Buttons and physical appearance

The first thing that catches our attention as soon as you unpack the product are the large keys with very high contrast, good relief and clear separation.

By having large and easily pressable keys it may seem to us that they will lead to many unwanted keystrokes when handling the phone when carrying it in your pocket or purse. To avoid this, the terminal has a side key for locking and unlocking the telephone keypad.

The keys have clearly identified key functionalities, although as we will see in later sections, the complex interaction in the menus detracts from this simplicity on the keyboard.

Menu and font size

With regard to the menu, at first it seems to be quite intuitive, with clearly identifiable icons and texts. This idea is somewhat diluted by beginning to use some functionalities in which some of the sub-menus are complex to understand.

For example, to call someone from our contacts among others or to deactivate the FM radio. In general it seems to be a problem of logic with which the different functionalities have been designed within the menus. Therefore, the simplicity that, if they offer their texts, their physical buttons and their icons, is complicated by the low usability of the menus.

SOS button

The functionality to be able to make an emergency call and send an SMS through an SOS button is an important plus in a telephone for the elderly. In this case, this functionality is reliable and is also activated in combination with the “hands-free” functionality. For proper use it is necessary to access its configuration menu to indicate the call contacts and SMS in case of emergency.

Regarding physical interaction, the button is sometimes not easy to press, a somewhat larger button with a differentiated relief of the camera is missing.

SMS and calls

The tests carried out with different calls confirm that the quality of the listening is very good as long as the volume is set to the maximum. In addition, the possibility of activating the “hands-free” in the options menu makes it possible to listen to the call without having to have the phone near the ear.

As a recommendation we would suggest that within the sound modes there is one that is “very loud” that always sets the tone to the maximum. Or a “hands-free” mode that keeps the “hands-free” active by default as if it occurs in the case of an emergency call after pressing the SOS button.

Regarding coverage, although it is true that it has been tested in urban areas, it has always shown a maximum level of coverage on the display during the tests and there have been no communication problems.

Camera

The phone has a rear camera of 2 Megapixels, which does its job without great displays of quality, but is more than acceptable for a terminal of these characteristics.

Manual

The phone has a simple printed manual that summarizes all the basic functionalities.

In the following link you can also download a manual on the use of the terminal:

https://estatico.euskaltel.com/2017-10/Alcatel_2008G_cas_0.pdf

FM radio and audio playback

The volume of radio and audio playback is high, in fact, the minimum volume is already acceptable for people without major hearing problems.

The audio quality is good and has a good tuning. In addition, unlike most terminals with FM radio, you can listen without connecting the headphones through the speaker.

The only problem we have encountered with the radio is that it can be somewhat complex to turn off since you have to re-enter the radio menu and the option to deactivate.

Charge station

The phone has a charging base with only one possible position and good fit of the terminal, although it is necessary to ensure that the text “charger connected” appears on the screen to ensure that it is charging correctly. This add-on has already become essential for a specific terminal for the elderly and this model includes a well-designed base.

Battery

The battery has a capacity of 1400 mAh, which translates into a great autonomy of about 4 -5 days with moderate use and up to 14 days at rest. The total charging time is around 3 hours.

Additional storage

The phone has additional storage capacity through a 32GB SD card not included that is necessary to store videos or surf the internet.

Connectivity

The phone has an Internet access function through the SIM card. This function has a complex interaction through the different fields of a website and also if you do not have an additional SD card, you hardly have the ability to store the cache for proper navigation.

Flashlight, calendar, alarm and calculator

The flashlight is easily activated by an external button and has sufficient light.

The alarm and calendar functionalities allow the simple introduction of reminders and alarms using the numeric keypad.

The calculator works by indicating the basic operations using the button with cross movement.

Games

The phone has the possibility of downloading some games upon payment of € 1.45 + SMS cost.

Accessibility

The contrasts are in most cases appropriate and the text size is large but these options are not configurable.

There is no possibility of using a screen reader as in IOS or Android terminals.

The phone has support for HAC M3 / T4 hearing aids.

Conclussion

The Alcatel 2008G is a telephone prepared in many ways for the elderly. Its clearly identified numeric keypad with contrasts and large keys makes it very intuitive. It is a pity that this facility presented by the physical part is complicated by the use of some of the sub-menus that are necessary when accessing certain functions. Other accessories such as the charging base, the SOS button, the FM radio with loudspeaker or hands-free reinforce your commitment to be a good low-cost terminal geared towards the elderly.

Highlights:

• Charging base with one position and easy fit
• The FM radio that can be heard even through the speaker and without headphones
• Large, independent buttons with clearly defined text

Improvement points:

• Complexity in the sub-menus when making a call, turning off the radio and accessing other features
• The Internet service offered is not very interactive and does not contribute much
• The phone includes an SOS button that works reliably but that might have a bit more relief to make it easier to press