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Best Buy bought the company behind senior-friendly JitterBug phone
Yesterday, Best Buy announced that it paid $800 million to acquire GreatCall, the company that makes the senior-friendly JitterBug phones. Perhaps more importantly, it has an emergency response service that more than 900,000 subscribers pay for. That fits the retail giant's pivot to providing tech support and services as it moves away from focusing exclusively on devices and physical media.
GreatCall Touch3: a smartphone designed for the elderly
The Jitterbug brand has long focused on making devices tailored for "aging Americans," combining easy-to-use software with affordable hardware. GreatCall, the creator of those, today revealed the Touch3, the latest addition to its repertoire of phones designed for the elderly. Although the new Touch3 leaves behind the Jitterbug label, its purpose is still very much the same as GreatCall's Touch, Touch 2 and other older handsets. Obviously, GreatCall doesn't intend its new, Samsung-made smartphone to go toe to toe with the Android powerhouses of the world. Instead, the company wants the Touch3's custom software to be the main appealing factor, which features an oversimplified user interface that offers quick access to the essentials, like phone or camera, as well as a set of GreatCall apps to assist in case of an emergency. If you'd like to get one for, perhaps, momma or poppa, the Touch3 is now available in the US for $170 -- but do keep in mind GreatCall does have a monthly fee on some of its pre-loaded, care-focused applications.
Jitterbug Touch 2 smartphone designed for 'aging Americans' available now for $140
Sure, there are plenty of smartphones to choose from nowadays, but for some people it's more important to have a device that's very easy to use rather than, say, one that looks great and performs extraordinarily. Here's where GreatCall's just-announced Jitterbug Touch 2 comes in. This Ice Cream Sandwich-based smartphone isn't tailored for the new generation per se, but rather for folks like grandma and grandpa -- or, as the company puts it, "aging Americans." Much like its predecessor, the second-gen Jitterbug Touch is loaded with specs that likely won't wow many, including a 4-inch, 800 X 480 display with Qualcomm's MSM8625 1.5GHz CPU, 512MB RAM and 4GB of internal storage. However, GreatCall doesn't want this to be the focus; instead plans to lure people in with Jitterbug's utterly simple UI and suite of health / medical apps.
GreatCall outs Samsung-made Jitterbug Plus, for folks who want a phone without all the smarts
Adding features to a senior-friendly phone kind of defeats the purpose, but a sleeker design, improved battery life and boosted speaker? Sure, we'll take it. That's what you'll get with the new Jitterbug Plus, a bare-bones mobile phone for users who really only need to make and receive calls, and perhaps check the occasional voicemail. Manufactured by Samsung, the no-frills r220 includes an incredibly straightforward interface, with clearly marked Yes and No button options and large, backlit keys, including a panic button that puts you in touch with a 5Star Urgent Response agent. This latest model also adds a very basic 1.3-megapixel camera, which lets you post photos to Facebook with the touch of a button (you'll need to forgo the Instagram filters, though). The Jitterbug Plus is available now in red or silver for $99 at retailers like Best Buy, Radio Shack and Fry's, along with the company's online store, however pricing is expected to jump to $119 shortly after launch. Overall, the device appears to be a great choice for seniors, though CNET called the phone "overpriced" in its review, which you'll find at the link below.
