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Verizon Offers Calling Plan for SeniorsSep 11, 2007 Get out your AARP cards. Verizon is introducing its Coupe, an inexpensive simple phone with a button to dial 911 and three programmable emergency buttons, its first entry into the senior market. The phone costs just $19.95 with a two-year contract. The contract, designed for both single and family, are not for Chatty Cathy. The America's Choice 65 Plus Single Line plan offers 200 anytime minutes and 500 night and weekend minutes for $29.99 per month. The America's Choice 65 Plus Two Line Plan offers 450 shared anytime minutes and 1,000 night and weekend minutes for $59.99 monthly access. The phone's standout feature is three red buttons that sit just below the screen. They read I-C-E (that's not grandma's screen name; it stands for "In Case of Emergency"). One button is for 911 and the others are for you to program. The phone design includes large white keys, a clamshell design (no ringing in the pocketbook), and color coding on controls like volume and battery. Tools include a tip calculator, alarm clock, calendar, and world clock. The display, as best as I can tell from photos, is no better or worse than your average cell phone, replete with cryptic icons. This could pose problems for seniors. The only other phone that specifically targets the senior population is Jitterbug from GreatCall. It too stresses simplicity. It offers a special phone service that's senior-friendly. Comparatively, Verizon's offering is less expensive, but also less robust. If Jitterbug is the Rolls Royce of senior phones, then Verizon is the Chevy Coupe. What do graying cell phone legions really want? According to a study by iGR, only 50 percent of the senior population has a cell phone today. Another 10 percent falls into the "don't have one but want one" category. The other 40 percent is uninterested-at least in the current crop. The study finds that seniors want functionality like camera phones and location based Internet browsing but don't want them to be complex. You can order the full study from iGR. Why Verizon named the phone the Coupe is a mystery to me. Drop the "e" and you get a revolution. Pronounce it the way Americans do and you're a trapped chicken. Nice to see more companies paying attention to the seniors market. |
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