ABC's Simple Phones to Enhance Your Health

I stumbled upon an interesting video that features one of the top cell phones for seniors in the market. The video is entitled "Simple Phones to Enhance Your Health" and looks at the Jitterbug J and its health enhancing features. It was aired by ABC's Ahead of the Curve show, a program that looks at gadgets and technology.

I wish that they had also included other phones for the elderly in the video but it is what it is, as they say. Here's the video for your enjoyment:

Jitterbug CEO David Inns discussed the best features of his company's famous phone and its rate plans. He touched upon the phone's simple interface, big buttons, noise reduction technology, and app capability.  He also talked about the apps that can enhance the health of the user such as the health tips, the Live Nurse app, Wellness Call, and emergency personal serve.

The company's connection to the American Heart Association was also mentioned in the clip.

Hopefully, other mobile phones for seniors will gain the attention of big networks and be featured in their high-profile shows.

Stay tuned for other videos, and related post on handset for the elderly and other related topics.

Videos of the Samsung SCH-r100 Senior Phone

The Samsung SCH-r100 or Stunt is one of the underrated cell phones for the elderly. It is not as well-known as the Tracfone SVC, Jitterbug J, or Just5 phone but it can also do a great job of serving the needs of seniors.

Well, the Samsung SCH-r100 is good enough to join the vaunted Jitterbug J at the Greatcall cell phone for seniors line-up. It has all the necessary attributes that make it a good phone for folks who are 65 years and older. For instance, it's cheap at just forty bucks and a powerful speakerphone. It's an easy-to-use device that also comes with 24/7 access to friendly who can provide friendly assistance.

We have already featured this phone so let's not dwell on the details. This post is dedicated to videos so we will give some videos of the Samsung SCH-r100. These clips include unboxing videos, reviews, and video tours.

Here they are! Enjoy:

We hope that those videos can help you to find out if this phone fits your needs. Stay tuned as we feature more phones and post more videos for the elderly.

Tracfone SVC Phone Videos

Let's continue this series of videos for cell phone for seniors with another popular handsets. The Tracfone SVC Phone or Senior Value Phone is one of the rising phones for the elderly. It may not be as well-known as the Jitterbug or offered by a major carrier but word on its value as a phone for seniors is getting around.

The handset is actually the Samsung T155G, a phone that we have already featured in this blog. However, we did not focus on videos for this device so we decided to post a few clips for your enjoyment.

These Tracfone SVC Phone videos are more effective at letting you see the device in action. Unfortunately, we did not find a lot of tutorial or how to videos unlike our post on the Just5 senior phone videos. There are plenty of ads though, but I decided to post user reviews, unboxing videos and one testimonial video from Tracfone.

I don't want to keep you waiting so here are the Senior Value Phone videos:

And I added a few features for you to see this handset in new angles:

That's it for this videos of a mobile phone for seniors. if you want more, then tune in to this site every week. We have fresh content on new phones, plans, and services for the elderly.

The Simple but Effective Nokia 2705 Shade

Let's look at another simple mobile phone released by Nokia. This manufacturer did not release a lot of phones in the US but the handsets that reached the US were mostly simple devices that are ideal for seniors.

This time let us take a look at the Nokia 2705 Shade, which was released by Verizon Wireless. This phone is more than two years old but it is still available via a few retail stores.

The Shade sports a simple design that is geared towards making calls. This is a good fit for senior users who require a cell phone as a device that allows them to commuincate with friends and family on the go. The phone's flip design sports a sleek body that is relatively straight forward. The only negative aspect that I see on this phone is the build quality. It's made out of plastic, which may not survive being dropped and seniors do not have the means to buy a replacement phone every few months.

Is this phone senior-friendly? Well, the 2 inch internal display performs well and users can alter the font size so it scores well in terms of display usability. The keypad is spacious with lighting for dialing in the dark. The buttons are flushed though wich means that users may take some time before getting used to dialing and messaging on this phone.

So what about performance? Tests show that the Nokia 2705 Shade performed well when making calls. We did not experience any major issues while making phone calls. The handset's volume was loud and and the voices sounded natural. These are great attributes for seniors who are hard of hearing. The battery lasts for hours with continuos talking and for up to 15 days while on standby.

The Nokia 2705 Shade also offers the following features:

• up to 1,000 contacts
• 1.3 megapixel camera
• Bluetooth
• VZ Navigator

Here are a few videos that may help you to judge this phone's quality as a cell phone for seniors:

That's it for this post on a mobile phone for the elderly. Stay tuned for more post, pictures and videos of senior-friendly cell phones.

GreatCall Jitterbug J Videos on the Web

A few weeks ago, we posted some tutorial videos for the Just5 simple phone for the elderly. We've gotten some good response from the videos so I decided to post more clips of senior-friendly handsets.

This time we will post videos of the Jitterbug J from GreatCall, one of the most well-known cell phones for senior citizens. But before we post the videos, let me first provide some details on this phone. Of course, you can also read our feature post on the Jitterbug J if you want more details.

The Jitterbug J is currently available for around a hundred bucks and is known for its simplicity. It has a clamshell design with backlit keypad with big buttons for easy dialing and a color screen with large numbers for users with weak eyesight. This phone is also hearing-aid compatible and comes with speakers for loud, clear sound and an emergency feature that can quickly reach a U.S. based, 24-hour operator.

I guess that's more than enough for our background on this phone. Now let's proceed with the videos. Unfortunately, there are no tutorial videos for the Jitterbug J on the web. However, this clips provide plenty of info on this phone and what you see make convince one to get this phone.

Without further ado here are the Jitterbug J Videos:

That's it for this post. Visit us often if you wish to see more videos of the best mobile phones for seniors.

Sprint's Kyocera DuraCore: A Rugged and Simple Push-to-talk Cell Phone

Sprint's new Direct Connect network has a limited number od phones. However, this line-up promises to have a few phones that may be suitable to the needs of the elderly. For example, the Kyocera DuraCore combines rugged and simple features to form a package that might be suitable for senior users.

First let's talk about price since an affordable handset is more suited for the elderly most whom do not have a steady source of income. Sprint is offering this phone for 69.99 with a contract but some retailers like Amazon Wireless offers it for only $0.01. It's a new phone so the price may be lowered in the next few months.

Now let look at the senior-friendly features of this mobile phone. First let's look at the design. The DuraCore sports a clamshell design that has been ruggedized to meet Military Standard 810G. That means that this phone can easily take on damage from dust, shock, vibration, and temperature extremes.

The body of this cell phone for seniors sports a non-slip rubber surface that makes it easier for users to hold it when making calls or sending messages. This is a good features for seniors because some of the elderly have reduced grip strength.

The display of this phone measures 2-inch QVGA TFT display with 240x320-pixel resolution. The screen is bigger than most displays sported by basic phones. It also comes with large font option for menus, which helps users with poor vision. It also comes with an external monochrome screen that displays important information such as the current time, incoming calls, and battery strength.

The keypad for this phone is also user-friendly, which is in line with its simple design. The Kyocera DuraCore has bubbly buttons for soft-key navigation. It's alphanumeric keypad buttons have good size and rise above the surface of the phone. The smooth, rounded edges allows the user to dial by feel.

The other senior-friendly features for this phone include Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free devices, bi-directional speakerphone, and hearing aid compatibility (M4/T4). This phone also supports Sprint's push-to-talk (PTT) service for quick conversations with families, and friends. it's a quick and simple way of communication that is suitable for seniors.

Here are a few videos that feature this phone:

Well, that's it for this post on a Sprint mobile phone for senior citizens. Stay tuned as we feature more phones, plans, services and related topics.

Features that Make Cell Phones Accessible for Seniors

What makes a mobile phone suitable for user who is already 65 years or older? How can you tell if a cell phone will be a good fit for the needs of an elderly person? These are tow of the most common questions asked by people who are looking to purchase a phone for senior citizens.

But what are the answer to these questions? Well, let me give a few features that one should look at when shopping for a cell phone for a senior.

Large Buttons on a Spacious Keypad: a phone should have buttons that are easy to press and highly visible to users who might have weak eyes. There should by good separation between the buttons so that users can dial or compose messages by feel. One should also examine the backlighting of the buttons and see if the labels on the buttons are large enough to be read by elderly users.

Material used for Design: Senior citizens do not have the strongest of grips so a slippery phone will not be ideal. Look carefully at a phone that you are planning to buy and hold it in your hand. It should be comfortable to hold and come with a non-slip grip so that a senior-user will not drop it easily.

Adjustable Screen brightness and Fonts: Since most seniors have less than perfect eyesight, a buyer should pay attention to the display. It should be bright enough to illuminate the information on the screen. It should also have adjustable fonts so users can alter its size to fit their vision. A phone with a small display can still be good for seniors as long as its fonts are big enough to serve users with weak eyesight.

Presence of a Lanyard Pin: Some accessories that aid senior users may require a lanyard pin. For instance, straps and lanyard can allow users to use the phone without holding them. These accessories are useful for users who use canes or walking sticks.

Simple Overall Design: Arguing about the best design for senior users would be a waste of space. Instead, I'll just describe the attributes that one should look for when finding a phone for senior citizens. A phone should have a simple design that does not require complex movements when answering a call. A device with functions that require inching, twisting or rotation of the wrist may not be suited to seniors who have fragile joints.

That's it for the features that make a mobile phone accessible for elderly users. We hope that this information will help you as you search for a good handset for seniors.

Stay tuned for more articles, updates, news and other posts that are related to cell phones for the elderly.

The Emporia RL1 Big-Buttoned Phone for Seniors

It's been awhile since we featured a senior phone from Emporia. This manufacturer is best known for creating the Life phone, which is one of the top cell phones for the elderly. This time we will look at the RL1, a phone that follows in the wake of other senior-friendly phones form Emporia.

The Emporia RL1 is a good mobile phone for seniors because it's a device that has been designed with simplicity and usability in mind. It was built to be a phone for users who mostly want to talk and text with their phones. But that's a general description. Let's go over the facts and figures that makes this handset a good device for the elderly.

Let's begin with the display. The RL1 sports a 1.8 OLED display with 160 x 128 pixels. It's not a Retina display but it gets the job done for folks with weak eyesight. The screen has high contrast so users will easily read the information depicted on the display.

Now let's look at the body of this phone. This mobile phone for seniors comes with a light plastic body with big, chunky buttons. The buttons may look ugly but they are designed to be large so that seniors and other users can dial or compose a text message with ease. The numbers and letters printed on each button are larger than your average phone. This was intended to aid users who may have difficulty seeing small text.

The simplicity of the handset extends to its menu interface. Users will find that it has a minimalistic user interface that allows them to easily navigate the features. They can easily access the phone book, and dialer should they wish to contact a friend or family member.

The Emporia RL1 also comes with a few extra features such as the torch button which activates the bright LED flashlight on the top. It also offers a calculator, a birthday reminder, and a battery that only needs to be charged after several days.

Here are a few videos that feature the Emporia RL1:

That's it for this post. Follow use regularly for more post on mobile phones for senior citizens.

TTY-compatible Cell Phones for Seniors

Hello everyone! I hope that those of you who have been following this blog are having a great week. For the last feature for this week, we will look at a cell phone feature that can serve the needs of seniors and those who have speech and hearing disabilities. It's a feature called TTY or Text Telephone / Teletype Terminal / TeleTYpewriter.

So what is it? TTY is a technology that is designed to cater to the needs of people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired. It allows users to use a cell phone to communicate by enabling them to type text messages.

Now, here's an interesting question. Why is it different from text messaging? Well, TTY is more like text version of a phone call. It's a form of synchronous communication through text.

So how does it work? How can a senior use a TTY-compatible cell phone?

First one needs to connect the handset with a TTY-machine. This is usually done via a headset jack. The TTY machine will then connects to a relay service, which converts incoming speech to text for the person using the TTY. The relay service will then convert the outgoing text from the TTY machine to a spoken voice for the person on the other end of the conversation.

Here are a video that illustrates how it works:

Here here are links to TTY-Compatible cell phones that can help seniors who are hard of hearing:

• TTY compatible mobile phones by CNET
• TTY compatible mobile phones from AT&T
• TTY compatible cell phones from Telus Mobility

We hope that this post can help the elderly and folks who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired. Stay tuned as we feature more cell phones for seniors and related topics.

Image Credit: United TTY

The Simple and Affordable LG1500 from Net10

Let's look at our second phone from Net10, a company that offers prepaid cell phones and services. We featured the LG100C last August so it's about time that we blog about another phone from the same prepaid company. For this post, we will look at the LG1500.

One look at the LG1500 will tell you that it's not a recently released phone. It sports a blocky flip design and it even comes with an external antenna! This simple handsets hails from 2004 when mobile phones were designed primarily to make calls. Most of today's users will probably not give this device a second look but it can still be of value to some folks.

The elderly will be a good fit for the LG1500 because it fulfills two of their most important needs. This Net10 phone is affordable with a prepaid price of $30.00 and it's an easy-to-use phone. Let's delve deeper and look at the factors that make this device a suitable phone for senior citizens.

This handset sports an internal display that measures 1.6 inches diagonally. Yeah, it's pretty small but it comes from a time when large displays were uncommon. Luckily it has 65,000-color support and bright so it's decent. But the font size is not adjustable, which would have great for seniors with weak eyesight.

The display may not be very impressive but the keypad is quite senior-friendly. The keypad's design is clean, simple, and straightforward so even inexperienced senior cell phone users will find it easy to dial.

the simple design of the LG1500 also ensured of great performance when making calls. The external antenna resulted in solid call quality. The sound is clear and the volume is loud. The recipients of our calls have very little complaints when we tested the device.

Here's a list of the features for this cell phone for seniors from Net10:

• MP3 ringtone support
• speakerphone
• external caller ID
• WAP 2.0 with one-touch access button
• 830 mAh Li-Ion battery

An here's a video for the folks who want to see this phone in action:

That's it for this senior mobile phone. Check this blog every week if yopu want to see more post one all things mobile phone for the elderly.

SafeLink Wireless: Free Mobile Phones for Senior Cititzens

I've just came across a program that can be helpful for the elderly. It's a public assistance program called Lifeline from SafeLink Wireless that provides assistance that ensures telephone service is available and affordable for low-income subscribers.

SafeLink Wireless is able to provide assistance to seniors with help from Tracfone (the maker of the SVC) and the Universal Service Fund. The Universal Service Fund subsidy to an allotment of free airtime minutes and TracFone provides the wireless handset.

Seniors can benefit from this program because they can qualify for the free cell phone and minutes from SafeLink Wireless.

The mobile phone for seniors from LifeLine provides some decent perks including voicemail, text, three-way calling, call waiting, caller ID and access to 911.

So who can qualify to receive a mobile hone for seniors plus services from the Lifeline program of SafeLink Wireless? Consumers who participate in a public assistance program such as Food Stamps, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), National Free School Lunch, Federal Housing/Section 8 Assistance. Consumers may also qualify based on total household gross monthly income.

The exact benefits, including the number of free Minutes you will receive, depend on the state that the consumer lives in.

Customers can learn more or apply by calling 1-800-SAFELINK or visiting www.SafeLink.com

Here's a video that adveretises the befenits that SafeLink Wireless can provide to senior users:

That's it for this post. Tune in weekly for more senior-friendly phones and services.