PC for 80 year old uncle!

hellykitkat

Hi I am looking for some general advice please.

My 80 year old uncle wants to "go on the internet". He wants to be able to look up things and listen to you tube etc. He does not need word processing etc.

He has never used a computer before in his life!

Where do I start? I am thinking a laptop is over the top for his needs. Whilst I am comfortable with laptops, I have no idea about I-pads and net books.

Does anyone have a recommendation of the best tool to use for just surfing the internet (not a phone) and not too hi-tech to start with. Obviously budget will be important aswell.

I will go to a local store to ask, but always concerned they are more interested in selling than what is best, so any advice or pointers are much appreciated.

Thanks for your help - the next challenge will be teaching him how to use whatever we decides, as he will not go to classes :-)
Helen

bluesnake

hellykitkat wrote: »

My 80 year old uncle wants to "go on the internet". He wants to be able to look up things and listen to you tube etc. He does not need word processing etc.

I would have thought Tablet, rather than pc/laptop. Easier to use, less to go wrong.

tyllwyd

I would agree that a tablet (ie the same idea as an ipad but not made by Apple) would probably be the best idea. I wouldn't go for a small 7" one, he would probably find it too fiddly to use. Before you buy anything though, take him along to somewhere he can have a go using it.

A netbook is basically a smaller cheaper version of a laptop - they are lighter than laptops, but if you are going down that option he'd probably be better off with the bigger screen on a laptop.

Valli

My daughter has a Kindle Fire which she uses for lots of things (except reading!)

my only caveat would be his vision and how nimble his fingers are.

We have a Tesco Extra nearby; they have tablets on display, set up and working - could be useful if you have one near you! No sales people pushing them, either!

Mojisola

Would either of these be any good for him -
https://www.getonlineathome.org/

jamesa007

So my 87 year old grandad asked the same thing probably 10 years ago and we got him a laptop... Hardly got used.

Recently bought him an iPad and it's changed everything! He skypes, emails, facetimes, plays games, reads the paper and it's all very easy to do.

Forget a pc or laptop - iPad is the way to go!

NiftyDigits

Mojisola wrote: »

Would either of these be any good for him -
https://www.getonlineathome.org/

Don't even think about it! It's just old and outdated equipment.

Get him a proper laptop with a full warranty if you are going to spend as much as that.

You just missed this one

shop-to-drop

Yep Ipad would be best my Mum had hers when she about 80 she loves it. Uses it for facetime with the family, reads the papers. Enjoys seeing old haunts on street view, google earth etc.

NiftyDigits

if you are thinking about a Tablet, then you might also think about a Netbook: [URL="Vhttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MSI-WIND-U180-10-INCH-NETBOOK-BLACK-/360594602214"]MSI Wind U180[/URL] £113.94

But I think the screen on a Tablet or Netbook will be too small.

NiftyDigits

shop-to-drop wrote: »

Yep Ipad would be best my Mum had hers when she about 80 she loves it. Uses it for facetime with the family, reads the papers. Enjoys seeing old haunts on street view, google earth etc.

What nonsense... Utter waste of money when you can do the same with something at a third of the price.
My mum does all that plus watches a lot of old programs on YouTube, plays Flash games, uses Office(writing with a proper keyboard).... on a normal laptop with obviously a much bigger screen.
iPad is fine if portability is needed, but an utter waste of time and money in this case.

yangptangkipperbang

Don't get a tablet, the screens are too small. Just buy the cheapest desktop you can find with a decent sized monitor to go with it.