The Swedish manufacturer ’ s no-frills phone , which features loud , clear ringtones , a ‘ Call Assistance ’ SOS button and a battery life of three weeks , enables vulnerable and elderly people to make emergency calls

After all , the PhoneEasy 506 has no 3G or data connectivity of any kind ( apart from text messaging ). There is no internet browser , email client or camera of any description and no Wi-Fi or GPS . So , what ’ s the point of a mobile that resembles the state of the art in 1990 ?

Well , think of the PhoneEasy 506 as not so much a mobile phone but more a handheld emergency beacon . So , if you ’ ve got an elderly parent or relative who lives on their own and whose safety and welfare is of constant concern , read on , you ’ ve come to the right place . Also , it makes the perfect cheap mobile to give to younger children to enable them to easily call home .

Doro is a Swedish company that claims to be a leader in the telecom care market . It was set up 38 years ago to develop easy-to-use mHealth ( mobile heath ) telecoms products specially adapted to the growing worldwide population of senior citizens .

The manufacturer currently has a range of around 16 mobiles all designed with security and simplicity of use as the main consideration .

Some Doro phones detect when the user has fallen over , others are programmed to send out alarms at the press of a single button .

So it is within this mHealth arena that we should regard the PhoneEasy 506 . Remember this is not a mobile for technophiles or gadget freaks and certainly not for fashionistas .

Back to basics Anyone familiar with the first Symbian user interface that ran Nokia phones of some 20 years ago will know what to expect . The 506 uses exactly the same system of two smart keys that activate Phonebook , Messages , Call Log , Alarm , Calendar or Calculator .

It worked perfectly well for many millions of users for many years , so there seems little point in criticising it for its very basic functionality . It is what it is and is ideally suited for an ‘ mHealth ’ phone that will be used by people unfamiliar with technology .

Operating system is the same as old Nokias

Basic screen is fine for displaying text

“ Think of the PhoneEasy 506 as not so much a mobile phone as a handheld emergency beacon ”

First look Taken straight out of the box , the 506 does seem like something you ’ d find inside a Christmas cracker . The simple black candy bar case and small plastic keypad sits under the 28 x 35mm colour screen .

With a display of 128 x 160 pixels , compared with an iPhone 5 screen that displays 1,136 x 640 pixels for example , the screen resolution is very basic . But , as stated , you ’ re not going to use the 506 for imaging of any kind .

All this screen has to do is display text and a few basic icons which it does well with a white font on a backlit emerald green wallpaper . When set to ‘ large ’ the numbers and letters are entirely legible to anyone with lessthan-perfect vision .

“ The phone would also make a great choice as an emergency backup glovebox phone for the car ”

‘ In Case Of Emergency ’ mode carries vital medical information for first responders

Three dedicated A B C speed-dial buttons

Battery An 800mAh Li-ion battery supplies the power . And with nothing to do but make calls and transmit text messages you won ’ t be surprised to hear that battery life is phenomenal .

This review sample was turned on and remained untouched for a week . During this time it lost just two of its five bars in the battery meter . That indicates a standby time of three weeks between charges which is no small benefit from a device that is aimed at senior people whose cognitive powers may have peaked some years ago and who may not remember to charge it every night .

Attention assistance Attention Assist is the PhoneEasy 506 ’ s party piece and probably the main reason why you would buy it for a vulnerable person . The Attention Assist button is on the back of the phone . Press and hold for three seconds or press twice within one second and the 506 does its biggest tricks .

First of all , it switches call mode to handsfree / loudspeaker mode , so help can be summoned without the need to hold it to your ear . It then instantly texts a pre-written SOS message to designated numbers while dialling them in sequence until someone answers . If the first pre-programmed number is not answered within 25 seconds , the 506 will dial the next number . If the call is answered , the recipient presses 0 to stop the 506 continuing to dial numbers .

Naturally , this assumes that people have already been notified that their number has been registered as an Attention Assist number .

Dimensions 125.5 x 51 x 15.5mm Weight 81g Screen 28 x 35mm colour display Battery life 800mAh Li-ion , up to 500 hours ’ standby claimed , eight hours ’ talk time Extras Back-lit keypad , assistance button , maximum receiving amplification of 35dB , ringer volume up to 83 dB ( A ) at one metre

ICE is cool Another safety aid built into the 506 is the ‘ In Case of Emergency ’ ( ICE ) mode . This carries basic medical information about the 506 ’ s owner that police , fire and ambulance services can access from the phone . This information ( which has to be keyed in by the user ) includes name , address , date of birth , height , weight , medical insurance details , doctor ’ s details , blood type , vaccinations and medication notes . It may seem far-fetched , but a situation could arise when a person who has summoned help is in shock , unconscious or injured and unable to impart vital medical statistics .

Conclusion If you want a simple phone for a young child or vulnerable elderly relative with a one-button system of summoning help , this is a number one contender . It also makes a great choice as an emergency backup glovebox phone for the car . Load it with a £ 5 prepay card , charge it up and forget about it until you need it , just make sure you make a call every couple of months to keep the SIM active .

If you ’ re interested enough in technology to buy this magazine , the Doro PhoneEasy 506 is not for you . But if there is any vulnerable or elderly person within your family or social circle who needs a foolproof device with which to summon help , or simply to keep in touch , the PhoneEasy 506 is probably the best £ 45 you can spend for peace of mind . Mark Wyatt What Mobile

MN 2013-0730 Device Review 1 . indd 38 24 / 07 / 2013 15:57