Simple Phones for the Ederly: AT&T Z221 GoPhone

Let focus on a simple cell phone on the second post for 2012. This time we will look at another basic mobile phone from AT&T's prepaid phones line-up.

The GoPhone portfolio has been a steady source senior-friendly mobile phones. But that's not surprising since the line-up is made up of prepaid phones with simple features. You wont find any fancy expensive smartphones in this group. For this post we will look at the AT&T Z221 GoPhone, a handset that is made by ZTE. We will look at the features that make it a suitable device for seniors.

Let's begin with the design. One look at this handset will tell you that is a basic clamshell phone. There are no part that slide from beneath its body. You simply open it up tp to make calls or send messages. Here are some images that provide views to the different angles of its body. Take a good look.

It's easy to see how this device fits the needs of seniors. It's uncomplicated, direct to the point, and easy-to-use.

Let's break down the details for its design. The outer display is small but it shows important information such as the time, battery, and signal strength without the need of opening the handset. The internal QVGA display measures 2 inches with 320x240 pixels and is pretty much standard for a cell phone for seniors.

The keyboard comes with large buttons but they are a bit flushed. They are separated but not as much as we would like. The numbers are large so folks would have no problem with dialing numbers. Dialing by feel though is not very easy.

Now what are the senior friendly features offered by the AT&T Z221 GoPhone? Well, it's a hearing aid compatible (M3/T4) phone, which makes it usable for seniors with hearing difficulties. This phone also comes with the carrier's pay-as-you-go service so users will not need to worry about contracts, credit checks, or deposits. It's a flexible plan that is cheap.

But this phone actually comes with some decent features despite being such a simple mobile device. For instance, it offers a basic camera that can record video. It also ships with Bluetooth connectivity (version 2.1), 3G, e-mail, and access to social networking sites. Now, these are not essential features for seniors but its nice to have them on your affordable phone.

The AT&T Z221 GoPhone is being offered for $39.99 without a contract so it's within reach of senior users.

That's it for this cello phone for senior citizens. Stay tuned as we feature more phones every week.