February 3, 2005
Not Just for Emergencies Anymore
Encouraged by new calling plans, the elderly are increasingly viewing the cellphone not as a device for emergencies but as an everyday convenience, reports the NY Times.
"The cellphone, once viewed by older people solely as a device for use in emergencies, is becoming an everyday convenience. Encouraged by inexpensive calling plans, older Americans are using cellphones to call their grandchildren at college, or to set up a bridge game at their retirement community.
Half of Americans ages 65 to 74 own mobile phones, according to the Yankee Group, a technology research firm, as do 30 percent of those 75 to 84.
The increase in cellphone use among older Americans is coming despite, not because of, the wireless industry. Carriers make little effort to appeal to older customers, directing most of their marketing efforts to younger people who are more likely to use (and pay for) extra features like text messaging and voice mail. Indeed, older consumers often complain that all those features - accessible on ever-smaller phones with tiny keys - leave them confused."
Related articles on cellphones targeted to the elderly
-- A cell phone for grandparents - Swiss mobile operator Orange launches a cell phone for the elderly, with just three colored buttons, called Mobi-Click.
-- Phones For Young and Old in South Korea - Korean Carriers have started to sell phones designed for the most overlooked demographics: the very young and the very old.
-- «The Elderphone» - Click Senior-Tel is a full-blown GSM phone for the elderly and confused - with just three buttons.
-- Start-up launches easy-to-use mobile phone - Mobi-Click is generating excitement with its new range of phones that work using just three button.
-- Seniors to be offered S`911-only' cell phones - Cell phones that dial only 911 will be given free to seniors in unincorporated Palm Beach County.
-- Finding the Right Handset For Older Cellphone Users - Currently, seniors make up about 15% of overall cellphone users".
-- Simplified Phones for the Elderly - Mobile telematics company Benefon launches a new cell phone called «Benefon Seraph», it's meant to be a "guardian angel" phone. Ultra simplified with only 3 buttons, it allows for direct dialing to predefined numbers.
-- Verilocation - A mobile phone tracker, Verilocation pinpoints a cell user's wherabouts. It is also expected to be of interest to domestic users; anyone who needs to locate someone such as an elderly relative travelling away from home, small children out on their own...
-- Donated phones can help seniors - Senior centers in Michigan are asking the community for phone donations to better arm elderly people during an emergency.
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