ADSL 4 OAPs

Hi.

Im thinking its about time to get my parents online. At 64 and 69 years old, with no computer literacy at all, Any thoughts on a broadband provider?
Heres what Im looing at....
Their usage would be sending a few emails, webcam to see grandchildren in Oz, online banking, viewing a few financial websites and cheap holiday sites, thats about it. Maybe playing online chess or bridge!
Since they dont have a pc I thought AOL s free laptop offer for �20/m 18month contract was the perfect offer. However reading a few reviews they confirm that this offer is too good to be true. Though do you think it would be good enough for the limited use my folks would use it for? Although I would need something reliable as if the connection is dropped or cant connect my parents arnt knowledgable enough to know something has gone wrong.
My second thought is to buy a cheap laptop and get O2 at �12.50 12month contract. Reviews seam quite good. Orange would also be ok at �10/m but Im not keen on the 18month tie in.
Basically Im looking for a cheap package with reliability. Whilst I want to keep the costs to a mimimum I had considered BT inorder to get them a BTvision box but concerned what happens to BTvision at the end of contract if I change providers.

Any ideas welcomed.
cheers

Have a look at IDNET. You could always phone them on their free number and discuss your requirements. They are ever helpful.

www.idnet.co.uk

How important is the free laptop?

Utility Warehouse are also doing a "free" laptop (fujitsu) offer at the moment. (The free bit equates to an extra �10 a month for 24 months = �240 for a lap-top and wireless router). The additional requirement is to have one of your energy services with them as well.

It costs �37.99 a month for adsl - 24 month contract - includes line rental and free calls evenings and weekends. Add one additional service and you get 24/7 calls. Comes with a 40gb limit and wireless router. They even have a UK-based call centre..

Have a look and see what you think.

http://www.utilitywarehouse.co.uk/store/broadcall.taf

Apologies to all if this level of blatent advertising is not permitted, it is just hard to communicate what UW provide as they offer a broader range of services than just telecoms and are currently not listed on the forum.

This is a personal view, but if it were my parents I'd buy them the best current offer of a basic PC from Dell and sign them up to Newnet.

The laptop is not free if you are paying for i and to be honest I would be a bit worried with a Fujitsu Siemens, seen one of them that have been back to comet 3 times for repair and I hav heard that the budget machines are not that good.

Probably be better of with a desktop for an OAP. It's that bit more physical with a separate mouse instead of a trackpad. Look at Dell Outlet for cheap ones.

I know an OAP who went for Orange broadband deal at Currys, �14.99pm for 18 months with �300 towards a laptop and they are very happy.

Oh make sure to check out your local library for computer training, essential for a newcomer. The folks there will be able to explain terms and how to do things on the computer better than the average person.

Having had a look around, there are loads of laptops around �300 that would be suitable so, yep, its not worth going with aol just for a laptop thats going to cost around �250 over the two year contract. Think I will go with O2 and buy a cheap laptop.
cheers

thanks. will look into the currys deal.
was going with a laptop as folks dont want the bulk of a desktop, plus with wireless there would be more freedom with laptop. though desktop would be cheaper

Hi Adrian

I agree that you pay for "free" laptops - that was why I showed the numbers - it makes the decision easier. .

The laptop is an Esprimo V5535, which seems to get reasonable reviews and does come with a "lifetime" warranty - the best price I can find on line is about �300 for the spec.

Yeah, wouldn't say a laptop is cheaper just look at Dell outlet you have one for �250.
http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/default.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=dfo

Another option is to recommend a Asus EeePC which is VERY easy to use. No start menu or that just nice big buttons with internet, chat etc. One thing, it runs Linux. Cant remember the distro off the top of my head, its one designed to be similar to Windows anyway. You can get a EeePC very cheap <�200 with a solid state hard drive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASUS_Eee_PC
Can get them at MicroDirect, eBuyer, Dabs etc etc

I quite like the thought of one of those myself, but with only a 7" screen I'd want to know a bit more about the OP's parents' eyesight before recommending it

Yeah it's a thought, the text size seems about average. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Asus_Eee_proportions.png
The only difference between the EeePC and windows, is that in Windows you can change the DPI of the text. Not sure how to do it in Linux.

Really text size is always the same no matter which size of screen your using, it only changes if you don't run the screen in its native resolution. e.g. I upgraded from a 17" TFT @ 1280x1024 to a 22" LCD @ 1680x1050 and the text size hasn't really changed much. Infact it's not reall that different from my laptop which is a 15.4" at 1280x800 (I think thats the res).

I wish you hadn't posted the link to that picture, my credit card is itching

OP

Get them basic sky and get the broadband included. Plenty of doccos etc. The best present that you could give them is help to follow what interests them. By a desktop and explain about things. Just because they are not young anymore does not mean that they are not open to new things.

Your's isn't the only one! The black is just oooooooh! Microdirect had it in stock just on Friday.

Got a 2 hour commute coming up shortly so will be getting one of these. Apparently they are the size of a hardback book, the SSD and good battery life will be great on a train. I hear it whispering Paul buy me! They also have a 2 year warranty... unusual.

Edited by deleted (Sun 17-Feb-08 19:16:35)

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At 64 and 69 years old, with no computer literacy at all....Their usage would be ....online banking

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Given their pc knowledge perhaps it would be safer leaving online banking off the list

I manage quite well.

Hi, my thoughts on this interesting thread...

ISP � Tiscali broadband & phone with free line rental and free calls at weekends and includes free wireless router and they have the best web portal out there, which would be great for newbies.

http://www.tiscali.co.uk/products/talk/?code=ZZ-NL-11XY&srccode=COD_590

Computer � Clone Mini Tower Desktop with a 17� flat panel screen (with black bezel around screen) and two button Microsoft wheel Optical mouse.
I think a laptop is much too fiddly, we only need a laptop for mobility get them a desktop for ease of use.

Get one from Tesco, Computer World, Dixons, Currys.

At first, keep it all-simple no webcam add this later as a present. They could have an Epson inkjet printer it would be useful. (Epson printers have 5 or 6 separate ink tank cartridges).

Locate a telephone on the desk with the computer.

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ISP � Tiscali broadband

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The OP said:

Im looking for a cheap package with reliability.

Spot the deliberate mistake

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I manage quite well.

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from greyposter

So do I. Those of us fortunate to have started life during the war years are not without exposure to technology (radio, radar, decryption, television, sound and video recording techniques and, most importantly, perseverence and working out how it works).

Trevor

Much talk in this thread about laptops. Did you people all start with one?

Trevor

Looks like he has an agenda Bill. As well as the Tiscali, he says They could have an Epson inkjet printer it would be useful. (Epson printers have 5 or 6 separate ink tank cartridges) Yeh! Yeh! And tiny tiny apertures for the ink that clog up if you don't use it all the time. Hideous drivers and photo software, and minutes to be ready for use after you switch on. Unless you have to clean the inks, or replace them.

Canon or HP are far better. I prefer HP just because I have always had them, apart from the Epson that I literally took to the tip when it finally decided to jam completely after 4 months and the estimate was �60 to look at it! As I'm well over 60 myself it wasn't worth the hassle of trying for warranty as I didn't want a replacement Epson. Epson themselves didn't want to know, they just said take it to their local repair centre - who quoted the �60.

I started with an English Electric Leo III. Didn't own it, just a programmer!

Remember Hal in 2001 A Space Odyssey? Well he was a Leo III. The talking was a spoof, the best you could actually get was single-note tunes.

Yes my first inkjet was an Epson and a nasty POS it was too. Nozzles kept clogging up, and when printing a web page, if it had any graphics on it, the drivers appeared to treat it all as a graphic so I'd quite often get the top half of a line of text on one page and the bottom half of the same line on the next. That got binned and I went for a HP Deskjet which 4 years on still prints as good as the day I got it.

Regards,
Steve

i have an epson r200, had it for maybe 3 years with no problems, i always buy fake inks at about �1/each, never jams, drivers are ok, paper feed works, only gripe i have is the cd drawer (prints onto cds) needs a gentle push to feed, and it is a bit slow to start, and noisy...

Yes my old Epson made a racket as well now that you mention it. My dilemma is now that the Mrs wants an A3 printer for her photography and the Epsons seem to get by far the best reviews, but my previous experience with the brand is very off-puting.

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I started with an English Electric Leo III. Didn't own it, just a programmer!

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With input from a card reader you would spend more time getting the reader going than inputting code!

Ours had a paper tape reader, no cards. Seemed fine.

I was amazed the first time I saw that running, seeing the tape spewing out at a ludicrous speed whilst going through an extremely large and complex, and brilliantly cleverly-written, data-vet program.

We have some Medions at work in Sainsburys, they look ok for the price, I think they are a bit more than �300. But you are correct, you can get some nice budget machines for �300, not worth getting tied up to a long contract just to get a laptop.

Better than their Amilo ones then, because they are awful

Just to add my 2p-worth - I am 66, my first computer was 23 years ago, an Acorn Electron (little brother to the BBC).

I would never advise a laptop for people my age and older, they are too fiddly. I had to use one at work occasionally and hated them. Arthritic fingers need space!