Doro, a Swedish telecom company,  designs products specifically for the needs of seniors. Technology is advancing at a dizzying rate and while many of the seniors who come through the door of my audiology clinic, Attune at Mona Vale, are just as fast at adopting new gadgets as their children are, it’s understandable that there are just as many people out there who prefer to keep things simple.
I’ve been using the PhoneEasy myself and showing it to others and the Doro PhoneEasy 410s is about as simple as they get. For people who need Bluetooth functionality, it’s in there in the Settings menu and pairing this phone with other devices (such as Bluetooth streamers for hearing aids) is easy if it needs to be done.
The PhoneEasy doesn’t have a camera and this keeps the keypad and display uncluttered.
If you don’t have the best vision, the large numbers and text are displayed boldly on the display and the buttons are likewise large and well spaced out which is a plus for people with arthritis or otherwise limited dexterity.
The PhoneEasy is marketed as a mobile phone that is suitable for people with hearing impairment, in that it has a loud ringer and speaker and is also compatible with hearing aids. I compared it with several other phones and it was just as loud and clear as any of the other phones when the volume was turned up.
Hearing Aid Compatibility
I was interested to test this phone through a hearing aid because there are some very common problems hearing aid wearers encounter when using their aids with mobile phones. For example, when the phone is simply positioned close to the hearing aid, it’s not uncommon for the hearing aid to start whistling because the phone is physically reflecting the hearing aid’s output back into its own microphone. Then there’s problem of voices on the phone sounding tinny and unclear because of the relatively long path the signal takes to finally get to the person’s ear.
It is possible for a mobile phone to be used with a hearing aid’s telecoil (or T-switch) activated. This way the hearing aid picks up the phone signal magnetically rather than acoustically. This can however be troublesome due to the fact that the magnetic signal may not always be of good quality (depending on the phone and the hearing aid) and the interference created by several components of the phone can make conversation very difficult.
In general, flip phones are much better to use with a telecoil than the smaller bar style (e.g. most Nokias) or slate style (e.g. iPhones) phones because the phone speaker is further away from some other parts of the phone and as a result the signal to the hearing aid is much clearer. The PhoneEasy was surprisingly clear through the telecoil compared with the five other various phone models I tested, partly by virtue of being a flip phone and partly, I suspect, because compatibility with hearing aids was a primary consideration in the electronic design.
Emergency call button
Probably the most unique function of this phone in the space that has been saved by not having a camera, an emergency call button has been installed. This alert system is set up by saving several (up to five) phone contacts which, when the emergency button is pressed, receive either a call from the phone or a text message that has been previously composed by the user. The phone will also flash, ring and ask for the user’s confirmation prior to sending these alerts, in case the alarm button has been pressed by mistake.
What else can be said about the PhoneEasy? The flip design of the phone prevents the buttons from being pressed accidentally in the user’s pocket and eliminates the need to lock and unlock a keypad.
In conclusion, I really liked this phone and I would happily recommend it to my clients. The characteristics that I’ve described in this review are not revolutionary in themselves but I think the combination of these things in one easy-to-use phone does make the PhoneEasy quite unique.
Editor’s note:
The Doro PhoneEasy 410s available exclusively through TeleChoice retail stores or online for $169. Doro doesn’t sell SIM cards in Australia. Users can buy a  SIM card from TeleChoice Stores or any other phone shop. As the phone is not connected to any particular telecommunications company, you can choose a SIM card from your choice of tlecommuniications companies such as 3, Telstra, Optus, Vodafone etc. SIM cards are generally inexpensive and often include calling credit when purchased.
For your nearest Telechoice Store, go to www.telechoice.com.au/about/stores/