Laptop for word processing only

bestpud

bookduck - he would not be able to live his life without support but can read and write - I don't want to say more than that.

SOlitaire - I have the original Asus Eee and it will be too small for him to read from the screen and he would struggle with the small keyboard too (he has quite chunky fingers).

He is used to Windows and also, the other people who support him need to be able to help out if need be. I can say for a certainty that two of them, at least, would not know where to start with anything but Windows. Mainly though, he'd prefer to stick with what he knows, although I am sure he would get used to Open Office if it meant saving money.

The student version of office is a good idea as well though.

Thanks for all the replies - you have confirmed what I thought - there is no real value in him spending loads. :beer:

Idiophreak

bestpud wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies - you have confirmed what I thought - there is no real value in him spending loads. :beer:

Yeah, that's the bottom line here...there's plenty of good advice about how to get the best value above, but in answer to your OP - pretty much any lappy you buy from a store £280-£300 will do the trick. They'll be a fair bit better than he needs, probably, but short of going second hand etc it'll be hard to find anything much less powerful.

esuhl

bestpud wrote: »

I am sure he would get used to Open Office if it meant saving money.

Writer (the OpenOffice word processor) is designed to be almost identical to MS Word, and you can open/save Word files in OO, so I'm sure it won't be a problem.

totalsolutions

>I am researching laptops for someone

ok what about freecycle, pick up something suitable?
or the real typewriter with a carriage, paper and bell?

bookduck

Why a laptop and not a desktop, as the desktop is usually more robust and bigger keys, or is space at such a premium?

Thought about using Deep Freeze? It may make your life easier.

bestpud

bookduck wrote: »

Why a laptop and not a desktop, as the desktop is usually more robust and bigger keys, or is space at such a premium?

Thought about using Deep Freeze? It may make your life easier.

He will store it in his room but use it elsewhere in the house as there is nowhere to permanently set it up in the communal areas, or his bedroom.

He has used a normal sized laptop many times (one of the other carers takes her in from time to time), with no problems - I think he uses a desktop at 'work' though (he helps write a community newsletter).

I'm going to find a few new (sub £300) Windows laptops for him to have a look at, and take it from there.

He is very capable of making a decision for himself but will get confused if I start talking about different OS.

He is not struggling to find the money tbh but he obviously doesn't want to pay more than he has to. He was very happy with the initial estimate of £400 given by another carer - that is for the laptop and a printer. If he can get one which suits his needs for nearer £300 he will be very pleased.

Thanks again all. :beer:

Simon99

You'll probably find the cheapest laptop would be fine. Though the screen size/resolution might be the thing to check - while the cheapest may be powerful enough, it may not have a big enough screen.

ingresman

If he does find the keyboard a pain, just get an external one. Bet you can get a keyboard and mouse for £10-15 if you look around

chunter

NEW Dell Vostro 1000 laptop
http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=uk&cs=ukbsd1&l=en&oc=N0610001&s=bsd&sbc=rf_spider&m_30=139043&dgc=AF&cid=5213&lid=122757
£258 delivered

Vostro 1000
15.4" Display
£258 AMD Sempron Mobile Technology 3600+
1024MB RAM
80GB HDD
8x DVD/24x CDRW Combo Drive
Windows Vista Home Basic
1yr warranty

Stick on OpenOffice it should bop along slowly, but at least you have the warranty.