As smartphones become increasingly integrated into daily life, many parents are giving their children phones at very young ages for communication and safety. Because of this, children’s developing brains are often exposed to content specifically engineered to grab their attention, as well as other safety risks that come with having unrestricted access to the wider internet if the parent is not tech-savvy enough to set up the appropriate guardrails.
With Raffia, we aim to provide a simpler alternative to the smartphone geared at late elementary to middle schoolers—it does not connect to the internet, but remains customizable and fun, as well as retaining communication with the parent in case of a real emergency. We aim to emulate PalmOS to provide a more minimalistic, PDA-like feel, while also allowing parents to download custom apps and games from websites like PalmDB. Additionally, the device will use LoRa (long range) radio technology to provide connectivity to areas that may not be covered well by cellular networks.