Latest Podcast



Featured Articles

Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

UK service providers must notify customers when they connect to a different network

New rules from UK telecoms regulator Ofcom will protect customers when they use their mobile phone on a foreign network. In addition, customers will be alerted if they are inadvertently roaming, perhaps because they're near an international border.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Global smartphone market is set for recovery, says new forecast

A new forecast from research specialists Canalys shows the smartphone market is set to recover next year. Worldwide shipments declined by 12% last year but that decline is expected to slow to 5% this year.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

New Hutchison/Vodafone network would be biggest UK operator

Vodafone Group plc and CK Hutchison Group Telecom Holdings Limited have agreed to combine their UK telecommunication businesses, respectively Vodafone UK and Three UK. The merger will create a large new network operator to compete with Virgin Media O2 and EE.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

UK mobile payment service Paym to close in March 2023

UK mobile payment service Paym will close on 7th March 2023. The service, which allowed users to make and receive payments using their mobile phone numbers, was launched in 2014.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Which? seeks payout for Samsung and Apple smartphone owners

Consumer protection organisation Which? has been given permission by the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal to represent Apple and Samsung smartphone buyers in a legal case against chip manufacturer Qualcomm.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS

Opinion Articles

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Doro aims at the sweet spot for easy-to-use mobile phones

Mark Bridge writes:

Here’s a statement that’ll come as no surprise to anyone who works in the UK mobile industry.

For many people, their mobile phone isn’t just a communication device. It’s a personal statement.

Of course it is. Why else can you buy a gold-plated iPhone, a diamante-encrusted Blackberry or a Samsung Galaxy SIII in colours “inspired by the Earth’s richest materials”?

Then there’s the design. Are you working outside?  Perhaps you’d like a rugged phone. Film buff?  Choose a large screen and Dolby sound. Busy sending messages?  You might want a QWERTY keyboard.

However, there’s one demographic that many manufacturers shy away from. Seniors. Older people. The aging population.

I can’t really blame many of those companies. Produce a device that’s tailored for people with age-related challenges and there’s a good chance you’ll be condemned as patronising. Even consumers who’d benefit from larger buttons and bigger on-screen icons don’t always want to admit it.

Doro is a company that’s successfully walking the tightrope between ‘too simple’ and ‘not practical’. Having originally started in the fixed-line business, it now produces a range of mobile phones that are sold in a number of countries. At one end of the scale is a handset that has four large buttons to store four essential contacts - and at the other is a touch-screen smartphone that goes on sale this month. I recently caught up with Chris Millington, managing director for Doro UK & Ireland, and asked him to explain more about the new device.

“This is the Doro PhoneEasy 740 - the product is designed to be an easy-to-use smartphone. It can do many different things; it’s a camera, it will also do email, internet access, and everything on the device is seamlessly backed up to the cloud. It’s therefore very easy to push information onto the device and from the device to other people. So if you wanted to share family pictures it’s incredibly easy, if you wanted to update your calendar you could do it from a computer or somebody could update it for you.”

“We recognise that not everybody can deal with touch-screens so we build in a keypad underneath; you slide the product up, you’re able to access an alphanumeric keypad. That means the buttons are nice and big and it’s easy to dial a number.”

However, even the best phones won’t sell particularly well if retail staff aren’t interested in talking about them. I asked Chris what kind of reaction he’d seen from retailers.

“When you first start off in this sector of the marketplace it’s clear that what people consider the ‘senior market’ is not exciting to an industry that’s looking at 4G and the fastest processors. So it’s been an interesting journey. We have people like Carphone Warehouse and O2 working really well with us, getting the staff to understand they shouldn’t talk down to a user group. Just because somebody doesn’t want a smartphone or wants something that’s easy to use doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy their device as much as anyone else does. So we’re working extremely well in partnership with key players and they’re able to get that message across. O2 are delighted, Carphone are delighted, Orange (Everything Everywhere) are absolutely delighted with the results they’re finding with our products, as are Tesco. The products are selling very well and the feedback that the retailers are getting is also extremely good.”

We went on to talk about Doro’s plans for smartphones and tablets, including the possibility of using Doro devices as part of a mobile healthcare or telecare solution in the future. You can listen to the full interview on our website audio player, via iTunes or by downloading the mp3 file.

Print
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Rate this article:
No rating

Leave a comment

This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data.
Add comment

Recent Podcasts

Podcast - 6th June 2007

The team debate the pros and cons of regulation, review the Nokia 8600, bring you the latest news from the past 7 days, and look at some software for keeping your data safe and easy to access on your mobile.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 28th May 2007

The Fonecast has teamed up with Mobile News to bring you the latest news in the mobile industry, review the Motorola RAZR2 and review the best mobile software in the form of "Skill Ball Bingo" and "Best Full Screen Caller". Also the team ask "Have Vodafone and Orange killed Mobile Voice-over-IP?"

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 22nd May 2007

This week the team debate the number of Operating Systems for mobile phones, review the Motorola MOTO Z8, bring you all the latest news headlines and even find time to review Worms 2007 and Mobile Spy.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 15th May 2007

The team debate the merits of the Mobile Internet, bring you mobile news from the past 7 days, review the Orange SPV M700 and Sony Ericsson P1i, plus look at X-Men Genetix and Total Recall mobile software.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 8th May 2007

This week the team debate consolidation in the UK mobile industry. Plus review the Goldfish X800 and BlackBerry Curve, and take a peek at America’s Cup Mobile Racer and SBSH Facade. All this plus the latest mobile news, from our mouth to your ears!

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
First979899100102104105106Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Twitter @TheFonecast RSS podcast feed
Find us on Facebook Subscribe free via iTunes

Archive Calendar

«November 2024»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
28293031123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
2526272829301
2345678

Archive

Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement