Buying a laptop for parents

salboy

Humphrey10 wrote: »

Just fix the wires to the wall with cable clips. The modem and router can also be fixed to the wall.

A data tariff is a data tariff, it will be same whatever device you put the sim in.

Trust me, I have considered Wifi and it is not a viable option for them. I lived with them till until three years ago so I know what I'm talking about.

You're right about the 3G but what I understand about the service there is that there are localised Internet providers who give out the dongle Internet which for some reason is much better than the micro-SIMs given by mobile phone networks. I used it myself when I visited and it was quite good. Better than the mobile broadband I've used here (albeit with T-mobile)

salboy

Going back to my original question though, any suggestions for a good laptop?

GunJack

if they live in Pakistan, would you not be better buying locally, to ensure warranty/repair/returns issues are available to them in your absence ??

dell/toshiba 17" available around £430 in PCW (not that I'm suggesting buying from there, but to give you an idea)

AliceJenkins

Avoid Toshiba and Acer at all costs.

TakeThis

Here is a good starting point: Toshiba Satellite C670-10P £288.24
17.3” screen .
1600 x 900 pixels

Specs here Refresh page if necessary.

Have Toshiba and ACER laptops here in excess of two and three years old. Trouble free thus far.

netdumdum

Good luck, my old grandad still prints copies out of all his emails and files them, he had a funny one come through and asked if I wanted a copy, I said yeah just forward it to me, he said its easier to print me off a copy, no wonder he is spending a fortune in ink!!!

NeverAgain_2

Clumsy servants, poor eyesight, lack of computer literacy, rubbish wi-fi, and regular power cuts all make for a challenging environment.

It's way over budget, but the best answer I can think of is a MacBook Air or Pro.

Decent battery life, sturdy aluminium case, and the Apple operating system is 100 times easier to use for a novice than poxy Windows.

TakeThis

NeverAgain wrote: »

Clumsy servants, poor eyesight, lack of computer literacy, rubbish wi-fi, and regular power cuts all make for a challenging environment.

It's way over budget, but the best answer I can think of is a MacBook Air or Pro.

Decent battery life, sturdy aluminium case, and the Apple operating system is 100 times easier to use for a novice than poxy Windows.

Doesn't say much when that's your best answer. Just makes you look like a dodgy salesman.
A bit silly really, when you consider how much it will cost to purchase a MacBook with a 17" screen. £2000?
Seems more like you are trying to get your answer to fit the question.

kabayiri

My family got my dad an iPad and a mifi thing. He is in his 70s and pretty new to computers.

It won't be plain sailing, but I can't think of anything much easier.

Having said that, my new kitchen TV is a so-called smart TV and even those can do skype now. Have you considered one of those?

duchy

I get to speak to a lot of people like your parents as I work in broadband support.

I'd suggest you consider how good the technical support is for whoever is providing the internet connection as some of the 3G providers are fully off-shore and not so user friendly -which I think is an important consideration for silver surfers with little technical confidence.

Same with the laptop-One that includes an in home warrenty rather than them having to package up the thing and send it away if there are problems is better.

With that in mind I'd suggest looking at Dell-something like an inspiron is straightforward and comes with built in web-cam. Support is really good on the whole and their tech agents will access remotely to troubleshoot-a godsend when the customer thinks the PC is "broken" and it turns out to be "user error". Dell *may* be able to sell you a Pakistan warrenty too as they are pretty much global.

A Mac seems like a sledgehammer to crack a nut as any basic PC will do all the things they want (surfing, photos, webcam, email). Macs are great but you'd be paying for features they likely wouldn't use.