This article is illustrated with about half a dozen photographs,
including a photo of the writer and photos of the products mentioned in
the article.  The illustrated article can be found at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2165893.stm



BBC News

Friday, 2 August, 2002, 08:42 GMT 09:42 UK

Headset hassles and Bluetooth  aches

 Ericsson Bluetooth headset looks  good, tricky to use for some

A technology called Bluetooth is supposed to  make it easier for us to
get our gadgets and ourselves connected. But for
BBC Producer Colin Hughes Bluetooth is nothing but trouble.

When Bluetooth headsets for mobiles appeared I was excited because I
hoped it would solve a problem I've always had using a handset.

But getting Bluetooth to work has proved worse than toothache and turned
me blue with frustration.

I have a disability, muscular dystrophy, a muscle wasting condition that
confines me to a wheelchair and means my muscles are severely weakened.
It makes lifting a mobile phone to my ear impossible.

The traditional hands free devices I've tried are fiddly and sound
quality is very variable.

Bluetooth headsets looked like the answer.

Flawed idea

As a journalist working in television production I make and receive
dozens of calls every day.

A Bluetooth headset that links to a handset via radio and has much
improved sound quality would be a big help.

Mobile phones should be usable by everyone

Colin Hughes, BBC producer Or so I thought.

Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that the "answer" button on
the Ericsson and Bluetooth headsets must be pressed to pick up a call.

This I am unable to do, making the gadgets next to useless.

On discovering this flaw I contacted the customer services departments at
Sony Ericsson and Nokia. I got nowhere very quickly.

I was hoping to speak to an engineer working in research and development,
but what I got was a polite but very succinct letter stating that my
"observations would be passed on to the relevant department".

Perhaps it isn't that surprising when those in positions of
responsibility hide behind the impermeable screen of a customer service
call centre no solution or explanation has been provided to my
frustration.

Swift response

The response to e-mails sent to Sony Ericsson and Motorola in the USA
could not have been more different.

People dedicated to helping disabled customers contacted me and were
eager to find a solution.

The US Product Manager for Motorola's Bluetooth headset told me it has an
"auto answer" feature in its new mobile phones.

This means phone  calls are answered automatically while using either a
wired or Bluetooth
headset. This feature picks up a call after two rings, knows when it has
ended and closes the line without you ever having to press a button.

The Motorola phone also lets you wake the headset by pressing the
handset's answer button, eliminating the need to raise an arm. Alas,
these features apply to the Motorola 270c phone, which is only available
in the US.

Sony Ericsson US employs someone who only handles technical support for
disabled customers. My email enquiry resulted in an hour long call from
North Carolina offering advice on what could be done.

This constructive approach to the needs of disabled consumers in the US
is not surprising. The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act and the 1996
Telecom Act place heavy responsibilities on companies to make their
products useable.

Tough rules

There are no such legal obligations on manufacturers of mobile phones for
the UK, even though the 1984 Telecommunications Act 1984 charges Oftel
with promoting the interests of consumers.

Despite this mobile makers seem free to launch products with no regard to
whether disabled consumers can use them. Nor must they provide
information on their products that would be useful to disabled people.

A  1999 EU directive on telecommunications saw the end of regulations
which
made manufacturers certify products with statutory authorities in each
country. Instead manufacturers are allowed to self certify.

The British Approvals Board on Telecommunications advises manufacturers
on certification but is powerless to force them to improve disabled
access.

How different it is in the US. The websites of the telecom companies
contain pages of information explaining how their products can help
disabled people.

Sony Ericsson even has a call centre dedicated to handling disabled
customer enquiries.

Disabled consumers get scant mention on the UK websites of any phone
manufacturer, and none offer a specialist information service.

Purchasing power

The Americans with Disabilities Act raised awareness and improved access
to technology.

By contrast the UK's 1995 Disability Discrimination Act has not been as
effective in encouraging companies and others to understand and respond
more to the needs of disabled consumers.

Legal requirements under the DDA covering physical access to products
don't come into effect until 2004 and it is unclear whether mobile phone
manufacturers will be covered by them.

There is another reason why the US is way ahead. Federal departments
demand that anything they buy meets strict accessibility criteria.

The government buys a lot of handsets so it's worth manufacturers
ensuring their equipment is accessible to everyone.

In the last year the British government has bought 200,000 handsets but
as it deals with service providers rather than directly with
manufacturers it is difficult for it to have a positive influence.

This isn't just me having a whinge. The Research Institute for Consumer
Affairs also believes the UK telecom manufacturers aren't doing enough.

For many years this charity has assessed products for their ease of use
by people with disabilities - many domestic appliances could be used by
many more consumers with more thoughtful design.

Better access

It goes wider than Bluetooth headsets too. These are issues for us all. I
know blind, deaf and old people who have problems with mobile phones. My
grandmother doesn't have a disability yet still finds tiny buttons and
small screens difficult to use.

Perhaps the  Americans understand more about untapped markets. About
eight million
people in the UK have some form of disability. Some 7.5 million people
have some hearing loss, about 1 million are visually impaired and 70% of
disabled people develop mobility problems.

There are over 10.5 million older people and as we age we are more likely
to suffer disabilities.

If mobile phone manufacturers thought more about designing their products
for people like us, rather than serving up gimmicks for schoolkids,
they'd find a whole new market ready to buy their products.

Mobile phones should be usable by everyone. It requires positive action
by handset makers and tough regulation to enforce licence obligations and
to champion the additional needs of disabled consumers.

As I write I'm getting bluer by the day. Despite the helpfulness of US
manufacturers, I still haven't got round my problem of answering a mobile
phone call via a Bluetooth headset.

It's not rocket science but maybe scientists at companies like Sony
Ericsson and Nokia need to focus some of their creativity on the
consumers who have most to gain from their exciting advances. See also:


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