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GreatCall adds new 5Star security service

GreatCall, the maker of the Jitterbug phone for seniors, introduced a new personal security service for its customers last week at CES 2011. Called 5Star, the service is designed to address security and health concerns that don't necessarily merit calling 911. For example, if you're walking alone in a park at night, you might feel unsafe, but there's no immediate need to call the police. If you have the 5Star service on your Jitterbug phone, you can call them to at least have someone there on the line. And if something does happen, 5Star will be able … Read more

Jitterbug now on Verizon Wireless

Usually when we recommend people get the Samsung Jitterbug J, a cell phone designed for seniors, we have to include a warning that the Jitterbug service might not be available in their area.

GreatCall, creator of the Jitterbug handsets, made deals with several different carriers across the country to carry its service, so it was very close to nationwide coverage but not quite complete.

Thursday, however, GreatCall and Verizon announced that the Jitterbug service will now be operating on the Verizon Wireless network as part of Verizon Wireless' Open Development program, which all but ensures better coverage nationwide.

Jitterbug also … Read more

GreatCall unleashes the Jitterbug J

There's a new Jitterbug in town, and it's called the Jitterbug J. Made by Samsung, the Jitterbug J is the successor to the original Jitterbug Dial, which if you'll recall was the phone we dubbed as friendly to seniors thanks to its easy-to-use controls and large backlit buttons.

Now it seems GreatCall, the company behind the Jitterbug, wants to expand its market to include everyone, not just the elderly. If you want a phone that looks and feels like a plain old telephone, no matter your age, then GreatCall is hoping the Jitterbug J will fit your … Read more

Jitterbug for seniors

Now you can nag your mom and ask her why she never calls. The oldster-friendly Jitterbug phones, which we saw at CTIA earlier this year, are finally available nationwide. GreatCall, a new MVNO that specializes in services geared toward seniors, is the company behind these two basic handsets.

The Jitterbug cell phones are certainly suitable for the elderly; the Jitterbug Dial has a large brightly backlit keypad, while the Jitterbug OneTouch has only three one-touch buttons that connect directly to an operator, to emergency services, and to a user-programmed contact. And to make it even easier, GreatCall will preprogram numbers … Read more