Mobile phone for the elderly
Japanese carrier TU-KA is targeting the elderly with a new no-nonsense mobile manufactured by Kyocera. The 87 gram phone has large buttons and works as a wireless home phone. There is no LCD panel. Battery life-time (in stand-by mode) is 840 hours — more than a month. The manual is only a few pages thick.
To dial a number, the user first has to push the green button and then enter the number. This reminds us of old home-phone. A smart move from TU-KA to attract potential users that are afraid to use advanced mobiles that come with a 200-page manual.

TU-KA is part of the KDDI group, and is the smallest carrier with just 3.6 million subscribers as of October 31, 2004.


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November 27th, 2004 at 12:31 am
It’s about time! When will it be offered in the U.S.? and How much $ ?
November 27th, 2004 at 7:30 am
THIS SOUNDS GREAT MY MOTHER WOULD LOVE THIS. I SPECIALY LIKE IT BECAUSE MY WIFE IS BLIND AND THIS LOOKS LIKE THE PERFECT PHONE FOR HER. WOULD THIS WORK IN THE USA? HOW CAN I GET ONE?
May 8th, 2005 at 2:44 pm
I need this phone for my 88 year old mother. Please, I must have a way to buy it NOW, TODAY. Email me ASAP.
Will it work with Cingular? It’s May 2005 already and it should be available in the USA by now. BUY NOW.
June 23rd, 2005 at 3:09 am
Does anyone know whether this phone exists already in the US? I am looking to buy one for my 85 year old granddad.
December 11th, 2005 at 8:06 pm
Yeh…I need one for my motherinlaw…do they sell it in Australia through their Kyocera Australia…Please advise by the email….
date 11 Dec 05
January 2nd, 2006 at 1:12 am
Love can still be the sunrise in the twilight of a person’s life.
January 18th, 2006 at 6:13 am
THIS SOUNDS GREAT I WOULD LOVE THIS. WOULD THIS WORK IN CANADA? HOW CAN I GET ONE?
January 18th, 2006 at 11:05 pm
Hi I am in India. I really like this mobile phone.Can I get this handset in India? If yes then what is the price?
May 2nd, 2006 at 6:04 pm
Please I need Tu-Ka manual to enable me change the language of my phone from Japanese to English.
Thank you.
Mike
October 22nd, 2006 at 5:45 pm
Is this phone available in Australia and if so, how can I purchase one please?
December 7th, 2006 at 7:59 am
where can i buy this phone.
does it work in uk
how much is it please
regards
February 25th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
Hey
This is the perfect phone for my mum. Can I buy one in the UK??
Thanks.
March 5th, 2007 at 12:43 am
Very interested in this phone,
Where can I get one ??
April 4th, 2007 at 2:38 am
where can i buy one of these phones for my husband who can not see very well
June 5th, 2007 at 12:19 am
does this phone work in ireland? how much is it in Euro?
July 9th, 2007 at 2:54 am
Does this phone have a speed dial facilty and how do i purchase and what is the cost
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Where can I get one for my 83 year old father. Does this phone work in Poland?
November 14th, 2007 at 3:39 am
Where is this phone available at?
Is this available in North America?
I would like more infos on this phone please.
November 30th, 2007 at 8:23 am
I need a phone for my elderly mother-in-law it needs to have large buttons and a loud ringtone
March 31st, 2008 at 12:44 pm
obviously, there’s a large demand for this type of product, for real humanitarian reasons (independence and security for the elderly). How FREAKING hard would it be to make an unlocked GSM quadband accessible phone?! Why won’t they do it? Everything is only in Japanese, CDMA-AU, or GSM-900, or CDMA-US like Jitterbug (www.jitterbug.com for those in the US and desperate).
Why can’t anyone make a phone that I can actually USE in the country where I live? Is this somehow a stupendous feat of engineering?
Kyocera, Samsung (SPH-A120), Emporia, etc – shame on you! Respect the rights of elderly people all over the world, not just where you feel like it! QUADBAND GSM NOW. Are you stupid, or just mean-spirited? You should feel shame, and I hope one day your engineers all desperately need a product that someone else will REFUSE to make.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:48 pm
just saw this:
http://www.engadgetmobile.com/tag/emporialife/
March 31st, 2008 at 12:51 pm
obviously, there’s a large demand for this type of product, for real humanitarian reasons (independence and security for the elderly). How FREAKING hard would it be to make an unlocked GSM quadband accessible phone?! Why won’t they do it?
Why can’t anyone make a phone that I can actually USE in the country where I live? Is this somehow a stupendous feat of engineering?
Kyocera, Samsung, Jitterbug, etc. you know that people need stuff like this. Way to stick it to families and old people.