Having recently told you about a couple of Emporia phones that are designed with Android Go and an Interface for those who need assistance here I am looking at a phone that has Standard Android (version 9) and then a possible skin to suit those with sight or hearing problems designed by Emporia but this can equally well work without it.
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It is ideal for anyone who is slowing their life down, this a SmartPhone but at a later stage they could decide to change - they can after backing up their data – do a factory reset and then start again with the Emporia skin in place. This still lets them have all the advantages of a SmartPhone with touch screen and then use all the extra help available for those who have less sight or hearing and best of all no one else need to know as it still looks like a normal SmartPhone.
It is 13.8x6.2x.9cm and weighs 153grams. The viewable screen is 11.2x4.8cm which gives the notional imperial diagonal measurement of 5 inches.
Going around the outside has the volume rocker and the on/off button on the left, bootup is 25 seconds. The base has a pin hole microphone, the left side is clear and the top has 3.5mm headphone socket and micro USB for charging. The back has camera, LED flash and emergency button in a line down the centre starting 1cm from the top. There is a second back to the phone in the box that would show only the camera and LED flash but unless someone looks very closely the emergency button could easily be a finger print reader.
So with a 5 inch screen this could be used as a perfectly normal Android phone and indeed for a couple of weeks that is what I did. Converting to a phone with more help and less hassle took only a couple of minutes.
In this state the front screen has an image on the top half of the screen with time and day date near the base of it. Four larger icons fill the rest of the screen, phone, message, camera and notifications. Flip the screen right to left to get eight icons everything else is available from there. Should you Flip left to right from the main screen then you get four Favourite contacts, mail box and the emergency button.
Things like email and Internet are a little different. A large thumbnail of a number of recent sites allows you quick connection. As this phone has a full onscreen keyboard typing new ones in is quick and easy using the search button at the top of the screen, this displays the keyboard on the lower part of the screen. From any screen there is a ‘Back’ button top right to return you to the previous screen.
Also in the box is a small 12.5x10cm single language sixty page Installation Guide which explains everything. Other contents of the box are a micro USB to USB lead a 13amp plug with USB front and a basic set of earbuds.
However the most exciting addition ideal for the new user aimed at those new to SmartPhones is a 136 page 20x13cm Handbook that goes far further covering all the things everyone assumes you know about things like Apps etc.
Emporia Smart.3mini is available from the link below for £150 SIM free.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Emporia-SMART-S3mini-Smartphone-Official-Version/dp/B082KZKN2F/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?crid=293242S3RSI63&keywords=emporia+smart+3+mini&qid=1584612679&sprefix=emporia+smart.3%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-1-fkmr0
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