<p>My mother is turning 80, but don’t tell anyone!! Her laptop should have been replaced a couple of years ago, she just never got around to it. Now the screen is dying and the time has come to replace it.</p>
<p>Below are her wants and needs:
*nothing smaller than 15.0"-15.6" screen
*lightweight would be nice
*does almost everything through AOL, although I am really trying to change that; I hate<br>
AOL!
*not very computer literate, but is learning and capable of doing what she needs to do.
*spends most of her computer time with email, shopping and most importantly, plays<br>
games.
She has some bridge and mahjong games on CD that were for Win 98/ XP and I am not
sure how well they will run on Windows 7, if at all. She is attached to her games, but has
looked online at games to download. Some of the games are through Microsoft and some
from AOL.
Need a computer that can handle the graphic of her games.
*Does not want a Mac due to price and availability of games that she likes. He brother
gave her an iPad that she is returning as she does not like it at all. He wants her to apply
the price of the iPad to a Mac, but again, to get a 15" Mac is more money than she wants
to spend. She has played with my 13" Macbook, and just doesn’t love it.
*A big issue, and I might not say this right, is she enlarges her screen so much that you
can not see everything on the screen. Her fonts are huge and her games are distorted.
For some reason on the Windows 7 computers we have tried, we can’t get AOL to<br>
enlarge like she wants; she is having trouble seeing her email. Because I have a Mac, I
am having trouble understanding why it doesn’t work the way she wants.
I have tried to tell her not to enlarge the screen, and the computer will tell her that the
resolution is too big, but she insist she needs it. Not really sure why as she doesn’t even
wear ready glasses.
*Price- now that she will have the extra money from the iPad return can be up to $1000,
although cheaper would be great.
*Brand-We have looked at HP and Dell, but maybe another brand would work since she
can go up in price now.
*The goal was to buy at Costco as she would have 90 days for return if she didn’t like it,
but that would not be a deal breaker if we found it elsewhere. That said, if Costco has
what we want, that is where we will buy it.</p>
<p>Suggestions for brands, specific laptops or features we want to make sure the laptop has would be appreciated. While I am somewhat knowledgeable with the basic features-memory and HD, I don’t know what she needs as far as GHz or processor. I can’t imagine her games are draining like the kids that online game, but want to make sure the computer will be fast enough for her.</p>
<p>Snowball, I might suggest something like this… It’s a Toshiba… My grandmom has one and loves it… also I am on my 2nd one in 8 years (upgraded for new technology, not because the old one stopped working… it still runs like a champ), my mom has had one, and my sister used to have one (before going Mac)… None of us have ever had any issues with them.</p>
<p>I personally tend to stay away from Dell laptops as I have had many friends have issues with them over the years… My mom currently has a Compaq which is made by HP and she doesn’t like it at all.</p>
<p>I also wouldn’t suggest changing the resolution on the computer because like you said, it changes the size of everything. If you get her to use a real browser instead of AOL, she can change font size for things in browser, rather then changing the entire size of everything on her computer… that way it won’t affect her games. If that makes sense. Or, she can use zoom that is built into IE. Also, does she use a mouse with her laptop? If so, they make mouses with a zoom feature. I have a zoom button on my mouse. If i click and drag over what I want to zoom in on, it makes it bigger.</p>
<p>fendergirl-Using a real browser, what a novel idea!! Seriously, I have tried until I am blue in the face. She and my dad have always had AOL and they hardly ever use IE; I did get her to read her mail on IE, but that is about it as it was very small in AOL. They both have all their favorites saved within AOL and are not willing to move things over to another browser. They also use many of the AOL specific programs, and are creatures of habit!!</p>
<p>She does not use a mouse, just the trackpad. I did not know there was a mouse that has zoom on it. Don’t think she would use that, as again, creature of habit!</p>
<p>Isn’t the cheapest Macbook about $1000? I know it’s at the top of her price range…but…</p>
<p>We just bought DD a new Dell Inspiron. Got it at Best Buy. It was just under $400, is light weight, has a 15inch screen, and works very nicely. The other nice thing is that the keyboard is almost full size…which is good. I can highly recommend it…but I don’t know the model number. The outside is blue.</p>
<p>If your mom likes and uses AOL, I would let her continue to do that…she is the one using it, and she is the one who has to like it. Changing could prove more difficult than finding a new computer. My guess is there are updated versions of ALL ofher games that will run on Windows 7. Maybe they can go in her Christmas Stocking!!</p>
<p>Yes, the white Macbook is $1000; but it is the 13" and she says mine is too small. That was my choice for her as when she calls me with questions, I have a better chance of being able to help!</p>
<p>Her card games by Hoyle have a newer version, but her other games do not. I am sure we can find a bridge and mahjong that she could come to like, just not the same one she is currently playing. I looked online for Mac compatible games, but other than the Hoyle, nothing was really available.</p>
<p>I have a VAIO lap top with an extra wide board with a key pad next to the alpha keys. I got it for the extra wide screen. Fairly light, compared to my old dell laptop. I am in 50’s and I have to enlarge type all the time. It works well on my screens. I can use it to do reading on kindle on the lap top. Only draw back is the computer gets hot if you have in on your real lap, so I use a box that came from amazon under my lap top.</p>
<p>I totally understand your mom’s thing about AOL and her favorites. I have an aol email address (and gmail) which is my primary email. It’s free and personally I like how it works. </p>
<p>I have favorites on IE too, but really, I do like aol better for that purpose. </p>
<p>I know lots of folks have issues with AOL, but really if that is what makes computer use for your mom work, let her use it!!</p>
<p>The 15 inch Macbook is $1200…any chance the difference could be her Christmas present? If not, really I would suggest the Dell from Best Buy.</p>
<p>snowball, This is the wireless version of my mouse if you ever had any interest in one. It scrolls up, down, left and right and has a magnifying button. I bought it for my dad too (his vision on the computer isn’t the greatest and he’s constantly making things larger) and he loves the zoom magnifier.</p>
<p>I’d suggest going to a desktop. My mother, who is in her 80s, used to use the computer when they had a desktop, but finds the laptop almost impossible. The screen and keyboard are too small. The touch pad thing creates erratic leaps when brushed accidentally. Unless your mother actually needs to take it with her to other locations, a regular keyboard and large screen would probably work best for her.</p>
<p>consolation, that’s a good idea too if she has a spot for it. I know my grandmom loves her laptop because she doesn’t have room in her house for a stationary desk… so she has a lap desk that she puts it on. This is a desktop my parents bought recently…the screen is huge and the picture is amazing.</p>
<p>OK…DH is home…our DD got a Dell Inspiron I4 1440. He says it’s online now for $499 at Dell. But check Best Buy because their prices might actually be better. That is where we got ours.</p>
<p>Reading this thread with interest. My mom is not computer literate and has never owned one but is thinking about getting one. I am going to have her check out our iPad on her next visit. Snowball do you know why your mom did not like the ipad?</p>
<p>Definitely make sure you see whatever you are buying live. My laptop screen has a much higher resolution than my previous one, and we replaced my husbands desktop monitor with a high res one. Both were purchased online. A lot of things are much smaller than on our previous computers. I didn’t realize that would be the effect of the higher res. I have managed to tweak text and stuff to where it is easy to read, though I am constantly having to adjust for different web sites, but my husbands card games that he likes to play a lot are way smaller than he likes. Something I would definitely check out by looking at the screens in person before purchasing in future. Our old eyes don’t like the teeny stuff so much.</p>
<p>A desktop is not an option as my mother like to “play” on the computer while lounging on the sofa. She puts the laptop in her lap on one of those bean bag type lap pads. My dad has a desktop in his office which my mother has no idea how to use, and my father can barely work the laptop!! It is almost comical to hear them argue about the “right” way to operate their own computers.</p>
<p>I really don’t know why she didn’t like the iPad as she couldn’t have spent more than 5 minutes with my uncles. I do think the screen size is not as large as she would like and her games are not available for Mac. She sees no reason to have an iPad and a laptop and she wants a laptop again.</p>
<p>I think I may just take her to Best Buys or a local computer store and see what we can find that will do what she wants. I was really hoping to buy at Costco for the return policy and additional warranty, but we can live with else where for the purchase if necessary.</p>