Hold the phone: start-up tech firm Insensi reinvents the landline

In our modern age, it’s no secret that it can be difficult for older generations to keep up with the ever-evolving nature of technology. However, launching a tech thingamabob that your grandparents will love is New York-based firm Insensi.
The 'Ily' phone is a modern take on the classic landline that hopes to inject a bit of life back into family conversation. Created with the simplest of technological interfaces, the phone incorporates an eight-inch touch screen that allows users to connect through the tap of a finger. For more tech savvy members of the family, the phone can also connect to WiFi and comes with apps for iOS and Android.
Explaining the inspiration behind the new telephone, Ilan Abehassera, founder and CEO of Insensi, says ‘even with multiple smartphones and tablets, it’s still difficult for the youngest and the oldest family members to talk regularly’. This concern about lack of contact is founded in a poll conducted by the technology firm, in which it was revealed that 85 per cent of grandparents feel like they do not speak to their grandchildren enough.
Adopting a sleek and contemporary aesthetic conceived by design firm Map, the 'Ily' will sit nicely in any modern home. Commenting on the choice of design for the device, Map's director, Jon Marshall, professes that, ‘the strength of the design is in its simplicity, combining video, voice and messaging in a single new device’.
Insensi is currently raising funds for 'Ily' through a Kickstarter campaign, with a projected official launch this summer.
The 'Ily' phone is a modern take on the classic landline that hopes to inject a bit of life back into family conversation
Adopting a sleek and contemporary aesthetic conceived by design firm Map, 'Ily' will sit nicely in any modern home
Created with a simple interface, the phone incorporates an eight-inch touch screen that allows users to connect through the tap of a finger
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the ’Ily’ website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Vestre’s neo-brutalist furniture will bring ‘a little madness’ to Paris Fashion Week
Bound for Paris Men’s Fashion Week this month, Norwegian furniture brand Vestre reveals a sculptural bench and mirror created with designer Vincent Laine and fashion creative Willy Cartier – the latest outcome of its risk-taking ‘a little madness’ initiative
-
For its latest runway show, Zegna creates a serene oasis in Dubai
The Italian fashion house took over the Dubai Opera for a S/S 2026 show that proposed a lived-in elegance, drawing inspiration from Dubai’s sunbaked landscapes and Zegna’s birthplace of Trivero
-
Time-travel to the golden age of the cruise ship at Sea Containers London
The South Bank hotel celebrates its tenth anniversary with four new suites inspired by period cabin design, from Edwardian elegance to 1980s glamour