprophlex 5y agoThis has an extremely high i-want-this factor for me, personally. No way my kids get to touch this thing (if I could get a hold of one in Europe, seems sold out or unavailable) I want to use this during video calls for work, where people can see me listen and speak into the thing.
- underdeserver 5y agoWho said anything about kids?
- bluedino 5y agoI have a 1 year old, and he has phone toys but he doesn't pick them up and do the fake conversation play like we did as kids. Obviously because a phone today is a pocket Facebook machine and device to Facetime grandma with.
- Sebb767 5y ago
- helsinkiandrew 5y agoFor some reason it reminds me of this from a couple of days ago: https://twitter.com/nikitonsky/status/1465247347550703618 https://twitter.com/nikitonsky/status/1465247347550703618
- murbard2 5y agoA bit off-topic but does anyone know what music is playing in the video?
- honkdaddy 5y agoIf I had to guess after a quick listen, it's probably some royalty-free 30 second 'epic space synth' track they licensed directly. Didn't strike me as a song that's been released elsewhere, but I definitely could be wrong!
- Aaargh20318 5y agoAccording to Shazam: Havana (Jonnas B Remix) by Arnold T. & Alain Pauwels Had a quick listen and it does sound like the right track.
- ComputerGuru 5y agohttps://soundcloud.com/ravvenmusik/premiere-arnold-t-alain-pauwels-havana-jonnas-b-remix-nature https://soundcloud.com/ravvenmusik/premiere-arnold-t-alain-p...
- dddddaviddddd 5y agoBattery life could be better. 9 hours of talk time seems pretty low compared to much smaller devices.
- waxdotrun 5y agoThis one does have colors though.
- underdeserver 5y agoI want one.
- ineedasername 5y agoThat's how I'm making all of my calls from now on. And I'll feature it prominently in my background during zoom calls
- m12k 5y agoComes with speakerphone you say? I can only assume this will be ironically used in the conference room of some hip startup.
- alx 5y agoMy custom phone shell in 2004: https://flickr.com/photos/alx/1491266/in/photolist-8Diu-4j1oaq-oPC9-mqCaP-oPBK-oPBt https://flickr.com/photos/alx/1491266/in/photolist-8Diu-4j1o...
- bsagdiyev 5y agoThat’s neat, thank you for sharing. Was it a lot of work to do?
- christophilus 5y agoThe video is a great parody of the iPhone launch hype videos. Well done.
- ubermonkey 5y agoIt's a great idea to include Bluetooth in a child's toy, so as to better prepare them for the crushing frustration and disappointment of adult life.
- chrisfinazzo 5y ago"...and the hits just keep on coming." https://brian.carnell.com/articles/2017/fisher-price-soul-crushing-meeting-toy/ https://brian.carnell.com/articles/2017/fisher-price-soul-cr...
- mixmastamyk 5y agoLove the jacket and tie.
- lapetitejort 5y agoI'm holding out for the inevitable Apple Child's Phone. It should make the pairing process with the Macbook Preschool simpler.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- bachmeier 5y agoI'm waiting for the iChild. You can have a child that's exactly the way Apple wants it to be.
- scarby2 5y agoit just works?
- euroderf 5y agoFor Foxconn ?
- sudosysgen 5y ago
- alistairSH 5y ago"Inuitive" Since when is a rotary phone intuitive? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHNEzndgiFI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHNEzndgiFI
- Pxtl 5y agoWait, so the dial actually works? Like, it will send the dialed numbers to the phone? I want this for that feature alone. Make a second model that looks like a Bell/Western Electric rotary phone and weighs enough you could bludgeon someone with it.
- tmnstr85 5y agochild phone you say? how about landing this bad boy on the desk at work and patching all your calls through it. only thing that would make it better is if it had a speaker for conference calls.
- mikestew 5y agoC’mon, man, even for Fisher-Price articles you still need to RTFA: “Press the speakerphone button to chat hands-free”
- michaelmior 5y agoAm I the only one who expected an interesting DIY hack as opposed to an actual product?
- gwbas1c 5y agoI kind of want one just so I can use it in a teleconference.
- soheil 5y agoI'm already imagining a sea of hipster tech bros with one of these on their desks right next to their nerf guns and mini basketball hoops.
- FunnyLookinHat 5y agoMy toddler is currently dragging the original version of this toy back and forth across our house. I think I'll stick with that one.
- borepop 5y agoHoly shit, I have wanted exactly this product (minus the "child" styling) for years for my actual office, as a productivity tool. I just want to be able to take and make calls on my phone without being dragged into a vortex of tangential nonsense.
- ryantgtg 5y ago“Bluetooth retro phone handset” has lots of results. And there are corded ones that plug into your phone. Most of these don’t have numpads, but they must be out there!
- frosted-flakes 5y agoThere are devices you can buy that add Bluetooth capability to any landline phone. I've never used one, but my brother has an old rotary phone on his kitchen wall that he was considering considering doing this with, which is how I heard about it. I think it would be quite cool.
- mlac 5y agoThis made me dig: https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Expandable-Link2Cell-Bluetooth-Assistant-dp-B09DDCXN31/dp/B09DDCXN31/ref=dp_ob_title_ce?th=1 https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Expandable-Link2Cell-Blueto...
- borepop 5y agoThat's interesting, thank you. Funny how ugly the product is, I almost prefer the goofy kid car phone.
- Cromation 5y agoIs it April 1st already?
- CountDrewku 5y agoI don't think I'd ever give this to a kid but it looks like a great gag gift for adults.
- ggerules 5y agoSo can the phone interrupt a child's playtime with spam phone calls?
- wzsddtc 5y agoNote that -- "This product is not intended for kids. This one is intended for adult collectors."
- scardycat 5y agoI want one for my desk, its sold out.
- intrasight 5y agoOut of stock. I guess it's a hit.
- no_time 5y agoIts certainly very charming. Although I don't see many people using the rotary dial in the year of our Lord 2021. Knowing the phone numbers has fallen out of fashion almost completely.