EASE OF USE COMES FIRST WITH TRIUMPHS OF DESIGN.Byline: Carol Nuckols Fort Worth Star-Telegram The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is a major U.S. daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. Its area of domination is checked by its main rival, The Dallas Morning News Health problems often accompany aging, but modern technology keeps finding ways to compensate. The recent 1997 New Products for Mature Markets Design Competition highlighted several new products designed specifically for senior citizens; others feature good design that works for any age. The competition's Gold Award went to the Outlook, a magnifying monitor by Xerox. The device magnifies objects, including three-dimensional ones, up to 25 times their actual size. It consists of a camera, zoom lens and 14-inch monitor. The bright-yellow controls are big, easy to grasp and easy to see. The Outlook sells for $1,795. For information, call Xerox at (800) 248-6550, Ext. 1. The competition's Silver Award went to the Interior EZ Chair by California-based Donnelly Design. The chair is designed to make it easy for older folks to sit down or get up. The prominent arms provide the support, but the design avoids an institutional look. The Interior EZ Chair is not yet in production. ``Any product that is well-designed is good for everybody, not just for people who happen to be older,'' says Margaret Wylde, president and chief executive officer of ProMatura Group, which helps organize the competition. ``We are looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. good products that work well, like the Bagel Biter.'' Another Silver Award winner, this bagel slicer is easy to use, and its guillotinelike apparatus is enclosed to prevents cuts. It sells for $30 to $35 at stores such as Williams-Sonoma. The Equator Clothes-Processor EZ 3600C, the Bronze Award Several organizations issue awards with this name:
Quote from Franklin C. facilitates removing clothes. The ventless operation and compact size make the appliance appropriate to the smaller apartments or condominiums that older folks might move to as they downscale To resize lower or convert down. See scale, downsample and downconvert. , Wylde says; the appliance could fit under a kitchen or bathroom counter. The product can be ordered from the manufacturer at (800) 935-1955, Ext. 102. It's $995. Other products also found praise: the Twist Mop, a string mop with a ratchet system for wringing wring v. wrung , wring·ing, wrings v.tr. 1. To twist, squeeze, or compress, especially so as to extract liquid. Often used with out. 2. , easy on the hands for anyone with arthritis; a lightweight snow plow a structure, usually See also: Plow cleaning pad - a pad used as a cleaning implement for the shower operated with the foot; a toothbrush with a large, easy-to-grasp handle; a wallet with easy-to-see numbers indicating different denominations of bills for the visually impaired; and an organizer for coupons, calculator and other shopping paraphernalia. Wal-Mart carries the Twist Mop for $8.96. The other products aren't yet being manufactured, but competition organizers hope that will soon change. |
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