July 16, 2026 - Kivo Daily

Thirty-Three Voices and One Message in Voices of Oncology

Kivo Daily Staff on July 16, 2026

By Jordan Jerome

Cancer does not care about organizational charts or departmental budgets or the professional boundaries that separate pharmaceutical executives from academic researchers from patient advocates from healthcare innovators. It has been exploiting those boundaries for decades, thriving in the gaps between the people who should be working together and too often aren’t. Kirk V. Shepard and Ramin Farhood built their entire careers understanding that dynamic, and Voices of Oncology is their most concentrated and most publicly accessible articulation of what it looks like when the right people finally decide to work differently.

Why Thirty-Three Perspectives Strengthen the Picture of Cancer Care

The book is structured around exclusive interviews with thirty-three contributors from across oncology, and that structural choice is itself an argument. By giving distinct chapters to distinct voices rather than folding everything into a single authoritative narrative, Shepard and Farhood demonstrate the very principle they advocate. The picture of cancer treatment becomes more complete and more actionable when more perspectives are genuinely included rather than filtered through one editorial lens. The accumulation of those perspectives builds as the book progresses, each chapter adding texture to a challenge no single expert could map alone.

The range of that accumulation is what makes the reading experience engaging. The contributors Shepard and Farhood assembled bring scientific expertise alongside patient advocacy, cultural competency, work on diversity and inclusion, pharmaceutical leadership, and the kind of lived experience clinical data can never fully capture. The book states plainly that oncology is being reshaped by scientific advancement and, just as much, by societal and cultural forces that redefine what it takes to bring new therapies to patients. That attention to the human and social dimensions of cancer care gives the book a fullness that purely technical treatments of the subject tend to lack.

The Experience Kirk Shepard and Ramin Farhood Bring to Oncology

Shepard brings thirty years of pharmaceutical work to the project, including roles at Boehringer Ingelheim, Takeda, and Eisai, along with the institutional perspective of someone who cofounded and led the Medical Affairs Professional Society. Farhood adds more than twenty-five years of experience in patient-centric medical strategy and the credibility of helping bring the first gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy to patients. Together, they shape a conversation that reflects both what the field knows and an honest accounting of where it still needs to go.

Who Should Read Voices of Oncology

This is a book for everyone in oncology who has ever felt the frustration of progress slowed by fragmentation, and for everyone outside it who wants to understand why the cure for cancer is taking as long as it is and what would need to change for that to be different. Shepard and Farhood have made that understanding both accessible and urgent, and in doing so, they have created something that matters beyond the considerable achievement of the book itself.

If you are ready to understand why cancer progress has been slower than the science alone would suggest and what the most credible minds in oncology believe needs to change, Voices of Oncology by Kirk V. Shepard and Ramin Farhood is waiting for you on Amazon. Pick up your copy and step inside the most important conversation happening in cancer care right now.

Pinwheel Home Launches Wi-Fi Kids Phone

Kivo Daily Staff 2 on July 16, 2026

Pinwheel has introduced Pinwheel Home, a Wi-Fi voice-only phone for children ages 5 to 10. The device gives parents control over contacts, calling schedules, and restrictions while excluding texting, social media, and web browsing.

Key Takeaways

Pinwheel launched Pinwheel Home as a voice-only Wi-Fi phone for children ages 5 to 10.
Parents can approve contacts, review call activity, establish calling hours, and block unwanted calls.
The Spark model is listed at $68, while the Classic model is listed at $79.
Calls between Pinwheel Home devices are free through the Pinwheel Circle plan.
Paid plans for calling external phone numbers begin at $6.99 per month.

Pinwheel launched Pinwheel Home as a screen-free communication device for children who may not be ready for their own smartphone. The product uses a home Wi-Fi connection and does not require a telephone jack or conventional landline service.

The device focuses on voice calls rather than texting, apps, social media, or internet browsing. Parents manage its contacts and calling settings through the company’s Caregiver Portal.

The July 14, 2026, launch expands Pinwheel’s product lineup beyond its existing smartphones and smartwatch for children. It also gives families another option for introducing independent communication before providing a child with a mobile device.

Pinwheel Home Expands the Company’s Device Lineup

Pinwheel describes Pinwheel Home as a modern version of the household telephone. Children can use it to call approved friends and family members without borrowing a parent’s phone or accessing a screen.

The device is intended primarily for children ages 5 to 10. Pinwheel positions it as an introductory communication product rather than a replacement for its smartphones or smartwatch.

Pinwheel Home remains in a fixed location and connects through a household Wi-Fi network. This separates it from the company’s mobile products while allowing parents to manage the devices through the same Caregiver Portal.

The release also takes a different approach to annual phone innovation. Rather than adding more applications and screen features, Pinwheel has limited the product to a specific function.

A Voice-Only Design Limits Smartphone Features

Pinwheel Home supports direct voice communication without including the features generally associated with a smartphone.

Children cannot use the device to browse the internet, access social media feeds, download applications, or exchange text messages. Its core functions include calling, speed dial, and voicemail.

The company maintains that the limited design gives children a way to practice telephone conversations and make plans with approved contacts. Parents remain responsible for deciding who can communicate with the child and when calls may take place.

Because the device works over Wi-Fi, families do not need to install a telephone line. The design retains the recognizable handset format of a traditional home phone while using an internet connection to place calls.

Two Models Offer Different Designs

Pinwheel Home is available in Spark and Classic versions.

The Spark model is listed at $68. It has a smaller handset and is available in white, black, blue, and purple.

The Classic model is listed at $79. It uses a retro-style handset, includes customizable stickers, and is available in pink, black, and white.

Both models provide the same central communication and caregiver-management functions. Their primary differences involve their exterior design, handset style, and available colors.

Pinwheel Home is available through the company’s website. Amazon availability is expected in fall 2026.

Parental Controls Define Who Can Call

Parents manage Pinwheel Home through the company’s Caregiver Portal. The platform allows caregivers to approve contacts before a person can place or receive calls through the device.

Pinwheel states that unknown callers, spam calls, and robocalls can be blocked. Parents can also review incoming and outgoing call activity, including calls that were blocked or completed.

The portal allows parents to establish calling hours and restrict access during selected periods. This gives families control over when the device can be used without requiring a parent to supervise every call.

The emphasis on one managed household function reflects a broader shift toward purpose-built home technology designed around a defined consumer need.

The same caregiver platform can manage Pinwheel Home alongside the company’s other products. Contacts can also be synchronized between supported devices.

Calling Plans Determine External Access

Pinwheel offers a free calling option and two paid monthly plans.

The free Pinwheel Circle plan allows calls between Pinwheel Home devices. It also includes parent-approved contacts and access to emergency calling.

Families who need to reach conventional telephone numbers must select a paid plan.

Monthly Plans Add External Numbers

The Friends and Family plan costs $6.99 per month. It allows calls between Pinwheel Home devices and up to five external telephone numbers.

The Unlimited plan costs $9.99 per month. It allows calls to Pinwheel Home devices and external numbers without the five-contact limit.

Both paid plans include a full 10-digit telephone number. Devices using the free Pinwheel Circle plan receive a shorter Pinwheel Code for communication with other Pinwheel Home users.

Parents do not need to choose a paid plan when purchasing the device. Pinwheel states that families can begin with the free service and upgrade through the caregiver system later.

Planned Updates Connect the Wider Product Line

Pinwheel has said that future software updates will add more communication options to Pinwheel Home.

Planned features include group or three-way calling and greater compatibility with the company’s smartphones and smartwatch. The company currently allows parents to manage its products through one caregiver account and synchronize approved contacts.

Pinwheel also plans to connect Pinwheel Home more closely with its wearable devices. The intended setup would allow children to use a home-based phone and a mobile device at different stages or in different settings.

These functions remain planned developments rather than currently available features. Pinwheel has not provided a firm release date for each update.

Pinwheel Home Creates a Step Before Smartphones

Pinwheel Home occupies the space between having no personal communication device and receiving a full smartphone.

Its usefulness will depend on a family’s communication needs, the number of approved contacts, and whether external calling is required. Families also need an active Wi-Fi connection for the device to operate.

The free calling option may suit households where several friends or relatives use Pinwheel Home devices. Families who need calls to conventional numbers will need to include the monthly subscription cost in their decision.

Pinwheel Home does not attempt to provide the flexibility of a smartphone. Instead, it offers voice communication, parent-managed contacts, and calling schedules in a fixed home device designed for younger children.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Pinwheel Home?

Pinwheel Home is a Wi-Fi voice-only phone designed primarily for children ages 5 to 10. It allows children to make and receive approved calls without providing access to social media, texting, apps, or internet browsing.

Does Pinwheel Home Require a Landline?

No. Pinwheel Home connects through a household Wi-Fi network and does not require a telephone jack, cable connection, or conventional landline service.

What Parental Controls Does Pinwheel Home Include?

Parents can approve contacts, establish calling hours, review call activity, and block unknown or unwanted callers through the Caregiver Portal. The same portal can manage other supported Pinwheel devices.

How Much Does Pinwheel Home Cost?

The Spark model is listed at $68, while the Classic model is listed at $79. The free Pinwheel Circle plan supports calls between Pinwheel Home devices, while external calling plans cost $6.99 or $9.99 per month.

Can Pinwheel Home Call Smartphones and Regular Phones?

Yes, but calls to external telephone numbers require a paid plan. The $6.99 plan supports up to five external numbers, while the $9.99 plan provides unlimited external calling.

Day: July 16, 2026

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