Introduction
Back in July, Aussie start-up Kisa launched a mobile phone alternative for those who find modern smartphones too difficult or complicated to use.
It doesn’t have any gadgetry like the new NFC-enabled Apple Pay on the iPhone 6 or a fancy metal body like the HTC One (M8). In fact, it doesn’t even have a touchscreen!
According to the company, the Kisa Phone is made for “parents with young children, the visually impaired, those living with reduced physical abilities, or anyone wanting a simple and easy to use mobile phone.”
Each handset is customised to the requirements of the user and costs only $84, though you’ll need to pay an extra $10 for postage and up to $30 for a Kisa mobile phone plan – but more on that later.
So while the handset might be a great concept for those looking to get something usable for their aging parents, just how easy and simple is this screen-less phone to use?
We take the Kisa Phone for a spin to see its real world value.
Design
Kisa says that it conducted extensive consultations with organisations including Vision Australia and Guide Dogs Victoria to design the handset, with many 3D-printed designs put to the test before a final product was developed.
When you first pick the phone up, it looks a bit like a toy because the rather simple handset features no screen – though you might still be tempted to start swiping your thumb across the surface.
Instead, the phone only has about 12 buttons on the front side, with a few more on the back.
On the front, you can have up to 10 phone numbers stored with either names, photos or even braille, and with a choice of colours and languages.
Near the top of the phone, on either side of the speaker, sits the dial/answer button and the end call button, which also doubles at an on/off button if you hold it for a few seconds.
Each button is slight raised against the smooth surface (with braille, if preferred), which can be pushed down easily using thumb or finger.
On the back of the phone, on the top right corner you have the sound bar buttons with a plus and minus symbol.
On the bottom edge, you have an on/off switch as well as a large SOS button, which can be used to immediately dial emergency services, and a larger loud speaker. The back of the phone can also have written information, such as medical information and the phone owner’s name.
Each phone can be customised as per your requirements, so you choose how many numbers, how’d you like them displayed (name, photo, braille) and which colour (block colours, print design or high contrast for better visibility).
The handset itself is white, extremely light in the hand and comes with a lanyard attached. In terms of size, it fits the hand well, coming in smaller than the Samsung Galaxy S5 but larger than the iPhone 5S.
The lanyard sits on the bottom left corner of the handset, so when you have the phone around your neck, you can easily put it against your ear without it getting in the way.
You also get a mini USB charging dock – handily, the phone can be docked with lanyard attached – and wall charger.
Ordering a KISA Phone
While TechRadar received a review unit straight from one of the founders, the process of ordering a Kisa Phone begins with calling up Kisa or going online.
We’ll go over the online system, which gives you the easiest way of customising your phone and begins with choosing first if you want either one, three, five, eight or 10 contacts.
You can then choose the colour and pattern style you want; there are 17 to choose from, including contrasting colours, high visibility colours, simple colour blocks or patterns.
From there, you are directed to place the name or photo of each contact for each button.
The back of the phone can also include any information you want, including the name of the phone owner or their medical information, which can be handy in case of emergencies. All phones will come with the number of the handset printed on the back as well.
After this, you will see a mock-up of your customised Kisa handset which you can confirm or go back to fixing up.
You will need to choose a Kisa Phone plan, if you would like to receive paper or emailed invoices, before being prompted to sign up for a Kisa account, with payment and billing info.
You can also choose to port a number over. For those after braille or a different language, you’ll need to order over the phone.
The customisation process will currently take about two days, according to Kisa, with postage to take up to seven business day.
Out of the box
If you’ve used a smartphone, or in fact any mobile phone from the last two decades, you’ll probably be scratching your head when you first see this phone. It really does look like a toy.
In the box you’ll get the Kisa Phone, USB to mini USB cable, wall charger and user manual. In a separate box, shipped with the handset, you’ll get the charging dock.
Kisa tells us the reason the charging dock comes in a separate box is mainly due to the fact that it was an afterthought that was being tweaked.
The team at Kisa are still working on improvements for the handset itself and have hinted that features like wireless charging, GPS and waterproofing could be added to new models.
But for what we have right now, the phone is all set up to work straight out of the box, with SIM card all set to go and lanyard already attached.
You can turn the phone on in two ways, either the sliding button on the back or a long hold of the end call button on the front. And that’s about it.
Performance and features
The Kisa Phone doesn’t exactly have too many features. To make a call after the phone is turned on, you simply press on a name and then press the call button (top left).
Phones calls made on this phone only last for 15 minutes, automatically turning off after that time.
This does mean that the phone won’t be left on by accident, and that call charges won’t be high.
Of course, it will likely be annoying if you want to have longer conversations, but the phone is designed for emergencies and you can always call back…
Kisa has beaten the odds and become a Vodafone MVNO to offer specialised mobile plans for this reason.
The signal strength for calls can’t exactly be determined, and it is limited to Vodafone’s reach. But as it doesn’t require 4G, it is likely you’ll have a signal throughout most areas.
The sound quality of calls isn’t so great, however, with the voices sounding very tinny. You can push the volume up to the highest for the best sounds, but even that is limited.
You can also put the sound up using the back buttons to loud speaker, forcing the sound to come out of the back speaker. Overall it is usable, but nothing to get excited about.
One the other hand, the sounds the phone makes might surprise you when turning it on or off, as it is rather loud.
Speaking of loud, the SOS button at the back is a handy feature to call emergency services in an emergency for say if the user has fallen down. It is very loud. Very, very loud.
You’ll need to hold the button down for a few seconds to activate it, but from there, it will make a loud siren noise, flash an LED and put you through to emergency services on loud speaker.
Kisa says the phone has actually helped limit the amount of elderly calling emergency services for things like having fallen down, as it is easier to just call a loved one with the press of a button.
The ringtone is loud enough as well, but note that it can’t be changed.
In terms of battery life, the Kisa Phone can last 7 days on standby, and can make 4 hours of calls on a single charge, so you won’t need to charge it every day.
Support
With such a specialised phone that can’t be customised by the user, Kisa has made ongoing support available for users free.
We did call them up to change a phone number, which was a simple process that took no longer than 5 to 10 minutes.
They ask for your customer ID or account name, then ask what number you need changed, and that’s about it – the changed number could be used after at least 5 minutes of the change.
Kisa can also remove a number from your phone as well, but that will require you to contact them and request for a new phone.
They will get your change request, send out a new phone, after which they will ask you to post back your old handset.
You can get all you billing details online or over the phone as well, with Kisa storing all your phone’s customisations so that they can easily and quickly change things on the back end if they need to.
Pricing and plans
The Kisa Phone is priced at $84, including all customisations that you want, as well as lanyard, charging dock and wall charger – though shipping will command an additional
The phone will also be offered alongside five mobile plans (using the Vodafone network) – which you will need to sign up for in order to use the handset.
For the Talk 20 plan, which costs $15, you get 20 minutes of national and mobile calls with a 38 cents call cost for every 30 seconds above allocated minutes.
The Talk 50 plan costs $20 and gets you 50 minutes of calls, with a 20 cents call cost for every 30 seconds above allocated minutes, while the Talk 120 plan costs $30, gives you 120 minutes of call time and charges 13 cents above included value.
There is also a $30 three-month plan and a $60 six-month, but the monthly ones are likely to be easier to handle and better to keep on top of, as these two plans are also a little more expensive in terms of call charges.
Of course, if the person using the phone is likely only going to be receiving calls and not making any, then these two will allow you to pay for it once and forget about it, without having to pay monthly for a recharge.
The plans are handled and managed by Kisa, which you can cancel or add on to at any point. If you have some credit left, it will be refunded.
All customer support is then provided to you for free, whether it is over the phone or online.
At a minimum, to receive a Kisa Phone and have it start working, up front you are looking to pay $109 with the handset, phone plan and postage included.
Verdict
The Kisa Phone is a very targeted piece of software and not for everyone – though is adhere’s to the name Kisa, which stands for Keep-It-Simple-Always.
It is for those who only need to make phone calls during emergencies or need it for very limited use.
There’s really nothing else this phone will do except be a handy emergency medical card if you choose to list critical medical info on the back.
And the people that Kisa is targeting for awareness about the product are the children or carers of the elderly or the physically and visually impaired.
Kisa says it is also good for very young children, or for children that may have allergies or other medical conditions – but we imagine they’ll be wanting their own iPhone soon enough.
We liked
The simple design and basic functions all work really well, and the SOS button I’m sure will give peace of mind to many family members.
The fact that the customisations allow for things like pictures in stead of names, as well as braille and different languages makes this a very versatile option for those looking for a handset for a loved one.
Kisa’s own mobile plans is also nicely catered to the requirements of this type of handset, as is the 15-minute cut off.
As simple as it is, buttons can’t be accidentally pressed, but still manageable for those who might have difficulty.
We disliked
The sound quality for calls still leaves something to be desired, and we wonder how well it will work for those who have difficulty hearing – but really, this is a small complaint over all.
Having longer hours for support would also be an improvement, but with Kisa a start-up company, resources are probably limited.
We would also have liked to see a waterproof design, as we imagine a lot of accidents could happen around water.
Final verdict
The Kisa Phone is a great phone if you’re out looking for something for your grandparents, elderly parents, or those who just can’t work a touch screen.
It’s designed well and has been thought through very well, with a light design that just does what it is meant to and nothing more.
There could be improvements, and the Kisa team who are very passionate about the work they are doing, have said they are always looking for new ideas and ways to make things better.
It’s a handset that is filling a void in the current market, and there will be those out there who will need a mobile phone just like this.
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