It overlooks this phone easily available, because the description is so poor,
and the special characteristics hardly noticeable.
This mobile phone is somewhat special in that it integrates 3 useful features in it.
- Suitable for seniors: Ergonomics (display, audio, key size and pressure point Menu) tailored to the needs of seniors.
- Emergency call function: It can be called up to 5 addressees after triggering the emergency call automatically in succession.
- Sends the emergency or to request additional GPS-based location messages as SMS.
First: What is that - a "senior mobile"? A cynical answer would be: A marketing phrase that takes the unsuccessful attempt, "his old" to reduce old man upon it, and so ignores decades of individual life story. Admittedly somewhat maliciously, but it illustrates the problem. The limitations and shortcomings that we must all accept ultimately, if we are just old enough to be very individual, and by the way, take younger people.
Of course, deterioration of vision, hearing, or motor skills are often, of course, think old people not in menu structures, but beyond the common ground is also still much room for technical solutions. Every little bit counts, and each individual one device can be adapted to the needs of its user, the higher the performance of the development team must be seen.
The concept:
The idea of offering a "Seniorenhandy" with good feel and operability, which also works as an emergency alarm is actually overdue and in so far as well as a successful concept. Such a cell phone, sent the GPS-based position reports included an additional, pre-configurable text as an SMS, and also establishes a voice connection to up to 5, sequentially called assistants could make this device interesting both as hardware for ancillary services that were previously mainly only fixed network offer home emergency. The approaches for a GSM-based emergency call, which I know so far of the professional providers, are inflexible, reduce a cell phone on the mere emergency functionality, and are also expensive.
This device is seen represent a welcome alternative to such professional services, for people who want to organize an emergency call private.
But finally the phone itself:
Hardware:
It cuts my opinion, from better than the software. Running as a clamshell eliminated before the answer / end call / key lock problem, and seems to be a very good decision to me.
The flashlight feature is also useful and easy to learn - the LED would have certainly allowed to be somewhat stronger.
The spirits could already divorced at the Voice memo function; I myself am quite happy about it.
The basic functions: display legibility, brightness and contrast are very good. The font size (3-stage adjustable) is in the smallest size safe often suitable; in maximum size, it should also be useful for users with visual impairment. Size, pressure point and label the keys, answer, hang up, louder and softer are excellently solved, and (thanks to folding mechanism) intuitively.
The trade-off between size of mobile phones and large enough controls I think succeeded. Even with arthritic finger joints or with mild tremor, the device should be handled relatively well. On the part of ergonomics can I find the hardware side little criticisms.
[Update 3/25/14] The evaluation of this compromise shifts a little by comparison with new models on the general mobile market.
The KX-TU328EXBE is comparatively rather thick and especially very difficult. On the other hand, it has become yet so survived several falls without complaint, which is also due to the folding design that protects the screen well. The mechanism is still working reliably.
Audio:
We would thus audio playback: I can not decide what the cause might be this, but I think everything that has to do with audio, is rather disappointing. Speech intelligibility is less well (dull without connected equalizer function), and also for the called party the transmitted voice quality is not convincing. This criticism also applies to the voice memo feature. In handsfree mode, the speaker tends to rattle sounds and total "tinny". The speakerphone might need a higher gain. A headset is not, consequently, not been tested in the delivery. The suitability for wearers of hearing aids I could not check.
[Update 25/03/14] With a lot of patience and adaptation in different situations, we have now but hammer out a very acceptable sound quality; the relativised my initial criticism after all.
Software / menu structure
Reduced complexity in the operation is certainly good if
but one they bought with reduced functionality which is at best a "second best" solution. I'm talking, of course, not of MP3 players, cameras, and whatever else you can cram everything into a cell phone, but of configuration options that make dealing with the basic functionality, the call up, and the emergency call, easier.
Seniors who was not necessarily lower demands on the Konfigurierbarkeit- but they have others.
So I think z. B. the lack of random, own ring tones, for a real shortcoming. There is nothing more clear than "Peter calls" an audio file ringtone --- and yes, individual entries in the phone's contact memory can be custom ringtones Assign.
All the more incomprehensible it is that one is limited to the Integrated is.
A great pity.
Speaking Ringtones: There are 25 to choose from; none seems discreet enough for SMS reception. Some simple signals, rather shrill synth Classical would be more useful if you can not commit already own sounds. The selection I find not very convincing, seems much too similar, and on the question whether it is appropriate for the target audience, can be also argue sure.
Very good, I like that there is not only when dialing with the number keys the usual key tone as confirmation, but the command can be repeated acoustically. The reading of the number of a caller on the other hand I consider nonsensical.
Who remembers today numbers?
Here you could go one step further, and are provided in the phonebook can be the name, read. There is an "external screen" that displays a treadmill number or name of the call. Not bad, but quite small. Would therefore be better acoustically
In most cases, the "Installer" of the mobile phone will not be the end users. Something already makes times the grandson of grandma or grandpa, perhaps the son or daughter.
The should have been taken into account, for example, by creating at least two user levels, the setter-level password-protected. Something like this should actually be defined from the outset conceptual so.
They would then have the "user menu" "may (setter menu make it even much clearer (free of rarely required configuration options) to simultaneously as opposed to)" without hesitation to establish setter menu "better customization. It think I z. B. to a "real" as the default settable equalizer setting, a just such volume setting, different, predefined alarm SMS texts can be divided into the 5 helpers separated, optional ringtones of course, up to the idea of the definition, which points should appear at all in the "User Menu" to let set by the setter.
So as it is, the menu for the setter is not sufficient to confuse humans. Besides, the hierarchy of the menu structure is anything but intuitive, without the reference table in the manual is a maze.
The alarm function
(Call for help settle up to 5 sequentially called persons, stating the current GPS coordinates)
It was only possible for me to the first of the 5 numbers the GPS coordinates to send automatically. This is clear from the documentation, however, not clear. The 4 following helper can, at best, get the coordinates, if they have been authorized to do so by sending a self-request SMS to the mobile phone.
[Update 25/03/14] We have now a 'real' alarm. It turned out that, contrary to the statement above, but the SMS with Kooridinaten to all helpers automatically goes off. Why it did not work in the initial test, I can not say.
The phone sends the coordinates in the form of a URL to Google Maps, which is contained in an SMS, as well as longitude and latitude specified. Thus landlines from this feature are ausgeschlosssen (usually no SMS receipt) and a helper who receives the emergency message and location-SMS top, should definitely have a smart phone, so that he can also use the link on Google Maps.
A manual re-typing the URL together with the GPS coordinates from the phone into a computer with internet connection I think too many errors and time-consuming.
It consumes a lot of space for the URL, so that the character limit of SMS is quickly reached. This can be the device of course does not hold against; The URL is a good overall solution. One gets a clear marker for the position. The SMS also includes a time stamp. If I have understood correctly (the documentation is silent about completely out), then this should be the time of the last successful GPS-balance. If so, then due to develop praise for prudence. A position report, which is a quarter of an hour old, can namely be misleading if the mobile phone is now gone in the subway, or in a car drives with metallized thermal panes that block the GPS reception.
The "manual"
One has the impression that she was completely database-generated - without the help of a real live people. Unlike the loveless, dull Aneinandereihung of instructions is difficult to explain. Since there is not a shred of didactic concept, not the slightest approach to create "by sight". Anyone who sees language as an instrument of explanation, here are reluctant hackles. Dankenswert is at best that the font size is relatively large fails considering the clientele. For color printing, which would have the red and green button on the device reproduced much more clearly, there has been not enough again.
Sorry, much worse you can do it hardly. Considering the target group this is a disgrace!
Addendum: use of the device in a car seems to have played no major role for the developers. It is obviously neither a
Holder, nor provided a loading facility at 12V, or even connect an external antenna for GSM or GPS. Unfortunately, a Bluetooth interface is also missing. A 3.5 mm jack for a wired headset is included.
Addendum 2 (after a month):
The device proved itself quite well in practice.
The buttons I, II and III, to which can be stored destination number to be called immediately after exercise, are in practice
less helpful because the user needs to remember their assignments.
Tip: Print a label printer the assignment and below the display (above the word "Panasonic") stick.
Better the speed dial keys are (2 to 0 pressed long) that indicate their availability before making the call again. (1 reserved for the voice mailbox).
There sometimes problems when dialing unsaved numbers because seniors tend to the numbers _besonders deutlich_ (read: very long) to press. Ideally, this target (switchover from short to long) one wishes configurable. Logically, this also applies to other timed functions such as dimming or turning off the display.
It happens again and again that a user gets lost in the depths of the menus. It would therefore be helpful if the device according to collapse
consistently switches back again to the "normal state".
[Update 25/03/14] This last point gains in practice important. It would be really important that the mobile phone after the collapse is reliable in the normal state.
Overall rating:
Is not easy for me. Now I realize that I am very far-reaching claims office here, and many of them may be regarded as excessive. Maybe we'll see better devices in the future; among seniors phones instantly sold this is certainly not bad. So I opt for a medium rating.
[Update 3/25/14] The amendments mentioned in the supplements I give one star more in the overall rating.
[A tip: 03/25/14] Some seniors make a point to have a last lifeline, a busy round the clock professional center in the background.
While anyone is free to choose to 112 in emergencies, but manage this emergency officials no caller-specific data, and values also to my knowledge no client-side SMS or otherwise transmitted GPS coordinates from. Nor do they manage a (house) key custodian for private homes. That is not their job. Rather, the rescue coordination center can be alerted of upstream House PSAPs if needed, which can then also transmit patient-specific data.
This procedure is useful to false alarms in the rescue coordination center to avoid (for example by temporarily confused or disoriented people).
Unfortunately, the provider of Hausnotrufsystemem market (some pretty aggressive!) Mostly complete packages of hardware and services that pass by the reality of life for non-bedridden, non-pflegebedürtigen seniors often.
Cell-based system (some with GPS positioning) are now also available. Again, complete packages are often offered. The hardware is often curtailed with respect to the device discussed here in the function. If you (or your relatives) so desire the services of a professional center, but get along well with this mobile phone, you should specifically ask if a center can be booked as a sole service, and whether they can read coordinates SMS. This service is in any case, with costs (without care level), but much cheaper than the aforementioned combination packages - Keyword "social alarm light".
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