DEAR SAVVY SENIOR: Can you recommend any easy-to-use products for video calling? I live in a different state from my mother, who’s now 78, and would like to see her more often. But mom doesn’t have a computer or a smartphone for video chatting and she’s intimidated with technology. — Living Afar

DEAR LIVING: If you’re not familiar with them, home videophones are a nice option and very easy for seniors to use. While there are various types and styles of videophones on the market today, some possible options to consider are the Grandstream 3140 and VoSKY videophones that work with Skype (see skype.com) — a free software application that lets you make free video calls via the Internet.

Retailing anywhere between $150 and $250, the big advantage of using a Skype certified videophone is that after you purchase it, there are no monthly service fees to use it. Skype-to-Skype video calls are completely free, and you can use your personal computer (if you have a webcam), Android smartphone or tablet, iPhone, iPad or Mac to call your mom’s videophone (and vise versa), which means you don’t have to buy a second videophone to converse with her like you do with other services.

These videophones will also let your mom make unlimited calls to other landlines and mobile phones in the U.S. and Canada for only $3 per month. To learn more or to purchase these products visit amazon.com or shop.skype.com/phones.

Another good product to check out is WorldGate’s Ojo Vision Digital Videophone, which you can buy through ACN (myacn.com/digital, 877-226-1010) as the IRIS 5000 Video Phone. With a bright 7-inch LCD screen and excellent audio and video capabilities, this videophone is a higher grade product than the Skype phones, but it’s more expensive. The cost: $179 for the phone with a two-year contract and a $30 monthly service fee for unlimited calling.

Another great option you need to know about are the new “TV compatible webcams” that have a built-in HD camera, speakers and microphones that will turn your mom’s TV into a videophone — no computer required.

If you like this option, check out the Biscotti TV Phone (biscotti.com), a new product that costs $199 and, at the press of a button, will let your mom make and receive unlimited free video calls from her TV, to any computer, smartphone or tablet that uses Google video chat (google.com/chat/video), or to other Biscotti owners.

 

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