The other day we went to see Doro and they showed us a variety of phones designed for the elderly, one of the phones was the Doro 820 Claria. It is a smartphone designed for blind people, it is controlled via a touchscreen, a custom launcher, a special case to help the users fingers find the right buttons, verbal feedback on button pushes and voice recognition for text input. It is a really unique and niche market product. Today Doro have officially announced the phone along with the slightly smaller Doro Claria 820 mini.
I was quite surprised that such a phone existed, Doro as you’d expect have done their research and identified a need.
Across Europe there are over 2.5 million blind people and a further 26 million with some form of visual impairment. Furthermore, 90% of the visually impaired are aged +65yrs. Mass-market smartphones unfortunately do not meet the needs and desires of this vast target audience.
To overcome this Doro, the global leader in easy-to-use mobile phones for seniors, and Claria are joining forces. Claria (ex-Telorion) is an award-winning provider of mobile solutions for the visually impaired. The duo will be launching two new smartphones to address this noticeable gap within the mobile market.
Doro have even come up with some cool features such as using the camera as an OCR scanner.
The phone’s camera acts as an intelligent ‘eye’ to the device: amongst other features, it uses OCR to provide assistance to the user by reading what it sees, and identifies colours which can be handy when purchasing a gift or item of clothing for example. Other functions and features are also voice-guided including music player, email application, web browser and a book reading app – offering a full and easy smartphone experience in a very intuitive interface.
Chris Millington, Managing Director at Doro UK commented on the launch:
Doro and Claria have taken the best elements of Android, simplified them and have worked together to go one step beyond. We are taking our leading market presence and passion for easy tech forward to address the specific needs of a largely overlooked user group. Regardless of age or visual capability we believe everyone should enjoy the wealth of benefits from smartphone technologies and the positive lifestyle changes they bring.
Doro & Claria Join Forces to Make Smartphones
More Accessible for Blind People
Exclusive partnership brings two new smartphones to Doro portfolio – meeting the needs of an often over-looked audience group
London, 04 March 2015: Across Europe there are over 2.5 million blind people and a further 26 million with some form of visual impairment[1]. Furthermore, 90% of the visually impaired are aged +65yrs. Mass-market smartphones unfortunately do not meet the needs and desires of this vast target audience.
To overcome this Doro, the global leader in easy-to-use mobile phones for seniors, and Claria are joining forces. Claria (ex-Telorion) is an award-winning provider of mobile solutions for the visually impaired. The duo will be launching two new smartphones to address this noticeable gap within the mobile market.
The Doro 820 Claria and Doro 820 Mini Claria smartphones have both been specifically designed for the blind user and built upon Doro’s core design principle of seamless accessibility for all. These new devices are built on the respective Doro Liberto 820 and 820 Mini models. This strong design pedigree brings the user all the inherent benefits of Doro’s handsets including ergonomic design, amplified HD sounds, great grip and physical keys.
The Claria Vox system gives tangible points of reference on screen for users to learn their way around a device. The specially designed overlay provides well-considered physical ‘markers’ including a raised dot on key number five and ridges to separate navigation and numerical keys. These tactile responses reduce the apprehension felt by blind and visually impaired people when using touch screen devices.
The Claria Vox software provides a 100% talking interface so that the user receives help and guidance at every point of their journey through the handset. The voice guides the user through features and functions at every step, in an easy and intuitive way. Doro’s crisp and clear sound technology goes a step further and helps to deliver a premium audio-led experience for the user regardless of their visual status.
The phone’s camera acts as an intelligent ‘eye’ to the device: amongst other features, it uses OCR to provide assistance to the user by reading what it sees, and identifies colours which can be handy when purchasing a gift or item of clothing for example. Other functions and features are also voice-guided including music player, email application, web browser and a book reading app – offering a full and easy smartphone experience in a very intuitive interface.
Loïc Dubié at Claria, said: “We are exceptionally pleased to announce this exclusive partnership with Doro. The quality of Doro devices combined with its powerful commercial force will enable us to drastically accelerate the international development of our Claria Vox solution and improve the lives of many more blind people around the world”
Doro will leverage its industry leading position and established presence within the specialist distribution channel to bring this product to market. Doro has previously been awarded the renowned Stevie Wonder ‘Wonder Vision Award’ on multiple occasions for its products and this development will further build upon that endorsement.
Chris Millington, Managing Director at Doro UK commented on the launch: “Doro and Claria have taken the best elements of Android, simplified them and have worked together to go one step beyond. We are taking our leading market presence and passion for easy tech forward to address the specific needs of a largely overlooked user group. Regardless of age or visual capability we believe everyone should enjoy the wealth of benefits from smartphone technologies and the positive lifestyle changes they bring.”
Doro is pleased to announce that its sleek and stylish smartphone – the Doro Liberto® 820 has won a Global Mobile Award from the GSMA. The device has been awarded the “Best Device for Mobile Accessibility & Inclusion”.
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