The Fujitsu Stylistic S01 is an Android smartphone simplified for seniors, but packed with features

BARCELONA, Spain--It's important to respect your elders. And the Fujitsu Stylistic S01 for seniors manages to be simple enough for those who aren't used to smartphones without being patronizing, by offering features that pretty much anyone would find useful.

Many phones aimed at older users, or those who might struggle with fiddly touchscreens, go for big chunky plastic buttons. But the S01 takes a less patronizing approach, aiming for a simplified smartphone experience that can be enhanced as the user gets to grips with what's on offer.

The first thing you notice when using it is that the touchscreen doesn't work by simply tapping on the screen, like a regular phone. Instead, the screen is pressure-sensitive, so you press a bit harder to activate the feature you want, avoiding accidental button pushes. Each tap gives you a small buzz of haptic feedback.

The S01 is an Android phone running Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, but there's a whole new interface placed on the top. Everything is arranged on one screen, so there's no swiping left or right to multiple home screens. Instead, apps are placed on the screen in order of importance. The most commonly used apps are at the top, with larger icons so they're easier to press.

So the phone dialer, text messages, email and Facebook are arranged at the top, along with three speed-dial buttons. They're color-coded to match the sections of the manual so you can quickly find help to use them. Each of the basic apps has a question mark in the top right that explains how to use it.

Beneath the basic functions is an icon marked My Number, handy if you have trouble remembering your number (and who doesn't?).

Scroll down and you start to get more smartphone-like functions, like a widget displaying the latest headlines, and a simple Google search box. Then there's the camera, maps, access to the Google Play online app store, and more.

Keep scrolling down and you reach the rest of your apps, including things like Amazon, TripAdvisor and more. You can add to the list by downloading more apps and games from Google Play.

On the hardware side, the S01 is waterproof so will survive a dunk in the toilet or sink. If you have a spill of a more worrying kind, you can activate an alarm by pulling out a button on the back should you fall or have an accident. The alarm alerts people nearby, while the phone automatically dials out to specified emergency contacts. If it detects that your emergency contact has gone to voice mail, it dials the next person on the list, and so on.

It has a dedicated camera button to make it easy to capture a snap without messing about with the touchscreen, and selected friends and family can send photos that automatically appear on the phone without you having to do anything.

Handily, you don't need a cable to charge the S01: just drop it in a dock like a cordless phone, making it easier to answer without being tangled up in a cord.

Wireless charging, a simplified interface, waterproof exterior...come to think of it, forget about seniors: I want these features on every phone.

The Fujitsu Stylistic S01 is coming to Orange in June. For more on the latest phones, tablets and mobile devices -- including a prototype GPS walking cane that guides seniors to their destination 

Fujitsu, Orange partner on senior-friendly Stylistic S01 smartphone

Fujitsu just announced a smartphone partnership with Orange Telecom, with its first handset to launch on the French carrier this June. The Stylistic S01 will run Android 4.0 and offer GSM and HSPA compatibility through Orange, and it's targeted specifically at elderly users. As such, it will include many of the same features available on Fujitsu's Raku-Raku series of senior-friendly phones available on NTT DoCoMo. For instance, the phone will have tactile virtual buttons that mimic the experience of pushing actual hardware keys, oversized icons and audio technology that optimizes the frequency range according to the user's age. Other specs include a 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 processor, an 8.1-megapixel camera, a 0.3-MP front-facing shooter and 4GB of internal storage (expandable by microSD card). There's no pricing info yet, but we're bound to have more details after getting a hands-on look at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this coming week.

 

 

PRESS RELEASE

Fujitsu and Orange Partner to Deliver Smartphones to the Rapidly Growing Senior Market in Europe
Intuitive, feature-rich STYLISTIC S01 smartphone to debut June 2013 in France
Fujitsu Limited and France Telecom-Orange today announced a new partnership to offer mobile phones and services in Europe. The partnership marks Fujitsu's first extensive foray into the smartphone market outside Japan. The initial offering will be the STYLISTIC S01, a smartphone designed especially for senior users, and will be available through Orange in France in June 2013.
As the senior population in Europe continues to grow rapidly, smartphone usage in this demographic is expected to rise. With the release of the STYLISTIC S01, Fujitsu and Orange plan on offering users in this market segment an innovative smartphone that provides outstanding usability. The STYLISTIC S01 will include services like Orange Cineday and Orange et Moi, which are unique to Orange. Based around the human-centric technologies that Fujitsu has cultivated for over a decade, the STYLISTIC S01 also offers a variety of original, convenient functions designed to reduce barriers to smartphone adoption by maximizing ease of use.
One of these barriers is conventional touchscreens, which do not offer the tactile sensation of pressing a physical button. The STYLISTIC S01, however, employs a unique screen technology that requires users to apply the same level of pressure to on-screen icons as they would to buttons on a keypad. This helps users avoid inadvertent touches, preventing unintended operations and improving input accuracy. Furthermore, the intuitive graphic user interface features extra-large icons and a simplified layout to ensure straightforward navigation for easier operation. The STYLISTIC S01 is also equipped with a loud personal security alarm that can be used to alert people in the surrounding area in emergency situations.
The handset incorporates audio technology that optimizes the frequency range based on a user's age, making it easier to hear the voice of the person on the other end of the call. Another user-friendly audio function slows down the speech of callers who speak rapidly without lowering the pitch of their voice or changing the length of the conversation. These and other innovative features are currently in use in the Fujitsu Raku-Raku Phone series for seniors, which has been offered by NTT DOCOMO since 2001 in Japan where it has sold over 20 million units.
"The senior customers within our customer base are just as hungry for smartphone technology and mobile internet services as anyone else. We are thrilled to be working together with Fujitsu to leverage our combined strengths to provide products for an emerging smartphone market segment in Europe," said Yves Maitre, Senior Vice President of Device & Mobile Multimedia, France Telecom-Orange.
"As Fujitsu's first extensive entry into the smartphone market outside Japan, we are delighted that Orange – a company that holds a strong position in the European market – will be offering our phone, which features Fujitsu-exclusive human-centric technologies," said Nobuo Otani, Corporate Senior Vice President, Fujitsu Limited. "We are committed to the success of this partnership as we strive to expand our smartphone business overseas, while advancing the promotion of Japanese technology worldwide."
The STYLISTIC S01 will be on display at the Fujitsu stand (Hall 5 Stand 5E120) and can also be viewed upon request at the Orange stand (Hall 5 Stand 5H110) during Mobile World Congress 2013, to be held in Barcelona, Spain starting February 25, 2013.