Cell Phones for Seniors: The Affordable Samsung t259 from T-Mobile

The Samsung Galaxy S II is the talk of the town this week but that is not a device that would work for most seniors. The elderly needs a more modest device that is very good at what it can do: make calls.

Well, let's talk about another Samsung mobile phone with a much lower price and a lot less complicated and fussy features. The Samsung t259 from T-Mobile is a much better fit for seniors because it comes with basic features, a cheap price tag, and solid performance. Let's look at the elements that make it a good mobile phone for senior citizens.

The Samsung t259 sports a classic flip design with dual color displays. The internal screen measures 2.2-inch, which is a good size for seniors who may have weak vision. This display features a 240x320-pixel QVGA resolution that looks appropriately bright and sharp. Seniors will have little problems with this screen because the numbers are large when the user is dialing and one can adjust the size of the font to make it easier on the eyes.

But what about the keypad? The t259 also provides a key pad that is suitable for the elderly. The keys are not fully separated but they are ideal for senior users who want easy-to-see and easy-to-press keys. The navigation buttons for this phone are also user-friendly because they have good size.

Now let's discuss performance where it really matters. How does this device perform when making calls? Reviewers indicate that the handsets performed well on both sides of the lines. The voices from the speaker sound natural and loud. The sound clarity is good and one will not notice any background noise, feedback, or digital distortion.

At the time this article was published, the T-mobile website is offering the t259 for $29.99 with a 2-year contract.