While at CES, I came across a device that intrigued me called Triby. Triby is a family communication center device with strong magnets that hangs on your refrigerator. Triby is unlike anything I’ve seen before, it’s unique and it continues to innovate with valuable features to make Triby a valuable family communication center.
Before I can tell you how my family uses Triby, I need to explain the features, so you get the gist of how powerful Triby can be.
Features
- Made with a strong metallic back to stick to refrigerators
- Comes with a handle for easy carrying as well as a bumper case to protect from accidental drops
- Uses Vivo Acoustic for great sound with profound base and clear treble
- Lasts up to 2 days before needing to be charged through USB
- 2.9 inch e-paper (always on) screen
Information
- Houses Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant, to assist in enabling Triby features, answering questions, playing music from Prime Music, iHeartRadio, or TuneIn and more
- Ask Alexa for today’s news, today’s weather, how many quarts in a gallon, even ask, “what is a narwhale?”
- Contains both a temperature and humidity sensor, which displays constant results alongside the clock
Communication
- Has 2 buttons that can be customized to call and send messages to two different family members or friends (with the Triby app) – straight from the Triby
- Built-in noise-cancellation microphones to act as a hands-free speakerphone, allowing calls to be made over VoIP or paired with smartphones up to 15 feet away
- Allows you to make free Internet calls to your family network (using the Triby buttons) without a plan or subscription
- Children can call their parents with a touch of a button, using the phone buttons on Triby
- Send doodles, emoji’s, and messages to the Triby from the Triby app – kids LOVE this
- Messages pop out a yellow “flag” to alert family members at home about your sent message
- Send visible messages to family members on Triby, using the app on your smartphone
- Family members push the flag back into to indicate the message has been read
Entertainment
- Has 2 buttons to link up to and play your two favorite radio stations (from over 27,000 online radio stations around the world)
- Can stream your playlists from Spotify Connect as one of these buttons
- Using the Triby app, play music from your personal music library
Family Communication Center
Triby is the best family communication center we have run across. It simplifies phone calls with family members and it makes sending messages fun and simple. It provides instant music from your favorite two radio channels or other sources, and with Alexa included, becomes your personal assistant to make life easier.
Phone Calls
Triby is a brilliant family communication center that aims to keep a family connected to one another through a push of a button. Setting up Triby is easy using the Triby app (Android/Apple). Set up which two phone numbers Triby can call – perhaps yours and your husband’s, grandma’s, a favorite aunt, or family friend.
Children simply press a phone button to instantly call you. There is no need to connect Triby to your home phone or an internet account online, Triby uses Voice over Internet Protocol (or VoIP) to allow for phone calls between Triby and the custom preset phone buttons.
Just think of the ways these buttons could be used by your kids:
- check-in with you to let you know they are home from school
- check-in with you when they are feeling afraid if home alone
- an easy way to call Gramma without having to know her number
- to have the babysitter call you if the kids have a question
- to let you know you forgot something at home
But it gets better, using your Triby app on your smartphone, you can call Triby too. The other day I meant to take my iced tea with me on the road and I forgot it at home. I called the kids on Triby and asked them to put it in the refrigerator for me.
When on the road, calling Triby instead of our house phone works so much better. We only have a house phone, but when I leave message for the kids to call me, no one ever checks the messages.
But when I call the Triby, my kids are eager to answer the Triby. It doesn’t ring much, so it’s fun for them. They can also be safe in knowing who is calling them – they know it’s me.
I have been frustrated before when I travel, I’ve really had no good way to get ahold of my kids. I have been limited to calling in on my husband’s cellphone, and he doesn’t necessarily have it on him or near him when I call home. The Triby has changed this for me. I can now call the kids directly on Triby (which is in the kitchen) and get ahold of them easily.
Sending Messages
When I am in meetings, traveling, or at a convention, I often don’t have time to call the kids until the evening. But with the Triby app, I can send the family messages. I simply type up the message and Triby turns the type into a handwritten note, transferred onto the face of the Triby screen.
I can add emoji’s or even draw them a picture. The pictures are in black and white, but they transfer over to Triby beautifully.
Once I have added a message, emoji, and or a picture, it is immediately sent to Triby and displays on the main screen. A yellow “flag” pops out from Triby’s side to alert family members of a message.
My kids love this feature and I love being able to send them “notes” to let them know I’m thinking of them. Once someone at home sees the yellow flag, they can pop it back in and send a pre-set emoji back, but they are unable to write a note back, unless they have Triby on their smartphone or tablet – they can write a note there.
Home Entertainment
Triby Family Communication Center features two Radio buttons to program your favorite radio stations. You set up your radio presets using the Triby App. Triby uses Tune-in to allow you to preset stations from over 27,000 world-wide radio stations from all over the world. My kids love our local Christian radio station, KSGN, so this is our number 1 preset.
We love how easy it is to listen to our favorite tunes. And with its handy built-in handle, we can carry Triby around the house…or outside…to listen to our music (as long as it can connect to a WiFi signal).
On a whim, I’ll listen to music on Triby while I work – it’s instant and fast – I know of no other way to listen to music this fast. Even playing music from my phone takes a few screens to go through. And with Alexa, I can ask her to play my tunes from my phone without touching it…love it!
Alexa – Your Personal Assistant
Adding Alexa to the Triby skill set is a tremendous benefit for families, and Triby is the first Alexa-enabled device that is not made by Amazon. As a result, Triby can handle nearly all of the Alexa commands found in the Amazon Echo, with the exception of a few commands.
You’ll need to download the Alexa app on your phone to successfully ask Alexa on Triby questions. The Alexa app is very helpful in suggesting ways to interact with Alexa in its “Things to Try” and “Skills” sections.
I have been using Alexa to set timers for me to focus my work on just one item during the allotted time. I love the add an event to my calendar command – this is so helpful with my busy days between work, picking up my kids, taking my kids to appointments, and the ongoing number of events, practices, and schedules that change or are added.
I love finding out what the weather forecast is for the day and have found Alexa helpful in adding things to my shopping list. But Alexa on Triby can do SO much more. See a fuller list of Alexa commands on CNET’s site.
Based on our experience, the Triby is a useful family communication center device. Here is our assessment…
Pros:
- Works great as a family communication center – gives kids an easy way to call you without needing to memorize your phone number
- Great way to connect with family when you’re traveling to let them know you’re thinking of them
- Kid-friendly and inviting design – durable, with handy handle to carry around
- Easy buttons to begin listening to your favorite stations right away
- The first non-Amazon device that utilizes Alexa – useful for asking weather, asking the definitions of words, simple math problems, the daily news, nearly any question you can think of
- As long as it’s charged, the Triby is always on, showing temperature, date, the time, and the last message sent to Triby from the app
- The music sound quality and incoming voice calls are quite good
Cons:
- Alexa doesn’t always understand the question and sometimes says nothing and only beeps instead of saying she doesn’t know
- It’s a bit pricey at $199
- Must be connected to WiFi for features to work
- Some of the newer stainless steel refrigerators do not adhere with Triby’s magnets
- Kids at home can only respond with a simple emoji – and most of the time, it doesn’t work
Regularly priced at $199, the Triby family communication center is on sale right now at Amazon for $164.98 plus free shipping with the grey bumper shell. Triby is also available in red, blue, and green on Amazon for $209 with free shipping.
A Mom’s Perspective
The Triby is a great addition to the kitchen as a family communication center. Perched on the refrigerator, Triby cannot be overlooked, so messages and product features are seen and used.
As my son does not yet have a cellphone, Triby is the best way to communicate with him when I’m at a meeting or gone on a business trip. It allows me to continue my special bond with him through Triby, that I have with my daughter through her cellphone. And Triby gives him a sense of control that he can reach me whenever he needs to.
Alexa, though a novelty at first, is becoming more useful as I learn how to use it to make my life easier. I can even use Alexa to text people using a 3rd party extension called SMS with Molly, that I found within the “Skills” section of the Alexa app. And because the Alexa Voice Service is in the cloud, new skills are added each week to enhance the experience.
How do you communicate with your kids when you are away from home?
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Very interesting! I’ll have to look into one of these! Thanks!
Yes, the Triby is great for communicating with younger kids, it’s been very helpful.