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Virgin Mobile launches the world's first left-handed phones |
masseur
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Sydney, London
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News Release
Saturday 31 March 2007, 18:00 GMT
TECHNOLOGY
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile launches the world's first left-handed phone
LONDON, March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin Mobile has unveiled a new range of mobile phones specifically designed for left-handed people. Available, exclusively from Virgin Mobile, the new Sony Ericsson models prefixed with LH (Left Handed) LH-P990, LH-M600, LH-K800 and LH-W880 have a unique keypad layout with the number keys positioned from right to left, instead of the standard left to right.
In Britain today twelve per cent of the population is left-handed which equates to a massive seven million people who are frustrated by the right-handed bias in the product design of phones. This simple but clever design makes dialling, texting and menu navigation quicker and easier for anyone left-handed. Famous left-handers include Oscar winning actress Nicole Kidman, Prince William, glamour model Melinda Messenger and former Sex Pistols front man and 'I'm a Celebrity' contestant John `Rotten' Lydon.
Steven Day, the left-handed Corporate Affairs Director at Virgin Mobile, said: "We have been approached by thousands of left-handed customers who told us they wanted a phone which would work for them. Britain's seven million left-handed people should not be ignored and Virgin Mobile is the first mobile company in the world to offer a solution to this problem working in partnership with Sony Ericsson. We are confident there will be huge interest in this product."
In addition to the redesigned keypad these Sony Ericsson mobiles phones boast all the great features of the right-handed variant with an innovative design and integrated aerial, top quality colour screen, polyphonic ringtones and a built-in modem.
The Virgin Mobile Sony Ericsson LH-models will be available early April. The retail price will be identical to existing RH models
About Virgin Mobile:
Virgin Mobile is now established as the most successful virtual network operator in the world, and is the UK's fifth network. Since its launch in November 1999 it has attracted more than 3.7 million customers, making it one of the fastest growing mobile phone companies in history.
Virgin Mobile is owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and is the UK's first mobile virtual operator, it uses T-Mobile's network.
Virgin Mobile employs 1,700 staff on four sites, Trowbridge, London, Daventry and Middlesbrough. It was recently voted one of the top 50 places to work in Britain.
Virgin Mobile has a no contract policy and uses a simple tariff with calls charged at 15p/min for the first 5 minutes of use each day, then 5p/min after that. Virgin Mobile customers can also text another Virgin Mobile in the UK for just three pence per text.
THE DEVIL MAKES WORK FOR IDLE THUMBS. KEEP YOURS BUSY.
TEXT ANOTHER VIRGIN MOBILE CUSTOMER WITHIN THE UK FOR 3P.
Distributed by PR Newswire on behalf of Virgin Mobile
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[ This Message was edited by: masseur on 2007-04-01 00:39 ] | |
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Dogmann
Joined: Jan 29, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: London England
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Hi Masseur,
Nice find and what a totally brilliant move thinking about it now I can't understand why no one hasn't done it sooner. That's guaranteed them a lot of new customers and it looks like they have given people a choice of top end phones also. What a stunning little business move very impressed my vote for cleverest marketing of the Year and doubt it will be beaten.
Marc
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[ This Message was edited by: Dogmann on 2007-04-01 00:44 ] |
masseur
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Sydney, London
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yeah, this news surprised me, especialy being the weekend, but thats Virgin style I guess.. totally unorthodox 
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ÈL ® ö B ì Ñ
Joined: Feb 03, 2005
Posts: 281
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Ah, finally a phone for "them"
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masseur
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Sydney, London
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I'm not left handed but am thinking of getting one of these so I can write messages to two people at the same time!
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ÈL ® ö B ì Ñ
Joined: Feb 03, 2005
Posts: 281
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On 2007-04-01 10:29:53, masseur wrote:
I'm not left handed but am thinking of getting one of these so I can write messages to two people at the same time!
Ooo look at mr popular with his 2 friends 
jks 
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manfran
Joined: Mar 23, 2003
Posts: 289
From: PHILIPPINES
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I think it's too late for that. The lefties, like me, are now used to using right handed phones. adopting that phone orientation now is another adjustment in dexterity. Why bother? |
Sammy_boy
Joined: Mar 31, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Staffordshire, United Kingdom
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I'm thinking April Fool's here! 
Reminds me of the 'left handed Mars Bars' a few years ago!
"All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke
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masseur
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Sydney, London
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On 2007-04-01 11:22:58, ÈL ® ö B ì Ñ wrote:
Ooo look at mr popular with his 2 friends
yeah, sad I know, but they always wanna talk to me at the same time...
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manfran
Joined: Mar 23, 2003
Posts: 289
From: PHILIPPINES
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UH,OH. Its april fools day, alright! haraharhar! |
max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
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From: Australia
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On 2007-04-01 13:53:55, manfran wrote:
UH,OH. Its april fools day, alright! haraharhar!
It's not the number placement that irritates me (I'm a left hander), but how buttons on the side are always on the "wrong side" for me! Like the camera button for vertical handsets (such as the camera in the K700), it's on the wrong side. To use the camera in my left hand meant I was obscuring the lense all the time. Very frustrating.
Likewise on my K750, the most used side buttons, the volume up and down, are on the righthand side, so to access them easily with my thumb is a nightmare unless the phone is held in the right hand.
So it's probably an april fools joke about the numbers (I can't see how it would make any difference whether the buttons are back to front or not), but it's no joke that phones are usually ergonomically designed for right handers.
They are, but you wouldn't notice unless you were left handed.
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Posted: 2007-04-01 01:21
