One of the hardest things about having children separated by distance from their grandparents, or other close relatives, is the inability to have meaningful, extended, or fun connections with the loved ones they infrequently see in person. Technology like Facetime is helpful, but we’ve all been there and experienced the stilted, abbreviated conversations that often consist of nothing more than “Hi,” “Fine,” and “Bye.” The creators of Kinoo have obviously been there and done that. So they decided to put their heads together to create a revolutionary, innovative, and exciting solution for connecting family members on a whole new level. Using either iPhones or iPads loaded with the Kinoo app, face-to-face calls are much more than conversations; they are true interactions. Play, fun, and exploration time with Kinoo are just a click away. Calls come through just like regular video calls but through the Kinoo app. The child’s magic wand (included in their package) lights up and offers prompts and feedback. There are so many options; it’s a remarkable cornucopia of games, puzzles, activities and discoveries that await each call. Our parent testers acknowledged that there was a bit of a learning curve for some technophobe older parents, but the payoff…Wow! Kids from 3 to 7 were actually excited to call (and receive calls from) their grandparents! One truly inspired feature is only seen on the grandparent side. During gameplay, an occasional prompt will pop up on their screen with suggestions for questions or topics to raise with the little one. This helps deepen the connection and enhances the time spent together. The smiles and sheer joy that Kinoo sparked among our testers were described as priceless. After the kids went to bed, many distant relatives reached out again to tell their grown children how memorable and magical the experience was.