On 16/08/2022 17:27, Theo wrote:
> Adrian Caspersz <em...@here.invalid> wrote:
>> What's needed is a single app, that skins and hides the whole tech apps
>> centric android/iphone environment so that the touch phone is as
>> friendly to use as a standard push button phone from years ago.
>
> I think that's called a feature phone. Some featurephones do touch.
>
>> Big clear high contrast "buttons" and an accessible phone book and text
>> entry. And a lock screen.
>>
>> That's it. Ditch the rest, data, web browser, apps, multimedia.
>>
>> It's of no interest to folks that don't do 'smart'
>
> If you don't want those things, why do you need a smartphone in the first
> place? Much better battery life on a featurephone.
>
Agreed, and I'm a smartphone nut, but...
Often phones for some folks come as hand-me-downs from others that are
upgrading to new toys, and there are a lot of smartphones that don't
have much of a life since the manufacturers have stopped support
updates. Yes, could argue for those that their batteries have also
stopped charging.
These could be made a lot simpler to use for their second life in the
hands of a technophobe, and probably more friendly than the current
batch of feature phones.
In the last lockdown, I had to introduce an 80 year old to a new-to-her,
Doro flip phone. These phones are meant to be the answer to the elderly
that have looked the other way from tech for 40 years, but having played
with one - I think Doro is re-marketing crap.
As solely a landline user, she couldn't get the hang of dialling the
number and then pressing the green button to make the call, never mind
phone books and texting. Pressing the green button first, then dialling
next, was confusion. And then, there was (not) ending the previous call!
If the thing simulated a dial tone pre-dialing, then she might have had
a clue there.
A guided application on a screen could also do some hand holding.
--
Adrian C