There have been other posts on this topic in other areas, but not many when it comes to senior-friendly phones that specifically support the AWS 1700/2100 MHz bands. There is one post in the Mobilicity forum, however I wanted to expand my search so that I am not limited to only those phones offered by Wind/Mobilicity.
In short, I'm looking around for a basic phone with big buttons and a loud speaker. The perfect example would be something like the Just5 or Clarity C900 (I really like that option since you can even use AAA batteries to power it). Unfortunately neither of those support 1700/2100, though.
After several bad experiences with Rogers and Bell in the past, carriers like Chatr or Solo are not an option. While Telus could conceivably be on the table, they don't really offer competitive plans at the same price point (e.g., the $35/month unlimited voice plans that the other providers offer without being limited to "favourite" numbers). If I'm mistaken here, please correct me.
So, that being said, I'm hoping that someone might have some specific phone recommendations. At the moment, I'm leaning towards the Sony TM506 (suggested in the aforementioned Mobilicity thread), or the Nokia 6263. They are a far cry from the Just5 or Clarity C900, but look like the best I can do within the given parameters.
Some other contributing criteria:
Camera is completely unimportant,
Touchscreen is preferably avoided,
Full/QWERTY keyboard is preferably avoided,
Data options are completely irrelevant.
Looking forward to whatever other thoughts you may have.
I don't think there is one with large buttons like that. You can use the gsmarena phone finder to look at your options http://www.gsmarena.com/search.php3 select 1700 under 3G and then no touch screen (or whatever other variables you'd like to try.) Since the handset is important if you can find one of the ones you're talking about unlocked maybe koodo(owned by telus) is a better choice. Their plans don't come close to wind or mobilicity but are generally better then the other big3 brands.
The other option if touch screen is ok would be an android or windows phone and to simplify it for them. Hide all of the icons or tiles beside say the dialer and contact list and teach them if they somehow get lost in the phone pressing the home button will bring them back. Most dialers are full screen with large buttons. There are some android launchers on the market too where you can replace everything with large icons/tiles in a windows phone style ui.
The gsmarena.com Phone Finder feature was definitely my friend - which is how I came across the Nokia 6263.
Completely forgot about Koodo. Their price plans are still not as good as any of the others, but much better than what's offered on telusmobility.com. This definitely opens the door to a much wider array of phone options, though.
The thought of a customised launcher on Android or Windows Mobile is also good, though I suspect (without having looked in detail) that the price of the phone itself would probably be higher if we went that route.
Flip phones for seniors are nice because of answering when opening.
The TM506 might be good simply because since Mobi offered it, and it was sold unlocked. So they could use it for Wind and/or Mobi depending upon the plan deal offered.
Finding the Nokia 6263 means buying a T-mobile phone and unlocking.
The Samsung C414 or LG dLite might be worth considering also.
I gave my grandmother a Nokia 6263 that I used previously. The menus are a bit complicated (for her), but luckily making phone calls is pretty straightforward. The earpiece volume is average, but it sounds tinny. It works with Wind's network well, and has good reception.
Despite me explaining the difference between Wind Home and Away, my grandma doesn't understand it, or any of the other screen readouts for that matter. So I was worried she would accumulate roaming charges, but this phone is pretty good at holding a Wind connection, and I have it on a prepaid plan.
Got it unlocked at Pacific Mall in Toronto nearly two years ago for $120, it's probably much cheaper now if you could find any.
AWS cell phone for seniors
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