Monday, June 2, 2008

BREEZE phone uses Universal Design

Experienced mobile phone users don't need this, but if you or your institution need simplicity and ease-of-use, check out the Pantech Breeze phone. It is ideal for a wide range of users. Breeze is specifically designed for people needing an easy way to stay in touch with friends, caregivers, and loved ones. It also sounds like an appropriate phone for public institutions, where the phones might be shared with staff such as roaming reference librarians or summer substitutes.

The Pantech Breeze takes into account many of the design principles set forth in AT&T's approach to Universal Design:

  • 1-2-3 Quick-Call Keys — Three preprogrammable quick-call buttons are located below the screen — users can easily select one of the three quick-call contacts and press the send button to start a call.
  • Simplified Menu — Navigating the phone's features is trouble-free with the simplified "breeze menu," which prioritizes the features that customers want to access most.
  • Large Font — Menu screens use a highly visible large font. Additionally, the font of SMS messages is enlarged and the date and time of messages sent is at the beginning rather than at the end of a message.
  • Easy-to-Use Buttons — The oversized buttons on the device respond with a tactile click when pressed, and the amount of time the keys remain illuminated after use is extended.
  • Clear and Loud Speakerphone — A large, dedicated button starts and stops speakerphone use.
  • Camera — A dedicated hard key for the camera brings up camera options "take a picture" and "photo album" to give users easy access to useable camera functions.
  • Audible Keys — An option to have audio accompany numeric keystrokes makes it easy to know which buttons have been pressed, resulting in mistake-free dialing for those with limited sight.

Breeze is a GSM quad-band world device, able to make voice calls in more than 200 countries and access data and send messages in more than 145. So, it is simple-but-powerful.

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