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So my Gran has asked for some advice on a laptop to stay in touch with my brother in Australia, send a few emails to her babershop quartet and to view photos we take when we're out and about.
I figured that a cheap laptop was a bad idea since it'll be heavy, have more than two buttons (they struggle with the TV to be honest) and they're often unreliable. So I've come to the conclusion that an iPad might be the best way to go.
Trouble is they don't have an internet connection and i'd like to try and avoid them being ripped off.
Does anybody have any advice if I should go via the 3g route or if there's a cheapish broadband supplier package they'd benefit from. I don't really want to change their current phone provider if that's possible.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Good plan. My father-in-law (in his mid 60s) was persuaded to buy an iPad after effectively killing his laptop for the umpteenth time.
For broadband you could try plus.net - they are £13 a month.
I wouldn't recommend 3G, as you need a decent connection speed for video calls and the like, which seems to be what oldies like doing 😀
£100 ontop of the non 3g model, plus the tariff for the 3G version put me off it when I bought my ipad.
Couple of options to investigate are Mifi devices, 3G via there 'smart' mobile (though I assume they don't have one), but I think even a cheap Broadband deal maybe be cheaper over all* & more reliable if they are only going to use it at home (assuming they have a house phone already).
* 3G data isn't cheap, or no more so than a cheap BB deal
Yeah don't go 3G for a home-based iPad, costly to run + crap bandwidth (especially so in a lot of residential areas)
I'm going to start creating boilerplate templates like call centres have.
Go to www.samknows.com, enter their details into the availability checker, choose a non-crap LLU provider.
I've just bought an iPad for my 80+ parents and they've got a deal with BT which is something like £11 on top of line rental including free UK telephone calls. I just have to go and plug the BT box in for them now.
My mother in law was 'scared' of using a lap top and we have just bought her an i pad. She is now up and running, sending the council e mails about over-hanging trees on [i]her[/i] road and all those other things that concern her. We decided the best way was to fix her up with a wireless broadband network at home through her telephone provider as it's pretty much fit and forget. I don't think the council agree that it was the best idea in the world though.
I don't think the council agree that it was the best idea in the world though.
😀 Good on her! Show her http://www.fixmystreet.com/ (I believe there is an iPad app too!)
Cheers for the response, I expect that once they get into Skype they'll be doing a lot of that so you're right when you say 3g is a bad idea.
Thanks for the link Cougar, i'll have a look.
For those that mentioned that they've bought an iPad for just this kind of thing, how do you find they get on with it? I was going to get the 16gb wifi iPad 2, I don't think they'll be needing the hi-res display on the 3.
how do you find they get on with it?
Generally very well - though he has [s]pestered[/s] used the Genius Bar at the Apple shop several times, which is actually good because A) it's free and B) it's not me! 😀
Would totally agree about going for a 2 over a 3, the hi-res is nice but in no way essential. Check out the apple refurb deals on Ipad 2's for a extra discount (there was a link the other day to 'watch/find' refurb deals, will have a look round for it).
good for that. my mate, and his sister, organised for their folks to get a laptop (old cast-off). Mate in Glasgow, sister in California - folks and me in Elgin - result I used to be the tech. support port of call 🙁
all seems to have died off now though, thankfully!
can't see my mum getting an iPad to be honest though, 85+ and never tech. savvy would I think finish her off..
kcal you'd be surprised I think, it's the only device I'd happily hand over and not expect to spend 10hrs+ a day on the phone trying to support them, or going over and finding it covered in cobwebs.
This whole "they just work" thing is very true, no matter how much the haters froth at the mouth .
kcal you'd be surprised I think
+1 on that. My mum seems to just about cope with hers and my two year old has a fairly good handle on how to work my iPhone and iPad (mainly for Peppa Pig 🙂 )
http://www.refurb.me/uk/ sign up for the emails and get in there quick when they come through (apparently).. nod to Bruneep for this BTW