Phone industry insiders have dubbed it the 'Mobiddy'. It's the world's first mobile handset specially designed for the older generation.

Gran and Grandad have always been alienated by mobile phones, explains Stewart Smith, MD of Communic8, the UK distributor of Empoporia Life, the Austrian manufactured mobile phone that goes on sale tomorrow. “They can't use normal mobiles because the screens are too small, the text is tiny and the miniscule buttons on handset are a nightmare,” Smith told Mobbed-online.com. “old people would love to be able to make calls and to text, but everything's too small and too close together.”

Oh really? Maybe they just don't want them, surely?

Not so, he says. Since the Emporia was launched in its native Austria, in April, the manufacturer has sold 80,000 handsets. Now Kent based Communic8 (www.comm8.com) is hoping to repeat the performance.

The official launch is tomorrow in Birmingham. “As mobile phones get smaller, and stacked with complex features and wizardry, Emporia Life offers a no-nonsense, back-to-basics alternative,” said Smith.

Communic8 Ltd will be officially launching Emporia Life in the UK in conjunction with RNIB at the Sight Village Exhibition in Birmingham's Clarenden Suites.

Smith is confident the oldies in the UK will take to this new fangled technology. “It's so easy to use, even Ming Campbell could use it,” he joked.

Emporia Life's features include a large screen and display, oversized and easy to use buttons, and a super loud speaker and ring volume. The phone has a powerful vibration alert to ensure the owner knows when someone is calling. Its orange backlight is particularly helpful for people with sight problems, and the phone has added features for those with hearing difficulties, as it is compatible with digital hearing aids.

Some people give their elderly parents a phone as a safety device. The Emporia could be the handset of choice here, because it has an emergency button. This big red button on the back of the phone can be programmed to call up to five designated numbers, such as doctors, neighbours, next of kin. Or you could set it up to send off a pre-written text to another mobile phone asking for assistance.

Rerail price will be £169.99

Order from the Royal National Institute for the Blind on www.rnib.org.uk/shop