Vodafone introduces revolutionary 'simple' mobile phone

 

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By Steve Malone

Posted on 23 May 2005 at 11:10

Following what is doubtless years of research, Vodafone is to introduce a radical new concept in mobile phones. The world's biggest mobile operator is to launch a mobile phone, which - get this - only makes phone calls.

The Vodafone Simply range is aimed at the techno baffled who find the endless complexity of the modern mobile simply too complicated, or just don't feel the need to play Snake on a train or take pictures of their mates falling out of a club at closing time.

Vodafone says that a survey of 1200 people in the UK showed that while 90 per cent of people believed that new technologies like mobile phones allowed them to keep in touch with friends and family, a third find the devices difficult to use because they cannot follow the instructions. These people found that the advances in technology, while beneficial, had made life more complicated. That figure rose to over half among those over 55.

According to the figures, over 20 per cent of people said they have accidentally broken a device through misuse.

The new mobile from Vodafone is aimed customers who want to use basic voice and text services and want easy to use controls without having to learn complex key press sequences. The new interface includes a separate button to control the main functions, such as locking and unlocking the keypad, and another specific button to set the volume. Additional buttons retrieve stored messages and access contacts.

Other usability features include large well-spaced buttons, to avoid misdialling or mistexting, and a larger high-resolution colour screen showing, in plain English, signal strength, battery life and ring tone volume. The owner can even choose to display their phone number.

The instruction manual that confuses a third of customers has also been simplified. Additional hints and tips are displayed on the phone itself.

The Vodafone Simply costs £80 on a prepay plan from 24 May.