Amplicom PowerTel 680 ‘Home Alone Phone’ for the elderly

It’s not exactly what you’d call super-sexy, high tech gear, but for elderly folks living alone, the Combo 680 home phone could be a life saver.

The phone combination from Amplicom comes with a Wrist Shaker bracelet featuring a Emergency Panic Button, which can send out a personal pre-recorded message to 5 different numbers until it receives a response.

The Wrist-Shaker packs a vibrating alert for incoming calls, and can remotely turn the phone on to let the user talk hands free.

The PowerTel 680 handset is made up of a corded and cordless handset and packs an answer machine, extra large buttons, amplified sound, ringer, alarm clock and a visual and spoken number ID.

The Hearing Aid Compatible combo can slam out a room shaking 90db to ensure hard-of-hearing users can take calls.

It’s a fairly pricey affair ar £149, but with no contracts, wiring or installation fees, Amplicom argue that their Combo 680 will save users dosh when compared against services provided by monitoring companies.

The handset is available from the Royal National Institute for Deaf People online shop at www.rnid.org.uk/shop.

Features

Powertel 500 cordless phone:
Maximum volume of 110dB
Maximum ringer volume of 90dB
2 programmable personalised volume/tone/boost settings in addition to a personalised default setting
Tone control with a 5 band equaliser, each of which has a different bass, mid and treble tone characteristic
Handset boost button
Adjustable loud ringer volume (5 settings and off)
9 ringer melodies including 5 polytone on handset
Hands free loudspeaker (5 settings)
2 extra bright flashing white LED’s on the base and handset to indicate incoming calls
Adjustable super loud base ringer (5 settings and off)
Alarm clock function with audible alarm
Auto talk (handset will automatically answer the call when you pick up the handset from the base)
Caller ID for 30 numbers with recall
Hearing aid compatible
Last number redial (stores the last ten telephone numbers dialled)
Mains powered
Paging function for locating additional handsets
Recall button
Mute function
Socket for PowerTel Vibrating Pad
Headset socket (2.5mm jack socket)
Neckloop socket
Standby time up to 100 hours or maximum of 11 hours continuous conversation
Talk Time display
Phone book for 200 names and numbers
REN value = 1
Powertel 58 corded phone:
Maximum volume of 127dB
Maximum ringer volume of 90B
Tone control with a five band equaliser
Ringer tone and volume control
Boost button on the base
Nine ring tones
Hands free function
Answer machine (11 minutes)
Announces the numbers as you press them (this can be turned off)
Redial and mute buttons
Large buttons and backlit display
Three direct dial numbers
Caller ID compatible (if you subscribe to Caller ID with your service provider)
Telephone lead 2.7m
Mains power lead 2.8m
200 number phonebook
REN value = 1