* - details under the cut
Traffic.

Relatively recently, the phone market literally covered with a wave of “newcomers from the past” - phones with large buttons, black and white screens and other relevant attributes. In common, these phones are called differently, but the most familiar to all - "grandmothers". Well, that such devices really are quite suitable for an adult and a very adult generation, despite the fact that such mobile phones do not hesitate to take and young people. It is not clear whether this is an avalanche attack of caring for our loved ones, or whether it is the desire to earn money on a segment that almost no thoroughbred brands go to — it’s not clear ... well, that’s not the point for us, the end users. Therefore, I propose to still consider these phones as devices for people of the age - young people can cope with any technology.
What are the main features of such devices? I did not see a clear delineation of the segments, but if I think about it myself, from a practical point of view I would like to see the following:

- Practical body, which would be indifferent to the periodic falls
- Large enough buttons, not to the detriment of the overall size of the device
- Easy to read text on buttons, in all menus
- Contrast screen, loud speaker and powerful vibration
- Simplicity and convenience for everyday use of the device
- Fastening for lace, so that the phone can always be attached somewhere
- Long battery life
- Lack of "frills" and other androids)

This is perhaps the main thing. Looking ahead, looking at all the phones that I visited, you can also highlight the following: in the opinion of the manufacturers, the presence of a built-in radio and such an unusual kill-feature as a flashlight are also necessary. In principle, I agree with both points - you can shine something with a flashlight (at least with a lock when you try to open the door in a dark staircase), and the radio will help dispel boredom and be aware of events; only radio, as I believe, should work without a headset, or at least without the need to insert headphones into your ears.
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I will upset in advance - there are no ticks in front of ALL the items on this list, none of the tested phones. But it is worth paying tribute - companies honestly tried to do something “new” - devices for a rather peculiar target audience. And this is a bold step - to make a lot of compromises in order to try to grab a piece of cake in which the “big players” barely eat. There are no guarantees that they will buy, that it is in demand - after all, grandmothers are much less than grandchildren and granddaughters ... and making a small “trial” batch is not an easy task. In general ... I propose to see what came out of all this.

Participated in the review (TTX link):
- Voxtel RX500
- Texet TM-B100
- ONEXT Care-Phone 1
- Just5 CP09
- Just5 CP10
- Samsung GT-C3060R



Specially I didn’t write to each phone the correspondence to one or another item of the list - the post already came out very heavy, although I tried not to go into details.

Voxtel RX500

They say it was (by the way, and now it is) one of the first phones positioned for people in the age. Laugh laugh, but it is really a mobile phone, although much more at first it smells of a home average DECT-tube. When I got it out of the box, my wife came up and asked - “look at how much it costs, buy granny” - perhaps she’s right, any granny will cope with such a phone.



Included with the Voxtel RX500 is charging, a detailed black and white manual (56 pages in Russian - everything is fine, but very small) and the passport of the device.



Appearance ... it seems that the designer of the company died in the nineties, but his work lives and practices from the yellowed papermans are still used). In general, such an angular brick, endowed with a handful of buttons and a monochrome display. At first, he is frightening and repulsing with something (dimensions? Cheap plastic?), But rather quickly I got used to it ... and I do not exclude that this is really what is ideal for the target audience. When I used this phone for a short time, it almost completely occupied one of my pockets (tube size 130x53x18 mm, weight 100g), which was not very convenient. On the other hand, I repeat, for older people this can only be a plus.





Immediately the red plastic insert at the top end catches the eye - this is an indicator that lights up in red during a call. In addition to it, there is also a strap hole at the top, and a flashlight LED.



On the left side there is only one connector, which is designed for charging (or for a headset). Not the most convenient location of the connector (there is 2.5mm minijack), but as it is ...



Right flashlight button and hardware lock switch. Looking ahead, the brightest (in my opinion) and functional flashlight is installed here. At first I thought that it shines only when the corresponding button on the case is pressed; On the one hand, this is correct (in order not to accidentally leave it on and not to discharge the battery), but at the same time, sometimes both hands are busy, but the light is still needed. Here, in addition to the hardware function, the flashlight can be turned on and programmatically - then it will just shine without pressing a button.



Bottom is empty, but behind ... I was moved) There is a whole sheet of paper behind, designed to record some numbers - three favorite (for which there are three separate buttons in front), an emergency one, as well as one's own. All this is hidden behind plexiglass and pulled out only when the battery cover is removed. I think this is a very cool solution in such a device - even if it looks not so aesthetically pleasing, but information will always be at hand, regardless of the battery status, etc.





By the way, I initially thought that the lid would have an appropriate size battery for a month of continuous operation, but everything turned out to be much simpler - inside is the most common 950 mAh battery, allowing you to work for 2-3 days.



The screen is monochrome, has an orange backlight and is designed for three lines; it has a rather large font, but the thickness of the characters is pumped up - it is small, so readability is far from the best. It is quite convenient to type SMS (the layout itself has), but even then a fly in the ointment came in - rubberized buttons are very tight, which is why the fingers get tired of the very first sentence typed. From non-standard on the keyboard - three separate buttons individually for each call. SOS function no.

Everything is simple in the menu - messages, phone book, call log, settings (phone, dates, network settings, call dates, sound profiles), an alarm clock and a flashlight. In the phone settings available as many as 15 different languages.

If you turn on the profile “on the street”, then during a call, a shrillly loud melody is heard, accompanied by a powerful vibrating alert and a red blinking dice in the upper part of the device.

If you believe the passport of the device, the roots of the device grow from China, although in appearance it is quite a Russian design. So that no one chops off the pluses in the comments, let me post a picture that everyone has thought of now)





In general, the phone left a good impression, although very twofold. At one time, similar emotions caused a giant universal remote control that I bought just for fun in one of the stores — I used it for several days until the child hid it in his drawer with children's toys; did not pick up.

And the last. In Russia, this phone is sold as Voxtel RX500 , while in Europe it is known as Binatone Speakeasy . I don’t know how in Europe, I wasn’t there, but our price is from 1400 rubles per phone. If you decide to buy, I strongly advise you to keep in mind reviews from Yandex.Market.

DECT (English Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunication) is a wireless communication technology at frequencies of 1880-1900 MHz with GMSK modulation (BT = 0.5), used in modern radio telephones.

Texet TM-B100

This phone is very similar to Just5 CP09 , which I will discuss next. But then the conversation was relatively short - you will understand why)



Included with the phone is a 1000 mAh battery, a wired headset (3.5 mm mini-jack), a charger (with a single-needle plug, which will definitely break sooner or later) and 3 little stickers on which you can write some data / phones . There is also a very detailed 36-page black-and-white instruction manual (in Russian).



The appearance is partially inherited from the previous device in this review - angular shapes, large buttons, black matte plastic (vaguely similar to soft-touch) ... but in general, in this model, it all looks more sophisticated and more modern. Large buttons that are conveniently separated by raised protrusions; on the buttons, in addition to numbers, only Russian letters are applied.





Of the functional elements, the flashlight is already familiar to us (with the hardware button; the flashlight works even when the phone is off), a hole for the strap. Hardware buttons for locking, for radio and for volume control - nothing unusual. Bottom - a jack for the charger and a headset jack (needed for the radio).







On the back side there is a slightly submerged SOS button - if you press it, the phone will ring not on some pre-set phone there, but to the rescue service (where a long song is being delayed), to call the fire service, press 1, for the blah blah ... ) - and, apparently, it cannot be reprogrammed.



The radio only worked with the headset - it predictably acts as an antenna, although the manufacturer reports that there is an integrated antenna. It's nice that with the headset connected, the phone can output sound to the speaker. There is an auto search radio stations. By the way, the sound is very loud - you will not be able to miss the call.



Build quality ... in general, at first it was bearable - small gaps between the body parts, but what to expect from such a cheap device? But when (for no reason at all) the protective glass of the screen came off ... no, you can spit, blow and glue, but I decided that this is not the best choice for the role of the phone for grandparents and even more so for active users.



Therefore, I will be brief. The menu consists of 6 sections - messages, contacts, calls, reminders (alarm clock, notes and birthdays), calculator (+ - / x) and settings. Of the settings - 10 shrill melodies, a very flexible volume setting, vibro, display contrast, time and date, network setting (call barring, call forwarding, etc.), PIN request and factory settings. Screen with orange backlight, quite informative.
And there’s nothing more to say)











Despite the fact that it is almost the twin brother of the Just5 CP09 phone, the price of this device is almost 2 times less ... nevertheless, I would rather keep the money with me - a quick review of the reviews on the market made it clear that these shortcomings can be found in every phone of this model.

SOS (SOS) is an international distress signal in radio telegraph (using Morse code) communication. The signal is a sequence of "three points - three dashes - three points" transmitted without pauses between letters (· · · - - - · · ·).

ONEXT Care-Phone 1

Another little-known company - if I heard about Texet in conversations about all sorts of players and photo frames, I didn’t come across it with Onext even once. I didn’t draw conclusions about the whole company on the device alone, but it seemed to me that they were of one berry field - there are a lot of different products on the site, the quality of which a little-known brand can hardly provide. So, looking ahead, this phone will also be just a couple of lines.



What I liked right away is that the bundle includes a very good charging cradle (!). This is great for three reasons: first, putting the phone on charge is so much easier - inserting a thin plug into the same Texet will be much more difficult for an elderly person, like “a thread in the eye of a needle”. Secondly, a dead plug (as in previous devices) needs to be inserted into the cradle once - this is definitely better than poking the plug each time. Thirdly, the device at home will be all the time in one place, as is the case with any DECT-phone - you do not have to search all over the apartment. Well, in general, it looks somehow more interesting or something.



Also included is a detailed (with pictures and large text) black and white instruction in Russian and a stereo headset (again by 2.5mm).



At the upper end of the traditionally located LED flashlight and a hole for attaching the strap.





On the left - the "swing" volume and hardware key lock button.



Behind is an emergency "red button" for which you can specify the number and text of the message being sent, which will be sent along with the call.



As for the keyboard, there are practically no non-standard buttons. “Heart” allows you to dial one of five “quick” numbers, and “C” erases unnecessary text. The text on the buttons "hidden" under a layer of plastic, because of which the buttons have a slight distortion of the text and a lot of glare. The backlight is somewhat unusual - the screen is highlighted in orange and the buttons are highlighted in blue.



The menu contains several elements (phone book, messages, call history, alarm clock, profiles and settings), but almost every one contains a lot of sub-items - the same messages are full of excess.
In the settings: time and date, help, phone, call and network settings, security settings and factory settings. Available in 8 languages, including Russian.



Inside there is a removable 900 mAh battery, which, according to the manufacturer, can work up to 200-300 hours in standby mode and up to 3-5 hours talk time.



At the same price as on the Texet TM-B100, this phone liked more. Only one cradle takes this device one step ahead of the rest.

Just5 CP09

As far as I know, this is a domestic brand, but all its products are definitely made according to Chinese patterns. No, the buttons do not fall off and the screens do not fall off - there is no smell of Chinese at all, but still something tells me that she is involved in all the products of this review) Two models from Just5, released one after the other, started in my hands - start I decided with the "younger."

The first thing the user faces is a large stylish box made of thick cardboard, inside which, unlike all other devices, the phone and all the attached ammunition are sitting on a throne. Included, in addition to the phone, is a wired headset, charger and instructions.



If we assume that the headset will not potentially use the elderly Central Asian, then I would like to put in a handful of charging exercises and manual. Charging is the most common, but entirely made of orange-colored materials; on my geeky memory, this is the first adapter of this color, so that for any other user this charging is unlikely to be confused with something - this is, albeit small, but a plus.





As for the manual, it is the same size as the box - in such a book both large qualitative illustrations and large text (of course, in Russian) fit into each function, and ... well, all the instructions would be like that!



But from the device itself there were not such bright impressions. It all starts with a rather clumsy design - such a brick is unlikely to slip out of hand, but it also looks appropriate - not just angular, but a brick; 5 options for the color design of the case does not change the situation. However, the exact same (and even not only this) brick has already been considered above. At first, I even thought that it was one berry field, but when I put both devices nearby, I noticed some differences.



As in other cases, there is a “main” feature here - a flashlight on the top of one LED, which in (s) is turned on by the hardware button on the device. There is also a hole for the lace. Another of the buttons on the sides - the volume control and switch for FM-radio.





At the bottom there is a headset jack (3.5mm), a microphone and a jack (in a funny word, but!)) For charging; on charging, a very thin (as on many nokia) plug is used, which, as practice shows, is quite fragile and bends almost with your finger.



The buttons of the keyboard are very large - I simply did not see the larger ones. To be more precise, the size is 14x13mm per button. In addition to the fact that such a “loaf” cannot be missed, each button has a small raised protrusion - thanks to such a segmentation you cannot be mistaken.

On the reverse side is the SOS button - this is exactly the button, slightly recessed in the case; accidentally press it is unlikely to succeed.



A two-line monochrome display with orange backlighting ... yes, there are large letters, it seems to be all contrast ... but from the first minutes I realized that it was very inconvenient to use such a screen. If you can somehow get used to the menu, then with reading the same sms, I am tormented.

The only multimedia function is FM radio, which is capable of working without a headset (there is a simple built-in antenna). Pleasant bonus, no more.

The main menu is a matrix of 4 icons - contacts, messages, calls and settings.
There are at least functions, but they are not really needed here - no mp3 players for you, much less WAP browsers :) There can be no more than 100 numbers in the address book, and only the name and phone number is assigned for each contact; there is a search.

There is nothing supernatural in the messages either - incoming, outgoing. Writing messages, as well as reading, is inconvenient - on two lines you will not clear up; edit messages, again, not very convenient, no T9. There are 5 templates available, and no more than 100 messages can be stored in memory.

The settings are also minimum - PIN-code, date-time, call volume and dynamics, contrast, one single profile (silent), a primitive calculator and an alarm clock ... well, that's all.

As you can see, minimalism triumphed again.

Just5 CP10

In general, this model is almost the same CP09, but with minor modifications - a completely expected and logical development of events. The user manual remained at the same high level.



The phone has become more compact and not so brick-like - at least the first thing you notice is more rounded shapes, like a little remnant). Because of this, by the way, the keyboard “suffered” - it lost clear edges separating one button from another. So, for example, instead of the “down” button, all the time I mistakenly clicked on the two located below. Otherwise, it is very difficult to miss with the buttons because of their really large size.



A chrome strip goes around the perimeter, which, as practice shows, sooner or later will lose its presentation. However, the build quality does not find fault - no backlash, no squeaks, or outgoing screens.

Again, not to the detriment of readability, each button has a large number, Russian and English letters, suitable for SMS dialing.

Turn on occurs in 6-7 seconds. The screen has grown up (up to 3-4 lines in different modes) and this is definitely great - this is already quite comfortable to use. All the inscriptions on the screen are large and easy to read; orange backlighting and black text contrasts well. The main screen is quite informative - a large clock, the signal level, the selected profile and the battery charge.





The SOS function this time is realized not by a button (which can be accidentally and fairly easily pressed), but by a slightly recessed moving switch that switches with force. My practice has shown that it is much more difficult to “make sos” by chance than in CP09 ... but even in that case, there is a chance. Otherwise, the opportunity is not very conveniently implemented - you can set up some “emergency” numbers from your address book, but when you activate the SOS function, numbers appear on the screen instead of names — remember where it is. When you press a button, a loud siren is heard, a text message is sent and an attempt is made to reach someone from “their own”. Accordingly, if I push the SOS switch ten times "as a joke", the money will be withdrawn at least for 10 sms sent (maybe, but I’m not sure - I tried it only for 2 sms and it was enough for me).In any case, the original approach)

Under the battery cover, which, admittedly, sits like a glove, there is a 1000 mAh battery - promise up to 200 hours in standby mode and up to 8 in gossip mode. But according to unconfirmed rumors, the standby time is much longer. You need to charge from the same orange adapter, respectively, the charging plug is still fragile.



At the ends of the hardware buttons rendered several functions - volume control, radio, key lock and flashlight (bright enough). The headset for the radio acts as an antenna - there is a manual and automatic search, but the best part is that the standard 3.5mm minijack is used. Flashlight - the same LED.


DFM is the coolest radio!

Separately, I want to note the hardware key lock switch. This is very convenient, judging not only by my parents, but also by myself - I got used to the screen off button on communicators, so when I pick up a regular phone, I have to read the message about which button I need to press ... or even a combination of buttons ... uncomfortable it! And here everything is simple: click - and the buttons are locked; click - and you can already print! Moreover, when unblocking, the entire backlight is immediately turned on, pa turns off when you turn it off - very economically.

On the one hand, the main menu is not at all thick, on the other - there is nothing superfluous in it. It consists of the following items:
- Messages (new, incoming, outgoing, drafts, voice messages, SOS, templates, install and delete)
- Call history
- Contacts
- Profiles
- Settings
- Alarm clock
- Calculator



While typing a message, in the tooltip that appears, all the characters on this button are visible - this is not a discovery, but here it is not at all unnecessary. True, the characters are typed with a slight delay that lovers of active correspondence may not like; For people at the age of these delays, the opposite may be useful. The speaker is loud enough, the choice of the order of ten very peculiar and shrill midi-melodies (many high frequencies).

Just5 CP10 comes in two colors - dark gray and white (for grandma and grandpa)). Looking ahead, I liked the white version much more. But the price ... it does not even justify the presence of a hole for the strap;)





Remarkably, the company has already released the CP11 model, with a large “sliding” screen and quite “rich” functionality (and, which is nice, again with “embossed” buttons). Apparently, after a while, a color screen, cameras, a memory card and other delights of “phones with large buttons” will appear.

In general, positive impressions remained from this model - one step ahead of previous devices, but there are enough of its cockroaches. The box is presentable, and it’s not a pity to donate; but to hell with it, with the box - there is a detailed instruction, beautiful, detailed and neat - thanks to this, any user can handle the phone. And this is perhaps one of the key advantages for the proposed Central Asia.

Samsung GT-C3060R

I decided to leave the most functional device for the final part of the article and here's why. First, I hope that you are still awake and that you are reading this text at least with one eye; secondly, the Samsung phone doesn’t fit in with the general concept of today's conversation and by and large is the most common entry-level phone - very many people still enjoy this kind of thing. But since this dwarf fell into the country of the Gullivers, then let's talk about him.



The box turned out to be the smallest of all - inside there was a charger (with a rare connector similar to miniHDMI - if this is the Samsung standard, then correct me), a wired headset with a corresponding connector (which means you won't be able to insert any other), a sufficiently detailed guide to Russian language (b / w, small print), and the phone itself. The unambiguous slogan - “Easy and safe mobile life”.



The phone is pleasantly monolithic, it conveniently lies in the hand and, apparently, is assembled perfectly. The buttons are opaque and feel slightly rubberized to the touch; they are large enough, without English letters and white backlit. It is not clear why they made a 4-position "frame", which is very inconvenient to press on with unaccustomed - not the best choice for thumbs, but in general the keyboard is no worse than in other presented devices. The rest of the body (except for the screen) is also matte - it is practical!





Behind is a 1.3 megapixel camera without flash. The lid is removed entirely - behind it is a 960 mAh battery (they promise up to 350 hours in standby mode and up to 7 in talk mode); there is no memory card slot (as well as Bluetooth), so it is assumed that all photos will be stored on the phone (there is a modest 12278kb of space inside). Moreover, the bundle did not have a cord for connecting the phone to a computer - so my theory is either confirmed or someone lost the wire to me . You can use the cable from the D-series and software New PC Studio, but this is crutches



On the left side there is a “rocker” of the volume of a flip up plug for charging / headset connection - in my opinion, for adults, romp with this element would be unnecessary, but in many phones for “children” this little thing is not enough.



On the right hand side, the SOS button (dials one of the five pre-stored numbers or sends an emergency SMS message after a long press) and “Favorites” (for 11 contacts). There is nothing above, the microphone below; There are holes for fastening the lace.



The turn-on time of the phone is about 10 seconds. It is nice to see the color screen again (diagonal 2.2 ", 240x320, up to 262000 colors), with a rather large and readable font.



The central button brings up the main menu, inside which there is nothing superfluous, just 5 points: contacts, messages, camera, settings and applications. The first two points are absolutely standard - the only good thing in them is a really well-chosen font.
In addition to photos, the camera can write small videos - both are very “so-so” in quality; in its menu you can also go to the album, send a photo with a message, set it as a background or contact, “protect” and delete. It is clear that the camera in this phone is far from a profile function, but in general, I approve of it - to take a picture of the grandson and put it as a screen saver - for parents it is quite valuable, whatever the quality of the image.



In settings:
- Help (short help on the main functions of the phone)
- SOS services (setting up calls and messages)
- Setup wizard (step by step theme is configured, time zone, date and time, profile and schedule reminder and welcome message - in principle, everything you need to get started)



- Profiles
- Display and backlight (wallpaper, clock, calendar, 2 themes, 2 font sizes, welcome message, 5 levels of brightness, normal and economical backlight mode and auto-lock). It's nice that there are 8 interface languages, including Russian, English and Ukrainian.
- Time and date
- Telephone (calls, messages, contacts, calendar and Internet)
- Applications
And a few more points: security (lock, PIN), network, memory, and reset. I liked the Mobile Tracker option, which increases the chances of finding a phone if it was stolen - the function (without turning it off without knowing the password) sends the number of a new SIM card to a pre-set phone.

The end

Honestly, initially I didn’t really want to write about these devices, since only the lazy one didn’t write about them. However, I liked the test and remembered at least by its non-standard) And in general, at least I began to have an idea what kind of devices they are - I hope you will get those (k) articles to give you some food for thought as you read this sentence.







So far, the only justified use I have found for these mobile phones is to be a “spare wheel” for an expensive phone. It will be a pity to crush HD2 / Desire / iPhone4 dumbbells in the gym, or to lose it in the woods on barbecues ... and for any cell phone from the review it will not be so offensive, although they are not that cheap either. Of the 6 devices, only Samsung tried, but in fact, they made a regular entry-level phone, not a “grandma phone”; and the one with flaws. If I say that the next in the list of "trying" is Just5, then you will again begin to see the advertisement) Let's do without it at least today.

But if it’s very honest, it’s not as bad as I wrote - we just really lost the habit. Recently, my whole family was going on vacation, the price of which included the RAZR V3 left by her mother. I was upset, of course, but not for long at all - literally a day after arrival, at competitions I won Just5 CP10 in Lebedev competition ... by throwing these phones) After hitting the wall, the box lost much of its appearance, but it didn’t affect the phone itself.





Mom, of course, I will still give something more high-tech, but for the first time this will be enough. She is quite happy with him, at least by the evening of the first day she had already fully mastered it.

I agree that the model range in the review does not pretend to be complete - at least there are still quite a few noteworthy models that did not make it into this review. I don’t know about you, but it would be interesting for me to dig deeper even in such devices as Emporia ELEGANCE (fashion-young people with a color screen, but we don’t sell), Fly Ezzy and some Philips Xenium models (due to their unrealistically long time). battery life).

With a good set of circumstances, all of the listed devices will find their customers. Adults do not go to the gyms so often and get drunk even less often before losing the phone - it is hoped that these glands will be able to work at least some time, “beat off” their cost. Regarding modern and communicators, these are quite inexpensive - they can be given "for fun" to friends and relatives, regardless of what they use now. A sort of universal gift that can be very useful.

ps Obina from the monitor by Shirixae

Successes, old men! )