Suggestions for laptop for elderly parents.

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3puttssuck

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#119270 26-May-2013 19:00

Hi team.
My parents ( in their 70's) are looking to buy a laptop as a replacement for a 10 yr old desktop running xp.
I think they would struggle with the UI of W8 so I'm looking at W7 options.
It will spend 99% of it life on a desk. They will use it for Skype, web browsing, email, Facebook etc.
Just a machine for "Keeping in touch" really.
http://laptopbattery.co.nz/Laptops/Toshiba/Toshiba_Tecra_R840-028_Core_i5-2520M_25GHz_320GB_-LBN48270.htm
This one looks ok.
Budget is sub $1000
Any ideas much appreciated.

Thanks.

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#825679 26-May-2013 19:26

If they are not used to Win7, then I think Win8 would be easier for them.

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#825703 26-May-2013 20:04

Get them to try out an iPad. It will probably do everything they need. Lots of 'old people' using them now and seem to have really taken to them

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#825721 26-May-2013 20:48

I support the previous post.

Get them an IPAD with a stand and keyboard.
Ive seen non PC literate people (espcially older people) use these without hassle.

But then again, they may want to print off stuff (so getting the printer to talk to ipad will need to be considered) as well as storage space for any photos they want to keep.

IPADs dont do 'flash' well. So maybey its back to a good ol el cheapo laptop from dell?

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#825723 26-May-2013 20:51

oh i see they are used to XP. If they can use XP ok, then I would think that getting a Win7 PC would be better. However laptops are harder to use than a desktop. The screens + keyboards are smaller. I think getting them another desktop might be better? You could even buy them a fast 2nd hand PC and install XP on it so they don't have to learn a new operating system.

This would cost you only $300-400 and they might be happier with what they already know

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#825725 26-May-2013 20:57

I've love to get my father exclusively using an iPad, but the biggest obstacle would be managing his library of photos. He's owned a digital camera for a number of years, so there's too much content to be able to fit it all on an iPad.

Having said that I would never recommend a Windows PC to him either. He has one now and it's just a nightmare, with frequent and expensive trips to the repair man every time it has a software glitch.

highspeedsteel

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#830502 4-Jun-2013 14:34

As a comparison I just got my father (in his 60's) a Laptop to use. He is used to an XP desktop and the laptop had Win8 which worried me, but he actually finds it easier. Hi main use would be Tradme and general web surfing. (He's a farmer so is always looking at weather information). I think a tablet would have been better for him, but the laptop was less then $600 and means that if my mum starts using it for photos like I suspect it will have room for the 50+gb of photos of grandkids etc. Laptop was one of these on special a couple of weeks back.

Main point is he found Windows 8 fairly self explanatory which surprised me, but was great.

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#830542 4-Jun-2013 15:57

slliwgd: Hi team.
My parents ( in their 70's) are looking to buy a laptop as a replacement for a 10 yr old desktop running xp.
I think they would struggle with the UI of W8 so I'm looking at W7 options.
It will spend 99% of it life on a desk. They will use it for Skype, web browsing, email, Facebook etc.
Just a machine for "Keeping in touch" really.
http://laptopbattery.co.nz/Laptops/Toshiba/Toshiba_Tecra_R840-028_Core_i5-2520M_25GHz_320GB_-LBN48270.htm
This one looks ok.
Budget is sub $1000
Any ideas much appreciated.

Thanks.

Get a windows 7 one, especially if they are already using XP. Over the last several years, many of my elderly customers have gone from XP to win 7 and I can honestly say that none of them have ever had any major issues using it but windows live mail is a new experience for them but they get there. (no more outlook express). In contrast, several have purchased win 8 from other outlets and are at a total loss with using it.

mxpress

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#831757 6-Jun-2013 17:56

I just went through this with my father. Windows 7 is by far the easiest if they are used to XP. Be careful of going the laptop route though. My father thought he wanted one - until he got one. The smaller keyboard was problematic, but so was the screen. He is back on desktop now so this was an expensive mistake for him.

iPads are a great idea for limited uses. It took him 10 minutes to be comfortable using mine BUT managing his photos and Kindle book transfer to the Kindle wasn't something he could do with an iPad. Keeping the change stress-free and giving him something familiar turned out to be the most important consideration.

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#832531 8-Jun-2013 09:53

alasta: I've love to get my father exclusively using an iPad, but the biggest obstacle would be managing his library of photos. He's owned a digital camera for a number of years, so there's too much content to be able to fit it all on an iPad.

Having said that I would never recommend a Windows PC to him either. He has one now and it's just a nightmare, with frequent and expensive trips to the repair man every time it has a software glitch.

What sort of software glitches does he get?

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#832555 8-Jun-2013 10:37

I would go the Win 7 (or XP) laptop route. Just make sure its not a small one, go for 14 inch or bigger. Then you get a good screen size and the keys are pretty much the same size as a normal keyboard. My Dell 14Z keys are the same size as those on my full size Logitech keyboard, there's just no number pad.

When you start comparing with tablets the keyboard size on a laptop becomes a bit irrelevant. For those where the keyboard is an issue (I don't like reaching over the mouse pad area) get a wireless keyboard, they're not that expensive.

If you go the laptop way I would recommend a wireless mouse as a lot of mouse pads are not nice to use.

My parents, in their 80's, have a desktop they rarely use because of where it's located, they would make much more use of a laptop that they could move around from the dining table to the lounge area etc. They mostly use an Acer Iconia tablet for their internet browsing email etc..

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#832724 8-Jun-2013 16:49

I would suggest either an ipad or android.

But as others have said, if they are used to an xp laptop then go with windows 7. If they werent used to xp then windows 8 would be okay as they wouldnt have to re-learn the basics.

So what i am saying is that windows 8 will be too different for them if they are used to xp. Go with win7 instead.

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#832735 8-Jun-2013 17:32

nathan:
alasta: Having said that I would never recommend a Windows PC to him either. He has one now and it's just a nightmare, with frequent and expensive trips to the repair man every time it has a software glitch.

What sort of software glitches does he get?

The machine seems to run slower and slower over the course of a six month period and then the techies 'clean it out' and the cycle repeats. My father seems to think it's dodgy software installing itself so it's likely that there is some sort of security weakness (perhaps because of how his login account or file permissions are set up?), but I don't know Windows well enough to get to the bottom of it and when I spoke to the technie myself on one occasion he couldn't clearly articulate the underlying cause of the problem.

I think he needs to find a techie who can fix the problem rather than just treating the symptoms, but the system is so old that it belongs on the scrapheap anyway.

Hammerer

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#832745 8-Jun-2013 18:17

slliwgd: Hi team.
My parents ( in their 70's) are looking to buy a laptop as a replacement for a 10 yr old desktop running xp.
I think they would struggle with the UI of W8 so I'm looking at W7 options.
It will spend 99% of it life on a desk. They will use it for Skype, web browsing, email, Facebook etc.
Just a machine for "Keeping in touch" really.
http://laptopbattery.co.nz/Laptops/Toshiba/Toshiba_Tecra_R840-028_Core_i5-2520M_25GHz_320GB_-LBN48270.htm
This one looks ok.
Budget is sub $1000
Any ideas much appreciated.

Thanks.

I'd also consider a tablet with a keyboard (iOS or Android or Windows 8) but I'd look at desktop/laptop Windows first.

I recommend Windows 8 because it surpasses Windows 7 in most areas. But I consider the question of which version of Windows to use is largely predicated upon what you think will happen first: your parents' lose the capacity to cope with major changes versus later versions of Windows becoming much easier to use. If the first then get Windows 8 because they will better cope now. If the latter then get Windows 7 because it won't be so hard for them when they do have to upgrade again.

martyyn

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#834174 11-Jun-2013 13:43

Why not just replace the desktop ?

I've done this a couple for relatives and have just gone with an ex-lease Dell (plenty of C2D's and some with W7 if you're lucky) for $100. Add a 19" Samsung widescreen lcd for $80, a wireless keyboard for $30 and a webcam for $30 and your done.

Some friends recently bought an i5 with 500GB drive and 6GB ram for their old man who just uses it for Stuff and Trademe and thats it. He doesn't like it at all. The screen is ok, but the keyboard is too small and its too heavy.

kraljica

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#836635 14-Jun-2013 01:52

highspeedsteel: As a comparison I just got my father (in his 60's) a Laptop to use. He is used to an XP desktop and the laptop had Win8 which worried me, but he actually finds it easier. Hi main use would be Tradme and general web surfing. (He's a farmer so is always looking at weather information). I think a tablet would have been better for him, but the laptop was less then $600 and means that if my mum starts using it for photos like I suspect it will have room for the 50+gb of photos of grandkids etc. Laptop was one of these on special a couple of weeks back.

Main point is he found Windows 8 fairly self explanatory which surprised me, but was great.

+1 for ASUS laptop and Windows 8, a great laptop brand + a Intuitive, Visual OS

I think Win 8 suit old people :)

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