Konnekt Videophone vs Seniors Tablet
Is your parent or grandparent better off with a Konnekt Videophone or a seniors tablet?
Use this comparison table to help guide your decision.
The key factors are:
- Age / technical ability and health. For most healthy 65-75 year-olds with no memory loss, no hearing/vision impairments and no mobility/dexterity limitations, we recommend either a regular iPad / Android tablet with accessibility features enabled, or else a carefully personalized seniors tablet.
- The need to take it outside. A tablet is more portable and can be taken outside. This must be weighed up against the risk of dropping / losing / misplacing it, the need to (remember to) charge it, the smaller size, and the greater difficulty in learning its user interface.
- Potential future needs. In the future, there may be a need for features such as captioning of video calls / phone calls, reading of lips and facial expressions, greater volume, a larger screen, bigger buttons, larger text, and a simpler user interface. If you are confident that these features will not be required in the reasonably forseeable future, then a tablet may be adequate.
Otherwise, we would recommend a Konnekt Videophone or Captioning Videophone.
Konnekt Videophone vs Seniors Tablets
For memory loss
Konnekt Videophone
• Incredibly simple user interface
• No icons
• All contacts on home screen
• One touch to call
For memory loss
Seniors tablets
• Modal interface, hard to remember
• Icons to learn
• Select mode, scroll to find contacts
• 3 actions to call
For hearing loss
Konnekt Videophone
• Twin internal 2.5-inch speakers
• Loud bassy ringing
• Optional clip-on powered speaker
• Handset available (privacy, clarity)
• Captions available in large text
For hearing loss
Seniors tablets
• Internal piezo speaker (low in bass)
• Tinny ringing doesn’t penetrate
• No speaker options
• No handset available
• No captioning available
For low vision
Konnekt Videophone
• 15-inch or 20-inch screen
• Text up to 7 cm tall
• 1 to 40 buttons, adjustable size
• High-contrast palette available
For low vision
Seniors tablets
• 10-inch screen
• Tiny 18-point text
• Button size not adjustable
• No high-contrast colour palette
For poor dexterity
Konnekt Videophone
• Buttons up to 15 cm (6 in) wide
• No menus, scrolling or dropdowns
• Use any object to push buttons
For poor dexterity
Seniors tablets
• Small buttons
• Small menus, fiddly dropdowns
• Touchscreen requires skin contact
For poor mobility
Konnekt Videophone
• Integral kickstand, stuck down
• VESA* monitor arm compatible
• Wireless access button available
For poor mobility
Seniors tablets
• Easy to misplace
• Not VESA-mount compatible
• Hard to use or see at a distance
Dementia
Konnekt Videophone
• Screen-saver options
• Can rename contact “Bob my son”
• Optional contact photos
Dementia
Seniors tablets
• Limited or no screen-saver options
• Contacts cannot be renamed
• Contact photos are not optional
Automatic answer?
Konnekt Videophone
• Nominated trusted contacts only
• Up to 55 second settable ring time
• Can help mitigate falls risk
Automatic answer?
Seniors tablets
• Auto-answers everyone or no one
• Not adjustable
• Instant-answer privacy concerns
Phone calls?
Konnekt Videophone
• Makes standard phone calls
• Calls to phones included
• Optional huge on-screen dial-pad
• Phone number available*
Phone calls?
Seniors tablets
• Can’t call landlines, or
• Needs subscription to call phones
• No dial-pad or tiny dial-pad
• Can’t call it from a landline
Automatic power on?
Konnekt Videophone
• Designed to be always on
• Starts when power is applied
• No fiddly power connectors
Automatic power on?
Seniors tablets
• Users forget to charge
• Hold power button to start
• Fiddly power connector
Care homes
Konnekt Videophone
• Blank screen at night (option)
• Reliable, no need for staff help
• Ideal for COVID lockdown
Care homes
Seniors tablets
• No night-time blank screen
• Needs frequent staff help
• Touchscreen needs skin contact
Plug and go?
Konnekt Videophone
• Arrives preconfigured
• Arrives personalized, connected to family
• Wi-Fi auto-connect option
• Built upon rock-solid Microsoft Skype
Plug and go?
Seniors tablets
• Requires user configuration
• Needs personalization upon delivery
• Manual Wi-Fi connect only
• Family need custom app
Support
Konnekt Videophone
• I.T. Support, even for your Internet
• Additions and changes by Konnekt
Available worldwide
Konnekt has sales/support partners across Australia / Asia, Europe, United Kingdom, North America, New Zealand and Africa.