I thought stuff like SMS, voicemail and IMs would rid me of going through the motions of making the awkward calls to my grandparents and great aunts every Sunday. I mean it’s not such a pleasant thing to wake up early every Sunday (for lack of an engaging job or a boyfriend/social life) only to have to hear them enquire incessantly about my job/boyfriend/social life! But, alas, those tradition-fanatics simply refuse to let go of their time-tested landline phone and learn how to operate the laptops and cellphones I keep gifting them. But, the clever intimacy avoider that I am, I found yet another gizmo to try and get my older relatives to communicate via non-voice methods. Introducing the Vtech IS6110 instant messaging cordless phone that lets users IM via a landline phone. Featuring a full-fledged QWERTY keypad, the phone connects to a PC via a USB located at its base station and lets users connect to MSN Messenger, Windows Live Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger instantly. The good thing is it costs just $99.95, but the bad thing is I’ll still have to hire someone to teach my granny how to switch the comp on and connect the USB to it.
Source: Slippery Brick