Mobile Technology

Emporia Elegance and Solid handsets designed for seniors

Emporia Elegance and Solid handsets designed for seniors
The Emporia Elegance (left) and Solid handsets have been designed for seniors and mobility impaired users who have their own special set of requirements
The Emporia Elegance (left) and Solid handsets have been designed for seniors and mobility impaired users who have their own special set of requirements
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The Emporia Elegance (left) and Solid handsets have been designed for seniors and mobility impaired users who have their own special set of requirements
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The Emporia Elegance (left) and Solid handsets have been designed for seniors and mobility impaired users who have their own special set of requirements

Austrian mobile phone-manufacturer Emporia has released two new models - the Elegant and the Solid - at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The new handsets add to the company’s range aimed at seniors, mobility impaired users and other groups who primarily just wan to make and receive calls. Both feature a high contrast OLED 1.8-inch screen, a magnifying function that lets you enlarge the characters on screen, large buttons, and an extra loud speaker that is compatible with hearing aids.

The Solid is a ruggedized model is suited to tradespeople and active users because it’s water-resistant and doesn’t mind getting dirty. Plus its large buttons are well-suited to gloved hands or builders’ bulky digits.

Emporia says its research shows that what senior citizens want in a mobile phone is the ability to make phone calls, around 85 percent save phone numbers and 78 percent send SMS messages. All other functions are used by barely half of all those surveyed, which included new users of mobile phones, people with impaired motor function, and people who were overwhelmed by the multiple functions of conventional mobile phones. Apart from an “intuitive menu”, the phones have anther couple of useful features - the phonebook in Emporia mobile phones can be maintained remotely via SMS and phonebook entries can be sent to Emporia users via SMS. A desktop charger with integrated hands-free kit enables one-touch call pickup. The Elegance handset will be available around Q2 this year and the Solid will follow in Q3.

The Solid handset will retail for €199 (US$272 approx), the Elegant is a bit cheaper at €129 (US$176).

3 comments
3 comments
Rafael
Fantastic! The older folks really need a cell phone that is very simple to use and present essential featuresâ€"no built-in cameras or web browserâ€"just a plain phone that can be used for calling and texting. I am glad that Austrians can enjoy such kind of phone.
Of course, my fellow old Americans have a reason to rejoice as well. The availability of Just5 phone o our native land is also a fantastic thing for the elderly and technophobes. Just like Emporia, Just5 phone is designed to perfectly meet the needs of the seniors. It is designed with clear and big keypad. It has louder volume. Best of all, it can be used both as a cell phone and an emergency response device as well.
There are a lot of stuffs that Just5 phone can actually brag, I believe though that what will make the old Americans shout in glee is the fact that such a valuable phone is only being offered for $119.9 without a contract. Well, Emporia cell phone models are known to be pricey anyway so Americans are truly blessed with Just5 phone.
christopher
Bleah.
People smoke, get cancer, then years later wish like anything they\'d never started the filthy habit in the first place.
This is another suicidal habit - dumb 21st century phones. Sure - users won\'t literally die (maybe; is there an App for that?), but sure as cancer - they will cling to their last-century fad then discover in the coming years that they\'ve committed social suicide and sentenced themselves to an ever perpetuating ignorance by avoiding every opportunity that this unique accessory grants to modern life.
These things should be as welcome as cigarette packets in candy stores.
SHAME on the capitalist pigs who seek to ruin the quality of life for the very class of people who most desperately need the core human contact granted by modern smartphones.
Just because you can scam idiots into paying you money for something that\'s bad for them, does not mean you should be ruining their future and going ahead doing that.
I honestly wish Emporia the swiftest of deaths they deserve from this absolutely anti-social and ridiculous idea.
coryatjohn
christopher,
You should hope you don\'t live long enough to experience old age. You obviously have no idea what people past age 70 have to deal with.
Good luck and perhaps maybe one day you\'ll understand.