AllThingsD » GreatCall Inc.

Loud-and-Clear Mobile Calls for Seniors

Katherine Boehret — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 02:44:06 +0000

My grandmother, a college graduate and former reference librarian, recently walked out of an electronics store in frustration. She compared the techie conversations that were going on around her with people speaking in a different language. And she isn’t alone.

Though it isn’t always obvious, the technology industry sees senior citizens as a target demographic — especially where cellphones are concerned. Mobile phones could act as valuable lifelines in health-related situations and, at the very least, provide an easier way for relatives to keep in touch. Major cellphone carriers offer models that they say are easier for seniors to use thanks to big buttons and large screen fonts. But some companies go a step further. GreatCall Inc., for example, designed its Jitterbug cellphone specifically to appeal to non-techies, including — but not limited to — senior citizens. It shirks phone extras like Internet access for simplicity and includes a concierge service that does things like remotely adding numbers to the phone so users don’t have to do it.

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This week, I took a look at a cellphone that was designed specifically for senior citizens: the ClarityLife C900. It’s the first cellphone from Clarity (clarityproducts.com), a division of Plantronics Inc. (PLT) that specializes in telephony (landlines and other products) for people with hearing loss. The cellphone incorporates features that are useful for someone who may be hard of hearing or using a hearing aid.

The C900 is a bulky slider phone with a top half that slides up, revealing a number keypad below; number keys each measure a half-inch square. This might be a deterrent for seniors who want their phone to look hip or slip easily into a pocket. But Clarity says the phone’s deliberately large size makes it easier to hold and use, and accommodates a roomy 2.5-inch screen.

I found the C900 relatively easy to navigate with sensible on-screen commands, though there were a few times when I couldn’t back out of a screen and had to close the slider to start over. Friends’ voices sounded loud and full when heard through this cellphone, though it lacks a speakerphone, which my grandparents could use for calling relatives and singing “Happy Birthday” together.

The $270 ClarityLife C900 has oversized buttons and a red emergency button on the back that, when pressed, calls five contacts.

The C900 costs $270 — a steep price because it’s “unlocked,” or not tied to any one carrier, but according to Clarity’s research, senior citizens don’t like to get into long-term contracts like two-year deals. This unlocked model will work on any GSM network, like T-Mobile or AT&T (T), but buyers must take the phone to a carrier’s store to get it set up and working. The phone also could be added as one of the lines in an existing family plan.

People who would rather save money than avoid contracts can get the ClarityLife for $185 tied into a one-year service deal with T-Mobile. These monthly service prices range from $19 pay-as-you-go (20 cents a minute) to $99 for unlimited calling.

The hearing-related features on this cellphone include a 20-decibel speaker and a way to notify people of incoming calls using simultaneous ringing, vibrating and a flashing green light. All the buttons on the device make loud noises, including those that control volume. The C900 is also hearing-aid-compliant, meaning it won’t cause static interference when held up to an ear with a hearing aid.

The C900 has a large, red button on its back side that, when enabled and pressed, automatically calls and/or sends text messages to a list of five emergency contacts until it reaches someone. These contacts are notified via an automatic dialing system and must press “0″ when they answer to accept the emergency call so the system knows that a real person picked up, instead of a voicemail or answering machine. Five postcards with instructions come with this phone, and can be mailed to emergency contacts so they know what to do if they receive an emergency call from the C900 phone. Users could potentially add “911″ to their list of emergency callers.

Most people will likely use the C900 in its closed slider position, revealing just four buttons at a time. These oversized buttons can scroll through contacts, call friends and end calls. A feature called “Top 10″ lets users add their 10 most frequently called numbers in the order they prefer, which is a refreshing change from the alphabetical listing that most phones use.

The C900 accepts and sends SMS, or text messages, and comes loaded with nine canned text messages including the ominous, “I don’t have much time.” An extremely loud chime sounds when messages are received or sent.

Other helpful features include a hard button on the phone’s top edge that opens an alarm-clock function, and a button for an ultra-bright, built-in flashlight. This could come in handy, though it must be held down to stay on.

Clarity says that the C900′s battery life lasts for three hours of talk time or 150 hours in standby, and that it takes one hour to fully charge after the phone’s first-time-use four-hour charge. I left my fully charged C900 powered off for a couple weeks and it still had a full charge when I turned it back on again. This could be really helpful for people who forget to charge their phone, but want to grab it to take along on a trip.

A phonebook entry titled “Customer Care” comes preprogrammed on all ClarityLife C900s. This number is answered by Clarity’s customer-service team, people who are trained to consider a caller’s specific issues, such as hearing or memory loss. The representatives speak slowly, avoid tech jargon, and can use an amplifier to make their voices louder and easier to hear.

The ClarityLife C900 is expensive, but this phone’s hearing-targeted features will be appreciated by many seniors, as will its oversized buttons and easy-to-hold size and shape.

Write to Katherine Boehret at mossbergsolution@wsj.com

Simplifying the Cellphone Experience

Walter S. Mossberg and Katherine Boehret — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 00:01:00 +0000

You own a cellphone, but someone else added the names and numbers stored in it. You don’t keep your phone turned on, nor do you think to charge it regularly. Your voicemail was set up by one of your kids or grandchildren, and you don’t know how to check it. You begged the cellphone salesperson to sell you the most basic phone.

If you’re nodding as you read this, either personally relating to the challenges of using a cellphone or on behalf of someone you know, you’re not alone. Many people — especially baby boomers and their parents — feel anxious about using these increasingly complicated gadgets. These people are usually smart and capable, but just don’t know their way around a cellphone.

The OneTouch Jitterbug cellphone has three large buttons.

This week, we tested two new cellphones and a new cellphone service designed to address this problem, by placing simplicity and ease-of-use first. These $150 phones are called Jitterbugs, and they come from a Del Mar, Calif., company called GreatCall Inc. Its phones are physically and functionally different, emphasizing easy navigation with large buttons and simple menus. And its service includes an operator who acts as a concierge, optionally placing calls for you and even remotely adding numbers to your phone’s contact list.

We found using the Jitterbugs to be a little challenging at first because we’re more accustomed to the myriad of menus, buttons and shortcuts in our more complex cellphones. But we soon became comfortable with the Jitterbugs’ straightforward style and helpful operator/concierge.

We did miss some of the features that come standard in regular cellphones, like a battery indicator on the main screen that tells how much juice remains. (This information is only visible on a separate page in the menu.) And, while GreatCall has introduced simple calling plans to go with the Jitterbug phones, these plans are a bit pricey when compared with some plans offered by the big carriers. GreatCall is a small phone carrier that relies on roaming agreements with major cellphone carriers to handle most of its calls.

The company says the service is best for people who are light or moderate users. Monthly or yearly plans are available; buying a yearly plan includes a phone. The monthly plans cost as little as $10 for an “SOS” plan with no included minutes (these cost 35 cents each) and top out at $40 for 300 minutes. The same plans cost $244 and $569 when purchased in annual packages. Extra chunks of time can be purchased at $25 for 100 minutes, or a whopping 25 cents a minute. Each call to the operator includes a free minute of talk time but instantly deducts five minutes from your plan, in addition to the time you spend on the call over one minute.

Jitterbug phones come in two models: OneTouch and Dial. Both are white, clamshell phones made by Samsung that are a little larger than typical cellphones so as to feel more comfortable when you’re holding them. They each come with an ear cushion; GreatCall says this reduces outside noise.

OneTouch has just three large buttons where a numeric keypad would be; these are labeled Operator, My Choice, and 911 by default (but can be changed). The Dial model has a numeric keypad with large buttons that are easy to press. Yes and No buttons take the place of Send and End, and questions appear on-screen to walk you through how to use a Jitterbug phone.

When you order a phone from the Jitterbug Web site www.jitterbug.com, you tell GreatCall the names and phone numbers that you’d like programmed into your phone’s address book. These numbers come preloaded on your phone and are also kept in your profile with GreatCall so that at any time, you can ask the operator to make a call for you using one of those numbers instead of finding it in the phone yourself.

We tested both phones, finding the OneTouch to be a simpler solution for those who want as little confusion as possible, but it bugged us not having a keypad to dial a number. The first time we opened each of the phones, we were startled to hear a sound completely foreign to cellphones: a dial tone. An on-screen message asked if we wanted to use the phone’s voice-recognition feature; this works without any training.

We found the reception on our Jitterbugs to be somewhat fuzzy compared with our regular Verizon service.

We tested the operator feature by pressing Operator on the OneTouch phone or “0″ on the Dial phone, and a live person picked up right away. In one instance, we asked the operator to dial our office number for us, and he put us right through. Another time, we called the operator to add a number to our GreatCall database.

On Monday, GreatCall will be able to remotely add numbers to its phones using a Short Message Service (SMS) technology. For now, OneTouch phone owners can’t do this on their own, but Dial owners can add names and numbers to their phones using a smart step-by-step process that was easier than that of a regular cellphone.

Setting up and checking voicemail works by following simple audible directions. Instead of pressing numbers to delete or save messages, you can just say “Yes” or “No” to vocal prompts, or press those buttons on the phone. And no four-digit password is required.

Your cellphone number is printed on a sticker just below the phone’s screen. This screen never goes dark when left opened, allowing you time to read menu prompts. But this always-on screen also affects the Jitterbug battery life, which the company estimates will last for an unremarkable three hours of talk time.

In early 2007, Jitterbug will start offering a Web site that you or others can access to input names and numbers that will show up on the cellphone. Other features, such as the ability to get digital photos on a Jitterbug cellphone, will also be offered. But GreatCall wants to focus on simplifying cellphone features for now.

Whether you like it or not, cellphones are already a big part of many people’s lives, and are quickly becoming a part of yours. Instead of feeling helpless, we suggest trying a Jitterbug. These phones aren’t perfect, but they’re much easier to understand, and the operator service is a built-in helper.

Email: MossbergSolution@wsj.com.