Designed in collaboration with a seniors group, Telstra's EasyTouch Discovery is a mobile phone targeted at first-time and elderly users. Featuring extra large buttons and straightforward menus, the EasyTouch Discovery still manages to pack in a reasonable number of features.
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User Rating
Pros
- Large buttons, numbers read out aloud when pressed, help tutorial and DVD, reasonable features list, excellent call quality
Cons
- Flimsy feeling hinge, front surface is fingerprint magnet, ugly and bland design
Bottom Line
The EasyTouch Discovery will appeal to plenty of users, specifically those who appreciate the feel of large buttons and those who are new to the world of mobile phones.
It is a plain and rather dull handset. Manufactured by ZTE, which produces most Telstra-branded phones, this phone's build quality doesn't feel the best. The flip hinge feels flimsy and the front of the handset sways slightly from side to side when closed. A mirrored-style finish attempts to add a bit of class, but you will spend most of your time cleaning fingerprints from it.
Flipping open the EasyTouch Discovery reveals a fairly large display and one of the largest keypads we've seen on a mobile phone to date. The keys are slightly smaller than those of the KF300, but they provide excellent tactile feedback. The rest of the controls are also quite large: a five-way navigational pad is flanked by dual selection buttons, video call, speakerphone and clear keys and answer/end call buttons. If you're constantly frustrated by phones with tiny buttons and keypads, then the EasyTouch Discovery will be a godsend.
Ease of use is the name of the game, and Telstra has obliged by providing a straightforward and simple menu. The phone speaks the numbers you type on the keypad out loud, which ideal for people who are vision-impaired. In addition, a tutorial DVD is included in the sales package. The DVD includes instructions even for basic functions such as sending messages and making calls. There is a help file in the main menu that also explains how to perform basic tasks.
The EasyTouch Discovery is a Next G phone and therefore comes with all the extra features of the network, including the full suite of BigPond services and Mobile FOXTEL. A 3-megapixel camera (with no flash) that doubles as a video recorder, e-mail messaging, Bluetooth with A2DP, an FM radio, A-GPS, a media player and a full range of PIM functions such as an alarm, calendar, stopwatch and a calculator are included. Conveniently, a small adapter in the sales package allows the connection of a regular 3.5mm headphone jack.
Perhaps the best feature of the EasyTouch Discovery is the call quality — it is among the best we've heard from a mobile phone. Incoming audio is superb and outgoing audio is loud, although it does tend to pick up a bit too much background and wind noise. The EasyTouch is available on Telstra's $20 per month plan over a 24 month contract.
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