Aaron Crowe
RedwoodAge.com
With their eyesight not what it used to be, many boomers find it hard to use all the complicated features on the new generation of mobile phones.
Instead, they've become the target of two new phones with large display screens and fewer frills.
Doro, a phone design company from Sweden, has started selling phones with large, easy-to-view display screens and keypads that were designed by experts in ergonomics. Gone are the extras that many cell phone users want. No digital cameras or MP3 players on these phones.
"Many senior citizens still believe that mobile phones are difficult to use with complicated functions and therefore are reluctant to buy new ones," said Doro CEO Jerome Arnaud.
"In contrast to other mobile phones on the market, we carefully design our phones according to the needs of active seniors and combine ergonomic demands with functions and simplicity," he said. "Baby boomers and active seniors don't have to adapt their lives to our technology, we've already adapted it to their needs."
The idea of better cell phones for older people isn't new. In 2005 a Czech company reported receiving more than 100,000 orders for a new cell phone for the elderly that was extra large and supposed to be easier to use than a conventional cell phone. The phone looked like a conventional desktop phone, so the idea of carrying it around like a cell phone seems silly.
Samsung's Jitterbug Dial, by comparison, is bulky for a cellphone but has features designed for the elderly. They include: A soft rubber cushion around the speaker that can accommodate hearing aids, an actual dial tone when the phone is opened. It has no real menu to navigate but instead has yes or no buttons that guide users through questions. An operator can also be used to place calls.
Vodaphone also marketed a phone in Europe that featured larger numbers on the keypad and bigger characters on the screen. It made phone calls, and that's about it.
Doro's HandleEasy 330gsm is much fancier. It features a high-contrast color screen, text messaging, FM radio, a variety of ringers, a speakerphone, and access to phone directories stored on the user's SIM card.
The HandleEasy 326i gsm features a larger keypad, four prominently positioned speed-dial buttons, a phone directory, speakerphone and a special coating that creates an easy-grip surface on the entire phone. They are the company's first products available in the United States.
The Doro phones are currently available at all Centennial Wireless retail stores, but only in six states.
