Blowfish12: [courtesy] Mobiles are no longer an ‘old person’s nightmare’ thanks to Fujitsu!

Monday, December 31, 2012

[courtesy] Mobiles are no longer an ‘old person’s nightmare’ thanks to Fujitsu!

Here’s a knee-slapper to kick off your weekend: Fujitsu is marketing a new line of smartphones for the elderly.

Some of the features might be just what the 65-and-older market needs — noise cancellation, larger text, and even speech-slowing for better parsing of fast-talking callers.

At a press conference, Fujitsu president Masami Yamamoto showed off the devices, which feature simplified home screens with just a few apps. They’re as bright and colorful as anything you’d see in a nursery, and they’re designed to be drop-dead simple for anyone who is new to smartphones or needs a little extra help with smartphone technology.

Here’s a sneak peek:

raku raku

These phones are already being sold on Fujitsu’s Japanese home turf; as Yamamoto revealed in the press conference, they’ll now be sold overseas. Fujitsu has plans to bring the phones, called Raku-Raku, into the U.S. and Europe first, with a few modifications for each new geography.

“Raku” is Japanese for “easy.” In 2009, Fujitsu rolled out the Raku Raku PC, designed for senior citizens “or any novice computer user.” The principles behind that device remain the same for the smartphone: Color-coding for ease of use, one-touch apps, highlighting of frequently used features and applications, preinstalled software and apps, and larger fonts.

The company last year rolled out a Raku-Raku feature phone. This marvel gave users a button that, when pushed, would immediately connect users to a dedicated customer support call center.

Blowfish12@2012 blowfish12.tk Author: Sudharsun. P. R.