A few days ago I met with a chap representing a company called Emporia.  Ever heard of them?  Neither had I except that, across La Manche, they’re a seriously big phone handset manufacturer.  Based out of Austria I think, the company has a decent market share of phone handsets in Germany and Austria.

What’s special about them?  They specialise in making phones for the disabled, visually impaired and those with hearing difficulties. 

The phones look clunky – if it was a chocolate it would be a Yorkie Bar as opposed to an iPhone’s Neuhaus selection. 

But what I liked about these phones is that practicality came first.  For me, that’s the first rule of disabled products – make them practical.  Screw the design.  For my colleagues, the phone created a mixture of appreciation and revulsion, depending on how important the phone’s design was for them.

I thought they were cracking and so did some of the staff at Mobility Compare.  Tough as old boots, rugged as a lumberman’s plaid shirt, the phones’ dial buttons are huge.  Perfect for anyone with arthritic hands, poor vision, dexterity problems such as Parkinsons etc etc.  The bright screen was also a huge advantage – it could have doubled up as a torch.

Here’s one of the phones, the EmporiaLIFE:

 Emporia Life phone for

I was also shown a phone that had a large red emergency button that could be programmed to call or send a pre-written text to up to five designated numbers.  This was a brilliant function for anybody who needs a call-assist function or is living on their own with a pre-existing medical condition.  The alarm sound?  A Berlin ambulance which sounded like something out of a John Le Carre novel.

Where can you get it from?  I’m not totally sure but I believe www.talkmobile.co.uk stock them and also the RNIB.  They start at £169 on a Pay-As-You-Go Vodafone tariff.

The mobile industry has failed to cater for the disabled and older market, preferring to use complex technology to meet the demands of a youth driven market. For this reason, Emporia’s introduction into the UK must be welcomed.

 Good luck to them….