Cell Phones for Seniors

More features, fewer features, or smarter features?

Don't get me wrong. I love my BlackBerry. Really for no reason except that it fairly reliably buzzes wherever I am so that I can read emails, 80% of which are basically junk. This makes me a true junkie, I guess. Otherwise, my PC is vastly preferable, with its big screen, connected to the fiber that I am lucky enough to have connected to my house. My cheap cell phone is a (slightly) better phone and doesn't make me feel like I am talking on a calculator.

Are smart phones smart for older people? Which got me thinking about smart and not-so-smart phones triggered by an article mentioning the touch screen HTC Hero Android smart phone. The 63-year-old interviewed likes the touch screen and the keyboard for texting with her grandchildren, and she appreciates the bar code scanner for in-store price comparison. She didn't mention voice quality—hopefully, she uses the headphone jack so she doesn't feel like she's talking on a calculator. And she says: "I'm retired for seven years, so I have the time and patience to play with all the stuff on the phone." Thankfully.

Not-so-smart cell phones have "apps." Now let's think about the so-called apps available for dumb cell phones, as described today in the New York Times, including: "puzzle games, a mobile e-mail application, a navigation application and an instant-messaging client, YouTube, Tetris, the restaurant locator Urbanspoon and a range of expense-tracking and calorie-counting apps." Hmm, what age group do you think they're targeting?

The Japanese are making a smarter "dumb" cell phone. Now let's look at a Japanese cell phone feature list and wonder why no US manufacturer or distributor has duplicated the features of the Fujitsu Raku-Raku (Simple to Use) phone. After you take a look at this list, think about the Doro, the Jitterbug, the Samsung Knack. It's all about big buttons. The Clarity, all about amplification. Hmm. Think about the creativity of cell phone marketers targeting kids. You know, the teenagers who text with their eyes closed.

Shouldn't cell phones be as smart and simple as the Raku-Raku to serve a large boomer/senior market in the United States that is not getting what it needs from smart and dumb phone choices? And maybe our wise-guy smart phones are too smart to be really useful for those who may be getting older and having a bit of trouble with vision or hearing, or with swiping touch screens or manipulating small-buttoned keyboards.

But I suppose smart and dumb cell markets will converge soon. As they do, I’m hoping they'll pick up a few of these Raku-Raku capabilities, as described by Fujitsu (some of these are in BlackBerry and iPhone apps today):

1. Super-Clear Voice 3 and Super-Double Microphone: "Super-Clear Voice 3" noise detection automatically adjusts the volume of the other caller's voice according to the surrounding noise level, making the Raku-Raku easy to hear even in a crowded environment. The phone's "Super-Double Microphone" feature automatically detects when users are in a noisy place and suppresses background noise to ensure that their voice is transmitted clearly.
2. Open Assist for easy one-handed opening: The feature to open the phone at the touch of a button has become much easier to use. It can also be closed halfway to allow users to conveniently view TV.
3. Light Indicator Guide showing users how to operate the phone: With blinking buttons and on-screen icons, the improved "Light Indicator Guide" reveals to users the steps they should take to operate the phone, resulting in fewer user mistakes,
4. Smart Map Rotation: The phone comes equipped with "Smart Map Rotation" software that constantly aligns the map with the user's direction of travel. This makes it easier to keep track of your destination, even when visiting a location for the first time. An electronic compass application is also included in the software package, useful for hikers who wish to check the direction of their path.
5. Exercise Monitor to help manage health: Based on the latest health guidelines proposed by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the phone is equipped with an "Exercise Monitor" that makes it easy to track your daily exercise routine. It can distinguish between different levels of physical exertion, such as the difference between walking on a level road or up a hill, significantly increasing its usefulness in preventing lifestyle-related diseases.
6. Slow Voice: Embedded software slows the other person's voice speed, and "Clear Voice" noise detection automatically adjusts voice and ringtone volume according to surrounding noise level. Enhanced "Read Aloud" audibly announces the name of the caller or email sender and provides audio readouts of i-mode™ pages, while "Simple Mail Generation" offers preset messages for quick replies to emails.

By Laurie Orlov
Aging in Place Technology Watch Blog

[Originally posted as “Cell Phones for Older Individuals,” January 4, 2010, at Laurie's Aging in Place Technology Watch Web site.]