You can phone with it, send SMS and – very new – take a photo: When Martina Hansson is talking about the mobile phone of the Swedish company Doro AB it sounds as if she had collected 10 year old phones from her garret. But what teenagers raise a smile on their face is exactly right for the customers of Doro AB - briliantly simple phones – easy to handle and with additional features, especially for the target group over 65. “
“Our customers would like to have mobile phones with high display-contrast, large keys and individual adaptable colour-settings”, informs Martina Hansson, Marketing-Coordinator of Doro AB in Sweden.
“Doro PhoneEasy” is the program of mobile phones which the Swedish company is distributing worldwide and which are very different from the actual modern touchscreen-smartphones: Approx. 530 hours standby-time and therefore always ready for use, compatible to the most hearing aids and with a loud ring tone of 85 decibel – means as loud as a Diesel-engine in 10 m distance. Also equipped with most wanted preference of their target group : an emergency-call-switch, which actually already saved lifes. “One of our customers who had a heart-attack when she was driving her car” remembers Martina Hansson, “suddenly she couldn’t see anymore – but still she could feel and press the emergency-call-switch on her mobile phone and call the ambulance”. Apparently this is exactly what customers want and what is reflected in Doro’s economic success: Nearly two million senior-phones Doro AB sold within the last 4 years.
Senior citizens are a sales volume target group for mobile phone companies. 21% of all humans are older than 60 years, more and more people grow over 80.
The figures of the United Nations show it very clear: until 2050 the structure of the world population will considerably change, in industrial countries as well as in developing countries. Better nutrition, more medical options – the UN-Central Department for social and economic affairs visualize senior people on the rise. This applies also for people with physical and mental disabilities: According to an OECD research meanwhile 14-18 percent of all humans need help to mastering their daily routine.
Which technologies will play a major role and which will succeed ? Network operators, service providers and organizations of persons with disabilities and accessibility experts will discuss answers and latest developments at the M-Enabling Summit in Washington from December 5-6, 2011. This summit and showcase will be held from E.J.Krause & Associates Inc. (EJK), international exhibition and conference organizer and G3ict, Global Initiative for Inclusive ICT, a flagship advocacy initiative of the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development.
EJK and G3ict for the first time convene decision makers from government, regulation, industry and associations of impaired persons at one table.
Apple, at&t, RIM, LucyTech, Doro AB , Vodafone, Code Factory and many more will discuss over two days how mobile infrastructures and products can be made more accessible for seniors and persons with disabilities.
Vodafone Foundation Smart Accessibility Awards – winning applications will be showcased at the Summit.
In June of this year Vodafone Foundation launched an initiative - the Smart Accessibility Awards – a challenge to developers to design mobile applications to improve the lives of senior citizens and people with disabilities. Over 60 universities, enterprises and Non-Governmental Organizations have submitted their ideas. The competition aims to stimulate innovative thinking about accessible design within the application developer community. Vodafone Foundation Director Andrew Dunnet said: "At the heart of our foundation is the belief that our mobile communications technologies can address some of the world’s most pressing challenges and our responsibility is to utilize our innovative mobile technology in mobilizing social change and improving people’s lives.
Smartphone apps are changing how millions of people manage their daily lives, but some groups in society risk missing out on the smartphone revolution. Many people with disabilities or the elderly, could potentially benefit from well-designed, accessible apps which enhance their ability to communicate, learn, share and simply manage their lives.
The Smart Accessibility Awards will help developers create apps that can really make a difference to people’s lives.
Vodafone Foundation will announce the award winners during the M-Enabling Summit in Washington, directly following the final judging round in Brussels.
For further information and press contacts of participants please contact the organizer.
“Our customers would like to have mobile phones with high display-contrast, large keys and individual adaptable colour-settings”, informs Martina Hansson, Marketing-Coordinator of Doro AB in Sweden.
“Doro PhoneEasy” is the program of mobile phones which the Swedish company is distributing worldwide and which are very different from the actual modern touchscreen-smartphones: Approx. 530 hours standby-time and therefore always ready for use, compatible to the most hearing aids and with a loud ring tone of 85 decibel – means as loud as a Diesel-engine in 10 m distance. Also equipped with most wanted preference of their target group : an emergency-call-switch, which actually already saved lifes. “One of our customers who had a heart-attack when she was driving her car” remembers Martina Hansson, “suddenly she couldn’t see anymore – but still she could feel and press the emergency-call-switch on her mobile phone and call the ambulance”. Apparently this is exactly what customers want and what is reflected in Doro’s economic success: Nearly two million senior-phones Doro AB sold within the last 4 years.
Senior citizens are a sales volume target group for mobile phone companies. 21% of all humans are older than 60 years, more and more people grow over 80.
The figures of the United Nations show it very clear: until 2050 the structure of the world population will considerably change, in industrial countries as well as in developing countries. Better nutrition, more medical options – the UN-Central Department for social and economic affairs visualize senior people on the rise. This applies also for people with physical and mental disabilities: According to an OECD research meanwhile 14-18 percent of all humans need help to mastering their daily routine.
Which technologies will play a major role and which will succeed ? Network operators, service providers and organizations of persons with disabilities and accessibility experts will discuss answers and latest developments at the M-Enabling Summit in Washington from December 5-6, 2011. This summit and showcase will be held from E.J.Krause & Associates Inc. (EJK), international exhibition and conference organizer and G3ict, Global Initiative for Inclusive ICT, a flagship advocacy initiative of the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development.
EJK and G3ict for the first time convene decision makers from government, regulation, industry and associations of impaired persons at one table.
Apple, at&t, RIM, LucyTech, Doro AB , Vodafone, Code Factory and many more will discuss over two days how mobile infrastructures and products can be made more accessible for seniors and persons with disabilities.
Vodafone Foundation Smart Accessibility Awards – winning applications will be showcased at the Summit.
In June of this year Vodafone Foundation launched an initiative - the Smart Accessibility Awards – a challenge to developers to design mobile applications to improve the lives of senior citizens and people with disabilities. Over 60 universities, enterprises and Non-Governmental Organizations have submitted their ideas. The competition aims to stimulate innovative thinking about accessible design within the application developer community. Vodafone Foundation Director Andrew Dunnet said: "At the heart of our foundation is the belief that our mobile communications technologies can address some of the world’s most pressing challenges and our responsibility is to utilize our innovative mobile technology in mobilizing social change and improving people’s lives.
Smartphone apps are changing how millions of people manage their daily lives, but some groups in society risk missing out on the smartphone revolution. Many people with disabilities or the elderly, could potentially benefit from well-designed, accessible apps which enhance their ability to communicate, learn, share and simply manage their lives.
The Smart Accessibility Awards will help developers create apps that can really make a difference to people’s lives.
Vodafone Foundation will announce the award winners during the M-Enabling Summit in Washington, directly following the final judging round in Brussels.
For further information and press contacts of participants please contact the organizer.
