Any of you guys kids use these?

[Rupp]

For that matter do any of you guys use these communicators?

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=MX240A-N

 

[smee]

I've seen them, but never used one and don't know anyone who has.

Drawbacks:
1) Only works with AIM.
2) Tied to a computer. You have a box that connects to the computer and run a server of some sort. So, you are limited to using it around home.

I think these are more interesting:
K-Byte Zipit
But I haven't used or seen one of these, either.

They connect through any available WiFi access point and work with several different instant messaging services. There's some discussion of this on linux-hacker:

www.linux-hacker.net - K-Byte Zipit

 

[jrfuda]

Rupp - no experience with them here. But if your goal is to get the kids off a computer that all they do on is IM, and they only IM using AIM, then it's probably a good idea. Much better to have them on one of those little things than have them tie-up a whole computer...

As a bonus, it will prevent someone from IM'ing them a questionable link that they could click on if they were using a PC.

 

[TonyNo]

I have those for the kids. They work great. I run the app on my HA/music server with no issues so far (seems like almost two years now).

The prices on these have really dropped since I bought mine.

The ZipIt looks really interesting, though. Especially the 802.11 and no 'puter needed part.

Tony

 

[Rupp]

Well my kids have their own pc's and AIM is the only IM they use and they had gotten so cheap I thought it could make a good b-day present for my 10 year old.

 

[zack]

Your kids are 10 y/o and they use AIM already???

 

[Rupp]

My daughter has been using AIM for 3 or 4 years.

 

[AutomatedOutlet]

Mine prefer the cell phone text messaging.....

My 16 year old son does thousands of messages every month..... Yes, thousands!

 

[Rupp]

Martin,
My 15 year old son was doing that as well and we put an AX to that. We use Cingular and they recently went up to $20 a month for all of the multimedia unlimited access so we cut that out. You would think this stuff would get cheaper not more expensive.

 

[smee]

They suck you in and then the price goes up.

 

[zack]

When I was 15, we didn't have cell phones or text messaging, we had to put in our hard earned 25cents if we wanted to talk to our friends. We had to surf AOL 2.5 on blazing 33.6kbps modems. Kids today....

Actually, I don't mind text messaging, as long as it's short and simple. My wife texts me all the time with a shopping list or just to tell me she's going to be late. I don't get how people have a full conversation on those things.

 

[rocco]

When I was 15, we didn't have cell phones or text messaging, we had to put in our hard earned 25cents if we wanted to talk to our friends . . .

Luxury!
When I was 15 we had to bang out morse code on the water pipes with our foreheads, hoping the sound would make it across town . . . (for you Monty Python fans, I couldn't resist).

 

[electron]

2bit smoke signals here, and IP over avian carrier (RFC 1149).

 

[AutomatedOutlet]

Yeah,

Zack, AOL wasn't even a company when I was 15...

We have my son on T-mobile. Unlimited text messaging is only $10 a month.

 

[Rupp]

When I was a kid ... we (honestly) had a 4 party phone line. If one of the neighbors was on the phone you had to wait until they were finished before we could use the phone. WOW 4 way calling, wasn't that futuristic . Funny thing is I'm not that old or am I?