Free Computer & Internet Access for Children aged 7-14 of Low Income Families

InDebted2U_2

andyfrank wrote: »

just plug it in and use it , only time i unplug ours is if i change rooms
it charges why your using it

If you keep it plugged in all the time the battery will eventually die and then you will only be able to use it plugged into the mains. I know from experience! I eventually bought a replacement battery for mine and it came with lots of useful advice about how to maximise battery life, something the laptop didn't originally come with.

These laptops now have a good 3+ hours life in the battery so remember it's a 'laptop' and you don't have to be tied to a desk/electrical outlet. Unplug it while you're using it and only plug it in when the battery gets low (it will tell you when that is). It's a good idea to fully drain the battery every now and then (leave it on until the battery is fully run down) then fully recharge it. This will maximise your battery life and ensure you can use your laptop as intended for years to come.

karend1980

Can you track Positive IT orders online?

mrspatch

InDebted2U wrote: »

If you keep it plugged in all the time the battery will eventually die and then you will only be able to use it plugged into the mains. I know from experience! I eventually bought a replacement battery for mine and it came with lots of useful advice about how to maximise battery life, something the laptop didn't originally come with.

These laptops now have a good 3+ hours life in the battery so remember it's a 'laptop' and you don't have to be tied to a desk/electrical outlet. Unplug it while you're using it and only plug it in when the battery gets low (it will tell you when that is). It's a good idea to fully drain the battery every now and then (leave it on until the battery is fully run down) then fully recharge it. This will maximise your battery life and ensure you can use your laptop as intended for years to come.

Can you take the battery out - and just keep it plugged into the mains? (No laughing, if I am saying something daft )

bubbleyboo

mrspatch wrote: »

Can you take the battery out - and just keep it plugged into the mains? (No laughing, if I am saying something daft )

i know what ya mean.... i can with my little netbook. (eee pc 701) it just slips off the back but i dont think you can with a laptop x

kickintheteeth

andyfrank wrote: »

at first i thought it wasnt a very good deal , however the same laptop in argos samsung r519 with a 2gb is £350 , then a 3 mobile broadband dongle is £80 for 12gig , i belive the one we are supplied with has at least 24gig as it says on box that there is a 3gb limit permonth so if im right its preloaded with 36gig ??? i may be wrong as not managed to use it as yet so thats worth £180 , then they give you a laptop bag and mouse plus you get free delivery so when you add it all up its about right , plus personally im not moaning as it was free ,

yeah, i suppose your right. but i saw a really nice one in comet for £529 4G samsung, i don't need the bag as there is no chance in hell i'm letting the kids take it anywhere with them, if you buy a pc you can get a package of - a printer - usb stick - laptop bag and mouse for £45.

i would have liked to spend the whole allowence on a top of the range laptop, that will stand the test of time until my youngest does his exams.
and i would have paid out of my own pocket for a landline broadband, so you can download as much as you need.
not sure how much 36G is.

kickintheteeth

suziq wrote: »

i was told by positive it not to expect delivery until friday,and never got an email to say it was being despatched. So very surprised and pleased that it arrived this morning! Looks a lovely machine,my son is just going to explode when he gets home! I haven't sorted out the dongle yet-probably get him to look at that as i am hopeless with technology. It's been a bit of a long haul for me, as i first applied beg of february and because the free school meal database had my son's name mis-spelt i had to provide extra documentation from the school. Once i sd'd that ,i phoned a week later to be told we had been successful. 2 days later the letter arrived and then another week for the card and pin. Well worth all the chasing i did though.
I'm not sure why there is so much back-biting on here about people taking this even if they already have a pc/ internet in their house. If that was the rule then it would have been part of the exclusion process.my internet often goes off if i can't afford to use it-i sometimes go without for weeks at a time, which is fine-i foten go to the local library in the day,but my son can't do that to do his homework in the evening, plus most of his work is emailed to him now and he emails it back. That was particularly so during the bad weather,and when the school had to close following a flood. He was able to get on with work at home, as the internet was working. Now we have a back-up. When i spoke to the advisors as i was anxious about the time it was all taking, i was told over and again that there is enough money to give every family eligible a free pc-so no-one is stopping anyone else getting one according to the people administering this benefit. Maybe the money could have been used better elsewhere, but given the status quo i have no qualms in applying and accepting a laptop. I have a special needs child who doesn't share well, and the fights between the two of then over the pc available (an adapted one which my older child finds irritating to use) has been a pain. It's the first time in my life i have been eligible for anything like this,after working full time for 28 years and then part-time for 2, so i do not see myself as some sort of mooch. I wish i had the money etc to have 'principles', like some of you on here. I'm not going to turn down something my son is entitled to,that he will use for his work (he starts gcse's in september and is actually taking extra subjects compared to others in the school).if there is abuse,then that is the same as in every other benefit that is out there.

this is from the front of the home access form......

If you are a low-income family receiving certain benifits
and you would like to get online but are worried about the cost, then you could get a home access grant to pay for
--a computer -- 1 years internet--

it dosn't say, if you want a back up computer get one here!
And if your internet was dodgy then you could have got thee internet only package!
But i'm sure you didn't mention you already had a computer otherwise that is the package you would have recieved.

And the reason why people are getting angry is---
some people already have a laptop
some have 2 computers
lots are already connected to the internet
and some even have sky tv.

In my books thats hardly in need!!!!!!!!

T11PES

Hey all, I recently came across this: news.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=41861

It basically says that four new suppliers are due to be approved by 6 April 2010.

Does anyone think it is worth waiting for these new suppliers? Are they likely to offer different laptops from the ones currently on offer?

only_mee

It's only after the bank holiday, and tbh i can't see a delivery before (if ordered now) might pay to wait.
Although the other suppliers have the same "supplies"

mazzxx

Ok, i phoned up and the lady on the phone ased a few questions etc.
One of them was about free school meals. She asked if the children had been in reciept of free school meals for 3 months. At this point they had. When we recieved the letter, the free school meals had been stopped due to a mess up by jcp. When i read the eligibilty part of the pack, it says the child had to be in reciept of free school meals for 4 weeks? Im confused. Is it 3 months or 4 weeks? Also, i have 4 children of school age, 2 of which are in years 3-9, does this mean we are entitled to two, as some of the previous osts have stated this? Help, lol.. Thanks.. x

only_mee

Not 100% on the first one but the second one I know is 1 per household.