Are seniors an "EasyTouch" for Telstra?

Stephen Withers
Friday, 28 November 2008 11:30

Your IT - Mobility

The main problem with most phones, at least for older people, is that as the eye ages it is less likely to be able to focus on nearby objects, a condition known as presbyopia. That's why so many over-50s need to remove their spectacles to read, or they use reading glasses or bifocals.

But it's a pain to have to mess with your specs just to make a phone call or read an SMS, which means the EasyTouch Discovery could well discover a massive market with all the ageing baby boomers out there.

Given the ageing population in the developed world, it seems likely that demand will increase for phones that allow for diminished eyesight. While there will always be a place for the tiny phones favoured by some younger people (and I know a seventysomething that uses one of the smallest phones on the market), it's hard to imagine that larger text won't become a mass-market feature.

What complicates matters is that a segment of the older market wants 'just a phone' while the rest are as keen as anyone to have additional features such as those provided by the EasyTouch Discovery.

Given the shift to larger-screen phones such as the iPhone and Samsung Omnia, you'd have thought manufacturers would be able to feature adjustable font sizes as part of the interface.

While some of these phones do offer large fonts, the use of large fonts is often inconsistent, meaning some applications are easy to read, while others still feature tiny text that's next to impossible for those with presbyopia.

So, if you're tempted to see and touch the EasyTouch Discovery for yourself, you'll find them in Telstra stores from December 1.

The price seems quite light, too – with an RRP of $349, it's definitely an affordable phone, especially as it's also available on Telstra's $20 plan over 24 months.