Everything you need to know.

A tablet is a general-purpose computer: app store, browser, email, menus several layers deep. That power is the problem for someone modern technology leaves behind: a wrong tap opens scam pop-ups; a failed login locks them out.

The Ken does none of that. One screen, the faces approved to call, and a large answer button when they ring. Nothing to misconfigure.

Full comparison at theken.uk/compare.

Not quite, and that is the point. The Ken does one thing: it keeps the person in easy reach of the family they've approved. It has a 10-inch touchscreen, but no app store, no browser, no email, so there is nothing to learn and nothing to go wrong.

Yes, that is who it is for. There is nothing to learn: contacts are large photos, the answer button fills the screen, and only single taps are needed, no swipes or gestures.

There is also an optional auto-answer, for when the person genuinely cannot manage the screen. It is off unless you switch it on, on purpose: a call should only open the camera when they choose to answer.

Both. To call someone, they tap that person’s photo and choose video or voice; there are no numbers to dial and no list to scroll. When someone rings them, a large answer button fills the screen.

Either way, the only faces on the screen are the ones approved in the admin portal, so there is never a stranger to judge.

The Ken uses Wi-Fi only. There is no SIM and no mobile data, so it needs home, care-home or sheltered-scheme Wi-Fi to work. This differs from some alternatives, such as Komp, which include a built-in mobile-data connection.

If the person has no broadband at home, a simple mobile hotspot or a basic broadband line is enough.

The Ken has no phone number, no email address, no browser and no app store. A cold caller has no number to dial and a phishing message has nowhere to arrive. Reaching the screen takes a credential your family was given, and the contacts you approve in the portal are the faces that appear on it.

More at theken.uk/security.

Contacts are added only through the admin portal, by family or carers (“HCPs”) who have been invited and verified. The person using The Ken never has to judge whether a caller is genuine; everyone who can reach them has already been vetted by the family.

With contact-approval mode on, every new contact waits for an admin’s approval before it appears.

The family handle the technical side from the portal at theken.uk/portal, on any phone or computer: contacts, photos, settings and reminders, so the person using The Ken never has to. It stays their Ken; they simply answer the people they choose to. Several family members can each have an account with the right level of access.

The iPhone and Android apps are both in testing, both included in the subscription, for quick admin tasks like approving contacts.

The iPhone and Android apps are both in testing, and both are included in the subscription. They handle the basics for an admin, such as approving new contacts.

For everything else, the portal at theken.uk/portal does the full job from any phone browser.

Yes, wherever there is Wi-Fi. The Ken uses Wi-Fi only, no SIM or mobile data, and most care homes and sheltered schemes have resident Wi-Fi.

If the network uses a sign-in page to accept terms (a captive portal), ask their IT team to allow the Ken by its network address, or get in touch and we will help. Carers can be given portal access alongside family.

The caller can leave a voicemail or video message. The Ken says who it is from as soon as it lands, and it keeps waiting on the home screen, by name, until it has been watched. There is a Videomails list in the menu holding every one that is still kept. Family can see and hear it from the portal too.

Voicemails are kept for 3 months as standard, with extensions available.

An Apple iPad or general tablet can do everything, which is the problem for someone modern technology leaves behind. The purpose-built alternatives are simpler.

Komp (Norway) auto-answers every call, with one button and no touchscreen. Konnekt (Australia) is a large videophone with limited UK support. GrandPad (US) is a simplified tablet with built-in 4G and patchy UK availability.

The Ken is UK-designed and supported, with a 10-inch touchscreen the person can use themselves and full admin-portal control, at £249 plus £4.99 a month.

See a direct, sourced head-to-head: The Ken vs Komp vs Konnekt. Full pricing at theken.uk/compare.

Device: £249 one-off, with free UK delivery and 30-day returns. If it is not right, email hello@theken.uk and we will send you the return address and cover the postage.

Subscription: £4.99 a month, covering calls, the admin portal, voicemail, reminders and all software updates. The iPhone and Android apps are both in testing, and both are included. No per-minute charges, no contract, cancel any time.

The £4.99 a month covers:

• Secure video and voice calling between The Ken and family
• The admin portal, on any phone or browser
• Voicemail and video-message storage (3 months standard, extensions available)
• Medication and appointment reminders
• All software updates to the Ken, cloud and portal
• The iPhone and Android apps (in testing, included)

Calls are included, with no per-minute charge.

You have 30 days to decide. If The Ken does not suit them, email hello@theken.uk and we will send you the return address and cover the postage. The subscription can be cancelled any time, with no contract to unwind.

Yes, automatically over Wi-Fi, with nothing for the family to do.

We commit to security updates for at least five years from the date of purchase, and expect to provide them for longer.

An update over the air replaces the software the Ken runs. We update our cloud services, the portal and the family app ourselves. The operating system underneath the application is set when we build a Ken's storage card, and we change it by issuing a new card. More at theken.uk/security.