I want this cell phone. I wonder if they'll make it available to non Jitterbug service providers. I've been looking for years for a cell phone with buttons I can actually hit with my clumsy thumbs and it seems that every year that goes by, the buttons get smaller and flatter and more difficult to hit without filing a point on my thumbnail or wearing some kind of thimble pointer aparatus.
Do any of you all have any recommendations for a cell phone that's short on features and long on actual telephone usability?
Posted by: blufive | April 8, 2006 2:25 AM
Some of the cheaper Nokia phones don't have bundles of flashy features and work just fine. As for usability, they don't have massive buttons, but by cutting out the bloat, I'd say they're an improvement on most.
They're also extremely robust, I dropped mine the other day and it shattered into it's four main parts. It didn't even turn off.
You can pick one up for around £15/$30 in most UK phone shops with any network. I suspect the deal will be somewhat similar in the USA
Posted by: Ben Basson | April 8, 2006 6:03 AM
eh, use the cell phones from the 80s
Posted by: techjerk | April 8, 2006 10:17 AM
This one is designed with seniors in mind.
Posted by: funTomas | April 8, 2006 10:51 AM
You know why we dont have flying cars, and we dont live in outerspace? blame the people who make cellphones and mp3 players. especially the japenese.. those damned cellphones are smaller than my left nut.
Posted by: Troy mcgrain | April 8, 2006 1:57 PM
Vodafone Simpy is made with usability in mind. Not sure if it is available in your area. But worth checking out anyway.
Posted by: Joël Kuiper | April 9, 2006 5:19 AM
I;ve got a motorola V550 and I love it. Easyish to use, nice clamshell design. Only problem is, Vodafone suck as a provider.
But that's UK :D
Posted by: Paul | April 9, 2006 7:07 AM
Even better...
Posted by: Hass | April 10, 2006 6:42 AM
I use a Sony Ericsson z520. It has bluetooth, a bright screen, and the keypad buttons are decent sized, and raised (not flush).
Posted by: Marc R. | April 10, 2006 6:09 PM
Asa, read this article http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11876379/
They're talking about Motorola C116 (not available in USA) and C155. The best part is battery life.
Posted by: i5mast | April 21, 2006 11:42 AM
You are not alone - at the grand old age of 33, I chose my handset almost entirely on what it felt like. I actually ended up with one of these beasties (sorry, that's in german, but it's a decent piccy).
There's a camera in there and sundry other features that I hardly ever use, and it's a brick compared to the teeny-tiny little things that most of my friends/colleagues have. On the upside, when I cradle it in one hand, I can actually reach and use the buttons on the keypad easily with my thumb. The smallest of the main keys (excluding the rocker pad etc.) are about 10x5mm, with 2mm gaps. I actually prefer flat buttons, as Itend to have long fingernails, which make it almost impossible to use the tiny convex things some phones have (glares at blackberries).
I can also arrange for the microphone to actually be near my mouth and the speaker near my ear simultaneously. The novelty! Quite why so many phones regard that bit as optional is beyond me...
Anyhow, I'd heartily recommend finding a non-carrier specific showroom where you can handle lots of handsets, if you have such emporia nearby. That allowed me to eliminate whole swathes of contenders in minutes - there's no substitute for actually handling the things.