Covering World

Awkward moments from the future of computing

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Technological development is a steady and predictable march --
things get smaller, quicker, better. The path we've taken is the only
obvious one. Two-hundred and forty volts. MP3s. PDFs. They are naturally
occurring phenomena. They're just there, part of the ineluctable unfolding
of history. That's perhaps why technology narratives tend towards the
extremes -- utopia or dystopia, everybody's happy or everybody's
dead. We want to hear a big story. 
So when a new technology hovers into view we need someone to roll out that
map for us. Show us what's predestined, tell us what's going to happen. What
behaviours will emerge? Who will be the winners? Will we finally get pills
instead of food? 
The big story, though, would be a lie. The future of a category such as
"wearables" is so contingent and contested that it's bound to be a
mess. Cultures and corporations will collide with beliefs. Overlapping
aesthetics will trigger new concerns, technologies will rub up against laws,
something will suddenly get really cheap and spawn an irritating Christmas
phenomenon. 
The only way to map this out is fractionally, in fragments. There are only
little stories, bitty possibilities, tiny paragraphs with slightly amusing
subheads. 
So that's what we've got 
And so you know what you're dealing with, let me tell you this. For years now
I've worn one of those original iPod Nanos round my neck on a lanyard, with
headphones. I live in dread of being stuck for five minutes with nothing to
listen to so I always want music close at hand. The Nano slips inside my shirt
and I secretly enjoy pressing the buttons through the fabric -- like I've got
controls on my chest. The fact the screen lights up under my shirt like I'm
Iron Man doesn't hurt either. 
On the other hand, I'm 47. I've lived through several generations of
false technological promise, waves of hype crashing on plastic beaches. I
know we've seen remarkable progress but I also know that no one had any clue
what they were doing. The winners we're looking at now are just the people,
products and technologies that were lucky enough not to fail. That's me.
Now you can calibrate your pinch of salt. 
This will be essential because great new marketing beasts are stirring. A
new technology category is spinning up. Tectonic plates of design, culture
and opinion are being dragged into place, battle lines are being drawn,
metaphors are being mixed and will soon be ready to deploy. You think
there's been hype in the technology world? Wait until the fashion people get
involved. 
The Chinese army in your pyjamas 
You can imagine this: get a bunch of tech executives and designers together
for a brainstorm and ask them to come up with future projects. Perhaps throw in
a presentation about trends for a bit of stimulus. They'll inevitably spot the
potential for health-monitoring products for a rapidly ageing Western
population. They'll think about wearable tech. 
They'll invent intelligent nightwear that monitors your sleep patterns,
wakes you when appropriate, nudges you if you're snoring, and sounds a gentle
alarm if your elderly infirmity gets the better of your bladder. They'll call
them Smart Pyjamas. Or Smartjammies. Or Psyjamas. They'll need power, of
course, so I bet they'll come with a handy bedside charging station. And
they'll have some sort of minimal operating system, so, sewn into the waistband
alongside the washing instructions, there will be a handy guide to resetting
the firmware. And, it'll need some sort of networking kit. We'll probably
get that off that company owned by the Chinese military. They're very good,
and, importantly, they're cheap. 
Nymi wristband 
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Like your fingerprint, the pattern of your heartbeat is unique. Developed by
Toronto-based startup Bionym, the Nymi wristband uses this fact to securely
authenticate a user's identity: when you touch the device, it reads your ECG
using electrodes. The band stays authenticated until it's removed, and
automatically unlocks devices that are in close proximity (and have compatible
apps). An integrated accelerometer and gyroscope also recognise simple
gestures, so you can tailor commands/actions to tasks. getnymi.com 
Technology has a long nose 
You'll have heard about the Long Tail. (In a nutshell: markets have big blockbusters
that sell loads of copies and a long tail of many, many products that sell just
a few. There may be opportunity in the long tail.) Technologies have a long
nose. Before the big break-out moment, before the hits arrive and everyone
notices that it's happened, there's a long nose of precedent and people who got
there first. Whatever you've just launched, or just heard of, someone has
already done it. Someone was working on it at MIT or PARC and the Victorians
did something very similar with telegrams and horses. 
There were MP3 players before the iPod, there were digital music
players before them, there were portable music systems before them and
there's probably a recording of Boudicca's address to her troops made with
a wooden stylus on a parchment cylinder. Don't let it worry you. The only
pickings in the nose are for patent trolls. 
Down the market 
You can look at a new field of technology such as wearable computing and expect
three things to emerge: the productive, the pointless and the perpendicular. 
The productive is the stuff everyone expects. It's what most people are
trying to build, especially with traditionally expensive technologies such as
computing. These are the practical things -- firing tables, spreadsheets,
routing algorithms, printers. The things you can sell to large organisations.
Technologies start here and wend their way into the regular consumer
landscape later on. 
Then there's the pointless stuff, the technologies which seem, to most,
to be a waste of time. They're the hacks that technologists do to amuse
themselves, the ideas that always prove irresistible to every new intake of
interaction-design students, the things that no one can imagine being
popular: Tamagotchi, texting, Twitter. 
And then there's the perpendicular -- the ideas that poke out from the other
two, at completely strange angles. Lolcats, spambots, Google Ngram. 
The first things to hit the mainstream will feel obliged to give us a show
of "productivity theatre". Making a call is even easier on your handy
smartwatch! Keep tabs on your kids with our Intelligent Wrist Bands! Ensure
maximal knee health with our Always-On iTrousers! 
But if wearable is going to get anywhere it'll need to embrace the
pointless. It's the domain of the pointless, the terrain of the trivial. If we
were all being practical, we'd wear identical nylon boiler suits and £4 watches
-- but that's not the species we're in. We're the species that evolved a
fashion industry and Global Hypercolor T-shirts. Efficiency is not a
priority for wearables. What are the cheap fashion applications? What
accessories can Claire's sell? What can you buy at the garden centre and
down the market? 
Because once your technology is there, it is cheap and ubiquitous enough for
the perpendicular possibilities to emerge and that's when things get
interesting. 
NFC Ring 
Using near-field-communication (NFC) technology, the NFC Ring can unlock
smartphones and modified doors, and transfer information such as URLs to
friends' devices -- all with a high five or fist bump. It has 144 bytes of user
memory and contains two different NFC inlays to keep public and private data
separate (so you don't accidentally share your key codes instead of your
contact information). All of the tech is in a metal ring about seven
millimetres wide and, because it uses passive NFC, never needs charging.
Bradford-based developer John McLear raised more than £240,000 on Kickstarter
for the project in August, smashing his £30,000 target. nfcring.com 
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Aspects of gloves 
The dream, of course, is to transition from wearable to invisible. The big,
dumb tech-company wet dream is for all the technology to "go away" --
all the interfaces are in your brain, or your fingers, or in the air. They
seem to think the intermediate step will be gloves. You'll be waving
them around and doing gestural stuff to bring your wearables to life. It's just
so dorky. Some things are just aesthetic dead ends. Bluetooth headsets. Drop
shadows in PowerPoint. Cyber gloves. 
Wearable, meet luggable 
The name is never right. The internet of things is a bad name, social media is
a bad name. Ubiquitous computing is just terrible. The names are always stuck
somewhere between the old paradigm and an overly optimistic marketing spin. My
favourite was the brief enthusiasm for "luggable" computers. The manufacturers
couldn't credibly deliver "portable", so "luggable" popped
up. I love the delicious implication -- you could lug it, but you probably
wouldn't want to. Wearable feels the same. 
Tattoo thermometers 
 
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Wearable thermometers developed by a University of Illinois team are just
micrometres thick and stick to the skin like a temporary tattoo. The patch-like
devices contain temperature-sensitive resistors or diodes in thin metal films
or silicon membranes, and are pasted to a patient's skin with special glue.
There, they monitor temperature with an accuracy of 0.02°C. Although they
currently rely on an external power supply, researchers hope to develop solar,
bioelectric, or radio frequency (RF) sources that could be integrated into the
patches themselves. rogers.matse.illinois.edu 
Talk to the hand 
I've been waiting for the smartwatch most of my life. I've bought many
generations of failed and lumpen plastic from the long nose of wrist computing.
There was the Casio MP3 player watch with barely enough battery to get through
a Napalm Death song. The Fossil/Microsoft thing with the tiny
stylus buried in the strap. The huge Swatch with its own version of metric
time. They were all rubbish and I bought them all, because I grew up watching
Knight Rider and I want a watch you can talk to. And, because it seems to me,
there's a real product opportunity there. It's not just technology hype. The
wrist has been a display area since before the watch and it's conveniently
located right next to our most movable parts. It's the perfect place to put an
outboard augment for the bigger slab of brain and battery we'll carry in our
pockets or bags -- what we'll probably still call our phone, even though its
operations are likely to be dispersed across our bodies and its services
will be sprayed across the cloud. 
Or maybe a bowler 
Actually, just what is the domain of "wearable technology"? What are
we talking about here? Let's leave out things such as nano fabrics for now.
Let's say we mean putting computing (which these days should also include
connectivity) in things people tend to have on their body. That list could
include: shoes, hats, clothes, jewellery, tattoos, intestinal flora and fauna,
wheelchairs, watches, perfume, piercings, prosthetics, wigs, backpacks,
wristbands, bandages, plasters, spectacles and parrots (though that's mostly
confined to pirates). Google Glass would be an example, as would a Nike+
FuelBand and a Fitbit and a Pebble. And so would those belt buckles you
can get with LED displays on them so you can beam "amusing"
messages across the dancefloor. And those light-up shoes that kids wear?
Probably no computing in them yet -- but there will be pretty damn soon. 
The wearable I'm looking for, personally, is a Smart Top Hat. It would
be perfect. Lots of room in there for power, a processor, a camera. You
can carry a decent weight on your head without too much trouble. It could be
voice-controlled and voice-responsive without disturbing other people too much.
Perhaps you could have some clever gestural stuff triggering a pleasant effect
when you politely touch the brim of your hat. You can imagine perching it
on a nice Victorian charging stand. And if you want to go offline, it's
simple: just forget your hat. 
Work wearable 
Stop and think about it: who's doing wearable technology now? Firstly,
obviously, traffic wardens. All those pouches -- a ticket machine, a camera, a
phone. Then the police. Firefighters. Paramedics. Nurses. Then all the
artificial-fibre enthusiasts -- cyclists, hikers, sailors, runners, people
down the gym -- the world of technical apparel. If the technology companies had
any sense they'd now be partnering with workwear makers -- the really
practical, hardwearing stuff that's quite fashionable now. But, if there's one
thing that consistently blindsides technology companies, it's finding their way
into fashion. They all, as Steve Jobs famously said about Microsoft, "have
no taste". Hence, will.i.am. 
That's the part of the wearable revolution that I'm looking forward to
most; the ungainly partnerships that'll bubble out of this mess. American
Apparel and US Robotics, HP and H&M, Burberry and BlackBerry. Just think of
the tech executives sweating on stage in sample-size smart garb. Or the panic
backstage at their catwalk shows -- getting the lights, the models and the
servers all up at the same time. 
And there's a bunch of other aesthetics and concerns mixed in that pot too.
Who's done wearables best in the past? Spies. A camera in a button? A mic in
your lapel? Some of your more artisanal clothiers might appreciate the Stasi
vibe, but most will find it a little off-putting. Here's a question: your
dinner companion has a camera pointing at you, all the time. Would you rather
that camera were big, obvious and blinking on their glasses, or would you prefer
it to be tiny and discreet, nestling on a lanyard? Those are your choices.
Unless you're un-British enough to actually say something about it. And how
will paranoia evolve when everyone is always filming? 
Machina MIDI Jacket  
 
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International design collective MACHINA's first "wearable
machine" is a weatherproof jacket that doubles up as a MIDI
controller (wired 11.13). Sensors hidden beneath the jacket's outer shell, such
as potentiometers that can respond to finger movements and accelerometers that
detect arm movements, create and control sounds to turn the human body into a
music-making interface. Users can configure the sensors to communicate with
devices in different ways. You're encouraged to expand the jacket's
functionality by hacking it -- to mix video, for example, or to interact
with a Kinect. machina.cc 
I want to ride my lifecycle  
The lifetime of a fashionable T-shirt: a few weeks. A piece of technology: a
few years. A great piece of jewellery: a few generations. These things don't
align. You've been wearing in your fancy selvedge jeans for years, carefully
not washing them, getting them just right. But then you have to dump them
because the processor needs an upgrade. What a bummer. 
Point of view 
You're in a meeting. Some dreary person from HR. Tedious PowerPoint. This is
not a productive use of your time. You have deadlines, assignments, to-dos that
need to-doing. Fortunately you've just got some new peripherals for your phone.
There's a motion controller in your watch and a display in the corner of your
glasses. Subtle movements of your hand translate into cursor movements on
a tiny screen. You check your email. Nothing. You suddenly notice you've been
granted new lives in Candy Crush (wearable edition). You should play that now,
then you can really get down to some work later. That's the greater
productivity. 
You're in a meeting. Presenting to the design group. Stuff they really need
to know if they're going to stay employed. They're all looking at you, there
are no laptops and they appear to be listening. But there's a weird vibe. Then
you realise they've all got wearables. Some in their necklaces, some in their
glasses. Some have had that weird augmentation, but they're all off somewhere
else. 
Actually, it's not so bad in these situations. You can normally get their
attention back by hacking into one of their cameras and transmitting yourself
back into their streams -- they love the novelty of that. It's a useful
enough strategy that HR have built the shortcut into your top hat. It's in
personal interviews that these things get unbearable. You're trying to talk to
someone -- an ostensibly normal adult -- but they're coming on like an
adolescent. A distant gaze and sullen mumbling. They're off in wearable space.
Eventually, you have to drag them off to the Faraday cage every HR department
has these days, just so you can force them to listen. 
Will we wear screens on our clothes? Probably. It sounds stupid now, but so
did Snapchat. I'm envisaging a sort-of flexible e-ink thing with a succession
of amusing slogans like you get on T-shirts down the market. 
Eye nailed shut 
Think about drivable computing. Cars got computers before we really noticed.
Engine-management systems, squirrelled away inside, reporting, adjusting,
tweaking. Performance improved significantly but we could no longer fix
our own cars. You needed the right interface to wire yourself up to the engine.
So, gradually, we stopped doing it and the car makers stopped allowing it.
These days they might as well nail the bonnets shut. Is that the endgame for
your Fitbit or your Google Glass? 
Muse headband  
 
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The Muse headband contains EEG sensors that monitor the wearer's brain
signals. It sends this data to a tablet or smartphone app via Bluetooth,
where the brainwave patterns are used in exercises aimed at improving skills
such as memory, concentration, and relaxation. But, although the company focus
is currently on brain health, the headband can also command games, and will
eventually allow users to control devices with their mind. Muse has been
developed by Toronto-based company InteraXon, which raised $6 million (£3.5
million) in Series A funding in August after reaching almost $300,000 through
an Indiegogo campaign. interaxon.ca/muse 
Bikes yes, meetings, no 
If you're old enough you'll remember the minor publishing flurry that
accompanied mass participation in what we used to call "online". We
all had to read books about netiquette so we knew how to reply appropriately to
emails (less formally than letters, apparently) and could answer a text without
alienating our children. It seems quaint and silly now, but new technology puts
us in uncomfortable new situations. Society needs a way to work out a response.
I've noticed, for example, that when my smartwatch buzzes with the arrival of a
text message -- I've got a Pebble, obviously (I told you I was a sucker for
this stuff) -- I really can't help but glance at it. 
When I'm on my bike this is an improvement on my previous behaviour --
risking life and limb by looking at my phone (I know, Mum, I'm sorry); but in a
meeting it just looks like I'm bored. There's not a critical mass of
people who understand what's going on. Hurry up please, people. I want to
look at my watch. 
You can't start with an ecosystem 
The problem everyone has to face is that wearables will really work only when
they're part of an "ecosystem" -- a mutually supportive network of
hardware and software that means that things work together well and improve
each other. Without that, each new wearable has to install and boot its own infrastructure
every time it starts. That's why we'll creep towards a wearable world, edging
out on beams of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. 
Otherwise it will be like trying to sell someone a mouse before they've got
a PC. But there will still be a complicated mess of protocols and standards. If
I were a high-end furniture maker, I'd be working on a fancy dressing-table
with all sorts of hidden drawers and compartments for all the docking and
charging stations our future jewellery is going to require. Delicate, refined,
with lots of power. 
Wave 'em like you just don't care 
We all have our little technology behaviours. Theories about where the Wi-Fi is
strongest and clever ways to balance on a park bench and get a signal. We're
going to look very odd when our devices are embedded, getting our shoes to talk
to our watches, getting our backpacks to sync with our hats, waving our hands
in the air. 
Now I think about it 
JD Wetherspoon will probably open a bar called The Faraday Cage and we'll all
go there for a connectivity holiday and the last real pub quiz in town.Russell
Davies is a creative director at GDS and a partner at Really Interesting Group.
russelldavies.typepad.com/home 
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Kapture wristband </div>
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Another life-logging device, the Kapture wristband has an omnidirectional microphone
where you might expect a watch face and continuously buffers audio in a
60-second loop. When you tap it, the previous minute of audio is saved locally
before being transferred to a smartphone via Bluetooth. Soundbites can then be
cut, named, tagged and shared using the features of a dedicated app. The
wristband is designed for style as well as function (it's not intended to be
employed as a spy gadget) and, thanks to a collaboration with 3D-printing
company Shapeways, even comes with the option of a gold-plated grill.

Awkward moments from the future of computing

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06Jan2014

Existential metronome: vibrating watch messes with your sense of time

"Time flies when you're having fun." It's a cliche, but it's true.
So is its inverse proposition. Just like we've all been to parties that passed
in a blink, we've all sat through interminable work days where seconds seemed
like hours, too. Time may march on objectively, but our minds play all sorts of
tricks on us when it comes to how we perceive it. 
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Durr is a watch designed to draw attention to that slippery disconnect
between time as it passes and how we perceive it passing. Instead of hands or
numbers, it's just a solid, colorful disk. Every five minutes, it vibrates.
Think of it as a metronome for your day-to-day life. 
The watch was designed by Theo Tveterås and Lars Marcus Vedeler, a Norwegian
duo who work together as <a href="http://www.skrekkogle.com/">Skrekkøgle</a>.
The idea came from an observation one of them had about how fast it seemed like
their days were going by when they were especially busy in their studio. They hacked
together a quick and dirty prototype for a buzzing wrist piece, strapped it to
their arms, and headed out for some beers. Immediately, the effect was
noticeable. "We were surprised and excited about how tangible time
suddenly seemed," Tveterås says. 
They came back to the studio the next morning and started work on a more
refined piece of hardware. For the final product, Arduino guts hide inside a
number of colorful housings, all attached to a thin leather strap. (<a href="http://skreksto.re/products/durr">You can buy one from the duo for €90.</a><a href="http://skreksto.re/products/durr">00 [£74.75].</a>) 
The simple hardware was about staying true to the essence of the original
concept. "We like the idea of single-purpose objects," Tveterås
explains. "It has a calmer, more specific purpose than, say, a smartphone
or a smartwatch." He was happy to see that some friends had kept on
wearing their Durrs as decoration even after their batteries died. 
At this point, the designers have been wearing their shivering watches for
six months. Tveterås says it adds an undeniable "rhythm" to the day,
chopping it into chunks small enough to let you look back and consider what
you've been doing (vibrating any more often than every five minutes, they found
was annoying; any longer than 10 and it became hard to remember when the last
interval started). 
Of course, giving people an existential metronome can have the opposite
effect. In some cases, it hasn't led to the wearer noticing the passing of time
but rather time passing away. "We've gotten feedback from other people
using it that it acts a little like a countdown for life, which wasn't the
intention at all," Tveterås says. "But the memento mori aspect is
very fascinating too."

Existential metronome: vibrating watch messes with your sense of time

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06Jan2014

Android-integrated cars on the horizon as Google joins forces with carmakers

Google has joined together with car manufacturers General Motors, Audi,
Honda and Hyundai, and makers of super-charged computer chips Nvidia to form
the <a href="http://www.openautoalliance.net/#about">Open Automotive Alliance</a>,
with the hope of producing the first Android-integrated cars. 
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The alliance was announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas,
where the group outlined its plans to work together towards a common platform.
While release times will differ depending on the manufacturer, the alliance
hopes to launch the first vehicles at the end of 2014. 
Android is the dominant mobile operating system and cars are perhaps the
most literal examples of mobile technology, so working with Google makes sense
from a manufacturer's point of view as it should breathe new life into built-in
car tech innovation. 
"Millions of people are already familiar with Android and use it
everyday," said Sundar Pichai, SVP of Android, Chrome & Apps at Google
<a href="http://www.openautoalliance.net/#press">in a press release</a>.
"The expansion of the Android platform into automotive will allow our
industry partners to more easily integrate mobile technology into cars and
offer drivers a familiar, seamless experience so they can focus on the
road." 
The platform will focus on bridging the mobile and automotive experiences
and will "create new opportunities for developers to deliver powerful
experiences for drivers and passengers in a safe and scalable way". The
companies have been brought together by the fact that they "share a vision
for the connected car" and are committed to bringing the best of Android
into the car, but there does also seem to be a significant focus on the
platform improving driver safety. 
"Working toward a common ecosystem benefits driver safety above
all," said Ricky Hudi, Head of Electrics/Electronics Development at AUDI
AG. 
This isn't the first time Google has displayed an interest in the automotive
-- it has also been working on a driverless car. Apple too could have ambitions
to integrate its technology into vehicles, having reportedly <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57592829-37/apple-envisions-touch-screen-to-control-your-cars-key-features/?ttag=gpwl">patented</a>
a touchscreen dashboard system, and is also working with a slew of
manufacturers -- including Honda and Hyundai -- on bringing the <a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-06/10/ios-7">iOS experience into
the car.</a> 
The next big battle between the two operating systems could easily be over
partnerships with car manufacturers, although the open nature of the Google-led
alliance means that it may prove the more attractive option, both to the
manufacturers and developers.

Android-integrated cars on the horizon as Google joins forces with carmakers

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06Jan2014

Tested: Best phones for seniors and fans of simple cells

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How we tested 
We assessed these simplified mobile phones for usability, capability,
performance, style and value for money. We also enlisted a group of Chelsea
Pensioners, some of whom were seasoned mobile users, some less so, for their
opinions on the handsets specifically tailored to the seniors' market. 
<a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/reviews/mobile-phones/2013-09/nokia-105">Nokia 105</a> 
You can make calls and send texts with the 105, but not much else - though its
battery will last for around a month on standby, and about a week under regular
use. Extras include an FM radio, a few games (including Snake) and a torch. The
low cost, plus its dust and splash-resistant shell, also makes this ideal as a
semi-disposable for festivals and the like. 
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRR5IonptGErCVTSYqJU-tKESryGQjGDKSRh13zFLkB6fjjIluRnAf7hk7USF3tJgSpo9tSchWtIWPKM2tyNOg3WYmk1QSvBDVskDPichFB31llpp3Br8Uxf80EUf3KF_NrGMWJe6eVFE/s1600/10_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRR5IonptGErCVTSYqJU-tKESryGQjGDKSRh13zFLkB6fjjIluRnAf7hk7USF3tJgSpo9tSchWtIWPKM2tyNOg3WYmk1QSvBDVskDPichFB31llpp3Br8Uxf80EUf3KF_NrGMWJe6eVFE/s1600/10_1.jpg" /></a></div>
Wired: Small and lightweight; simple interface; great
battery life 
Tired: Too basic for some; no internet 
Score: 7/10 
Cost: £18 
Specifications 
Size: 107 x 45 x 14mm 
Weight: 70g 
Features: Dust- and splash-resistant;torch; FM radio; epic battery
life 
<a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/reviews/mobile-phones/2013-10/huawei-ascend-y300">Huawei </a>
<a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/reviews/mobile-phones/2013-10/huawei-ascend-y300">Ascend
Y300</a> 
At 11mm thick, it's a little chubby for a smartphone, but it feels very
sturdy and reliable. The Y300 runs Huawei's Experience interface, which
simplifies Android for its four-inch touchscreen. The dual-core processor is
better than you'd expect at this price, and there's a five-megapixel camera on
the back, a VGA one on the front, and an FM radio, too. 
Wired: Simplified Android; high spec for a reasonable price 
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Tired: Too bulky 
Score: 7/10 
Cost: £90 
Specifications 
Size: 125 x 64 x 11mm 
Weight: 130g 
Features: Simplified interface; smartphone capabilities; FM radio;
five-megapixel camera; powerful processor 
<a href="http://doro.co.uk/">Doro PhoneEasy 740</a> 
The 740's slider givesusers a keypad and a touchscreen, and it's a proper
smartphone with internet, email and a limited version of Google Play. Relatives
can take control of the phone via a website to set up contacts and calendars.
Charmaine Coleman, 81, and Staff Sergeant, Royal Military Police - and a Doro
user already - felt that there was "a bit too much on it". 
Wired: Choice of hard or on-screen keypad;
senior-friendly apps 
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Tired: Expensive 
Score: 6/10 
Cost: £199 
Specifications: 
Size: 116 x 56 x 18mm 
Weight: 149g 
Features: Apps; torch; FM radio; remote control; full
internet; five-megapixel camera 
<a href="http://fujitsu.com/">Fujitsu Stylistic S01</a> 
Of all the handsets in our test, the Stylistic most resembles a standard
smartphone. The screen takes some getting used to, as you need to press hard
enough to receive a little buzz of tactile feedback - useful for avoiding
accidental presses. It has full access to email, the internet and Google Play,
and has the best camera out of the group, at eight megapixels. 
Wired: Smartphone tech made easy 
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Tired: Emergency switch can be a bit fiddly to operate 
Score: 7/10 
Cost: €90 
Specifications 
Size: 130 x 64 x 11mm 
Weight: 138g 
Features: Tactile feedback; water- and dust-proof; full internet;
eight-megapixel camera 
<a href="http://vodafone.co.uk/">Vodafone Smart Mini</a> 
This dinky Android smartphone has a low-resolution 3.5-inch screen and a
single-core processor clocked at 1GHz, and is a shrunken version of the
Vodafone Smart. The lack of power is noticeable next to the Huawei Y300, but as
a no-frills handset that gives you SMS, phone, internet and social-networking
in a 118g package for £50, it's a tempting proposition. 
Wired: Small and lightweight; inexpensive 
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Tired: Slow in use; poor camera 
Score: 6/10 
Cost: £50 
Specifications 
Size: 115 x 62 x12mm 
Weight: 118g 
Features: Light and compact; Android smartphone;FM radio;
two-megapixel camera

Tested: Best phones for seniors and fans of simple cells

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06Jan2014

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Awkward moments from the future of computing

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Tested: Best phones for seniors and fans of simple cells

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