Fujitsu’s easy-to-use phone packs advanced features

The latest model in Fujitsu’s Raku Raku cellphone line, which emphasizes ease of use, packs some advanced features.

The range is marketed to older people and has won praise because of the phones’ large buttons and easy-to-read characters on the screen. The latest model, due out this month, doesn’t have any of the whiz-bang multimedia functions common in many of today’s handsets but does offer some equally impressive technology.

Among the features is an advanced noise cancellation system that makes it easier to be heard in noisy environments. The system uses two microphones located at the bottom of the clamshell handset. One, in the center, picks up the user’s voice and background noise while the other, in the bottom right corner, is tuned to the typical frequency range of a person’s voice and picks up the user with less background noise. The two signals are processed and the result is a much better noise cancellation system than is usually found in phones, the company said.

The handset also monitors surrounding noise and will boost the earpiece sound level to make it easier to hear incoming calls in noisy situations. The phone can also record the latest 60 seconds of a call so if you miss a detail, you might be able to play it back.

The phone can also slow the speed at which an incoming caller seems to speak while keeping the sentence the same length. It does this by replaying the words in each sentence more slowly than normal, and reducing the silent gaps between them so that conversation isn’t interrupted.

With safety in mind, the phones also pack an ear-piercing alarm that can alert people in the vicinity if the user is in trouble, and if programmed will also call family or friends automatically to notify them. The person’s location is determined by GPS and sent along with the alert.

The phone’s camera also includes some smart features, like the ability to make photographs of documents more legible. If a document is photographed from an angle the software corrects this to make it appear the document was photographed head-on. The contrast is then adjusted and the image made black and white, making the document easier to read.

And for users that hate wrestling with a keypad, the new Raku allows them to consult local directories or get train information using voice commands. For example, to find the closest convenience store a user can ask for “convenience stores.” The person’s location is known from the GPS and a list of nearby stores pops up. Push a couple more buttons and a map appears.

The Raku Raku phone will be available in Japan only through NTT DoCoMo.