Handset’s UI so simple a child of 4 could use it

Rating: Perhaps he’d test some others

A British boy aged four, Jason Buckle, used a mobile phone to summon aid for his stricken mother. Despite having never used the handset before he managed to call his Mum’s friend to get help.
Significantly, in addition to knowing how to dial and use the mobile phone, young Jason scrolled through 11 contacts in the handset’s addressbook.

When he found a name he recognised – his Mum’s friend, Elaine Clibbon – he phoned her up.

Jason said, “Mummy’s collapsed on the stairs. Can you help her please?” Elaine then called the emergency service who then rescued the mother, Steph Frankum, who’s suffered from epilepsy since the age of five.

Sadly none of the reports mention which make and model of handset Ms Frankum actually owned. However, GoMo News would be astonished if it was actually an Apple iPhone.

ZTE's S302 boasts large panic button

Perhaps Ms Frankum should own a handset like the ZTE S302 which boasts a large orange button (labelled SOS) on the back of the phone.

Pressing the button send a text message to the four numbers and if these are ignored the handset starts dialling the numbers in order.

With so many handset vendors claiming their user interfaces are so simple a child of four could use it, now’s the chance to put these claims to the test.

Young Jason could well have found a career in handset R&D.

Tony is based in Surrey and is a veteran comms journalist. Tony also writes on the UK market…. contact him here tony@mobileinsight.co.uk