Japan's Fujitsu launched a new mobile telephone for the elderly on Wednesday, its latest "Raku-Raku" or "easy-easy" model, with a large, crisp display and one-touch Internet access. Users of the phone, designed in Japan for telecom giant NTT, have access to a special website with travel and gourmet information tailored to the needs of senior citizens, as well as news, weather and transport details.

Fujitsu’s new Raku-Raku Phone 7 will be available in Japan beginning July 23, 2010, through sales partner NTT DoCoMo. The new Fujitsu Raku-Raku (meaning easy-to-use" in Japanese) Phone 7 is designed to make the Internet more accessible to senior citizens by introducing a one-touch access button to the i-mode mobile Internet system. Users also have access to a special website with carefully selected travel and gourmet information tailored to the needs of senior citizens. This service is jointly offered with Nifty Corporation for no monthly fee.

The waterproof clamshell model also features an application called "Naoko Takahashi's Walking Clinic", named after an Olympic gold medalist and former marathon runner, which analyses the user's stride. The phone boasts an 8.1-megapixel "smart camera" that can take pictures automatically when it detects that the subjects are smiling, and sounds an alarm when a finger obscures the lens. Fujitsu's previous Raku-Raku phones have sold more than 17.8 million units since 2001 in Japan, a rapidly greying society with one of the world's longest life expectancies and lowest birth rates.

Ever since its debut with the F671i model in September 2001, Fujitsu's Raku-Raku Phone series has been extremely popular, selling over 17.8 million units as of June 30, 2010. While it remains popular, especially with senior citizens, most customers use it primarily for phone calls and e-mail, without taking advantage of other Internet services, such as i-mode. 

According to a recent Fujitsu study, as much as 53% of customers have expressed interest in using the Internet via their mobile phones. The new Raku-Raku Phone 7 includes a range of services and features that work with senior citizens, helping them move from basic use to full enjoyment of mobile phones. More information on feautures and specifications via Fujitsu.