Republic Wireless has a new take on an old idea. It’s called the Relay and it’s a walkie-talkie for families that works over a 4G LTE cellular network and WiFi so you can use it from practically anywhere.
The screenless device, which you control with your voice, can also be used to play music and has access to Google Assistant so you can ask it questions.
The Relay will launch in early 2018 and will be available in two-packs for $149 and three-packs for $199. Service will cost $6.99 per month per device.
Parents can control who a child can communicate with, but that person has to either have a Relay device or communicate via their smartphone by using a companion app. The device can’t be used to make regular phone calls and — at launch — won’t be able to call 911.
Here’s my 1-minute CBS News Radio segment ahout Relay followed by a company promotional video.