With complexity comes confusion and with confusion comes intimidation.  If you're under 30 years old you probably know how to "speak digital" but not everyone else does.  Digital is the language of gizmos, gadgets and whatchamacallits – a language that the younger generation is accustomed to speaking.  As we get a bit more, umm, mature, we tend to have other things on our mind and typically aren't as tuned into the latest features and capabilities of the latest in technology.

Take cell phones, for example.  While virtually every cell phone has the capability to send and receive text, browse the Internet via a mobile  browser (sometimes WAP, sometimes a shrunken-down version of a more well-known browser), program speed-dial numbers into an address book and so on, not everyone wants to use these features.  In fact, hard as it may be for us techno-weenies to believe, some people don't even want them on their phones. 

This applies in spades to people at that more "mature" level.  While there are certainly exceptions (my Mom knows how to set up her own address book entries and my fiancée swaps text messages all day long with me and her daughter) there is a clear, definable group of people who just want to make and receive calls.  Call them technophobes, call them seniors, call them Luddites – whatever – their needs have rarely been addressed before… but they are being addressed caringly, precisely and, well, lovingly, by a new service called "Jitterbug." 

Jitterbug, a term as familiar to the people who will likely use the phone as "download" is to the people who will have no interest in it, is made for that group.  It's a combination phone and service that delivers a complete user experience vastly different from any other cell phone service provider or manufacturer could have done alone. 

The service was conceived and launched by Arlene Harris, someone who's well known in the wireless industry (she was inducted into the "Wireless Hall of Fame" this past year) as an inventor, innovator and sharp-as-hell business woman.  I know – I worked with Arlene (and Marty Cooper) on the invention and development of the first cellular credit card phone back in the mid 1980s.  This is a product that has Arlene's thoughtful stamp all over it and it shows in a variety of ways that will make your parents smile. 

Entrepreneurs like Arlene typically find a niche that's unaddressed and address it.  That's exactly what she's done with Jitterbug; the service is designed to appeal to those that want a simplified experience with their wireless device instead of an overwhelming one.  Jitterbug provides exactly that and should get you thinking about what your parents really need in a phone. 

While it's true that a significant portion of the population in the U.S. already has a cell phone (about 70%) you can bet that the percentage is much lower when you look at people 65 years old and older.  If my personal experience is any indication, in the past two years I've started six people in my family who had never had cell phones before on using them.  I wrote a piece for this blog some time ago about how to get seniors comfortable with cell phones, but doing it with Jitterbug would have been so much easier – the service does all the hard work for you. 

• There are two models of phones – one that has a keypad and one that simply has three programmable buttons on it.  (Don't let the programming thing throw you off – Jitterbug does all the programming for you… even to the point where if you lose your phone they send you a new one fully programmed to have all the same info as the one you lost.)  
• The screen is large and the numbers or words that appear when you press the keys are very senior-friendly (read: they are BIG).  The buttons are illuminated, too, making it easy to see them in any light.
• There's a cushion around the earpiece portion of the phone that makes it comfortable to use and helps block out the external noise – a significant factor as your hearing diminishes through time (or too many Grateful Dead concerts in Row 10).  Seniors really appreciate that – it's a small thing that elicits one of those slap-of-the-head epiphanies, "Why didn't someone else think of that?" and works really well.
• Here's another feature seniors will love: the phone has dial tone.  That's right – something that's a completely foreign experience for seniors – calling without a dial tone – is eliminated.  It's a simple thing but is a reassurance that the phone is on and functioning; it's essentially putting people into a comfort zone with their wireless device that doesn't exist anywhere else.
• The buttons are descriptive and provide clear, understandable feedback on the screen.  When something needs to be done, or there's an option to do something, such as when you're placing a call, there are buttons labeled "Yes" and "No" at the top of the phone.  So when you see "Call Mary?" on the screen you can just press "Yes" and the call will be made.
• If you don't want to make calls, press buttons or do anything other than turn the phone on and use it there's a button (on the OneTouch version) that says "Operator"; once you reach the operators they can do anything for you short of making an omelet (although I haven't tried that one yet).  They can add numbers to your "address book," make a call for you, send a tow truck or ambulance to wherever you might be and much more.
• The monthly plans are easy to follow and relatively inexpensive – especially when compared to other prepaid phones.  You can buy minutes in advance, or pay as you go.  
  

In short, there's a lot to say about Jitterbug.  So much so that you should really visit their web site and click on "Phones" and then "Watch Phone Demo" to see how it all works. 

The next time I want to set up a senior with a cell phone I'm going to ignore my own advice and give them a Jitterbug phone instead.