Doro presents mobiles for senior citizens and children

MWC MAY HAVE attracted plenty of Yuppie attention for the multitude of so called "smart-phones" on display, but some mobiles on show were smart in that they were aimed at two often neglected markets; namely the very young and the very old.

Whereas some people may crave the latest 3D games on their mobile devices or Bluetooth, major megapixel cameras, WLAN, GPS and a whole host of other features, most senior citizens just want to be able to make phone calls and send text messages quickly and easily.

Anyone with an aged relative will probably know how frustrated some older people get when trying to navigate their way around overly-complex phones, with tiny buttons, screens and a smorgasbord of options they will never use. So, aware of the adage "you can't teach an old dog new tricks", Swedish firm, Doro, has decided to make things simple.

The firm says it is having huge success with its easy-to-use mobile devices aimed at senior citizens. "We've hit the mark with the right target group. We've dared to develop easy mobile phones with distinct keys, easy to read displays and the most obvious functions, such as being able to call and send text messages," says Doro CEO, Jerome Arnaud.

Doro, which released five new handsets at MWC, reckons it even saw 200 per cent growth in sales last quarter.

At the other end of the market, Danish firm, RACE, has developed a phone called the WiGOMO One, catering to children and allowing parents to keep track of their movements with an embedded GPS.

The GSM flip phone which comes with an MP3 player and two megapixel camera is aimed at five to ten year olds and was built with the input of 400 overprotective Danish parents. As well as being able to track their child's movements via GPS, paranoid parents can also fiddle around with the phone's settings via a web site, allowing them to determine times when the phone can be used, who the kids can call and even who they can receive calls from.

The Wigamo One, launched at MWC last week, will initially only be available in Denmark, but the firm says it's looking to partner with European operators in order to spy on non Scandinavian kids too. µ