UK mobile phone company OwnFone is pitching a £55 handset which can only call up to 12 pre-programmed numbers, betting that the ability to create your own buttons and colour scheme will blind users to the price. OwnFone is a brand spun out by CyCell, which already provides customised handsets locked to the Vodafone network for …

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Thursday 30th August 2012 09:58 GMT Thomas 18

999

Yeah that's a good idea, lets have a massive button that calls the police as soon as it's pressed and is right next to the 'call mummy' button.

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1. Thursday 30th August 2012 10:14 GMT Bill Ray
  
  Re: 999
  
  To be fair to the designer one does have to press the "emergency call" button three times before a 999 call is made, but other pocket-dialling would seem inevitable.
  
  Bill.
  
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Thursday 30th August 2012 10:19 GMT historymaker118

A good idea...

However it seems to be horribly overpriced for something that is limited to only 12 numbers, and has no other features. Perhaps at a lower price they could have mass market appeal for those looking for a disposable mobile, but I don't think there's much of a market for it currently.

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Thursday 30th August 2012 10:41 GMT Peter 20

On Contract?

Nice idea, but it looks like the only options are contract. I'd buy this as a disposeable emergency phone for family members if there was a PAYG option. But I wouldn't pay a monthly fee for it.

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Thursday 30th August 2012 11:11 GMT annodomini2

Much cheaper PAYG options

When you can get something like a Nokia 100 on PAYG for £10-20, why bother?

All it gets you is the locked down nature, which for most is a hindrance rather than a help most of the time.

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1. Thursday 30th August 2012 13:33 GMT ChrisInAStrangeLand
  
  Re: Much cheaper PAYG options
  
  There are two things going for this phone. One, it's a simple device that was originally created for old people with dementia. Second, a larger battery could *potentially* keep this thing going for a month.
  
  Where they fell down is the battery, 3 days standby is absolute bullshit for an emergency device. My Motofone weighed 68g and lasted two weeks, and it had a lot more crap (eink display, keys, plastic structure) taking up space that could have been used for battery.
  
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