Jump to content

Advice needed! Laptop or netbook


KattyKit

Recommended Posts

Hi

I am not sure if this is the right place to ask this but...

I want to buy my elderly father a laptop or netbook for him to email, go on the internet and send photos to. Can anyone advise me as to if I should get a laptop or netbook? What is the difference?


Can anyone recommend one?


Many thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

that's not exactly true, my netbook with intel atom cpu and 2gb of ram memory is powerful enough for all typical tasks, i would rather say that main difference is display size - netbooks were designed as really mobile laptops (you cant really say that about 17in laptop), so they have display up to 10,1 in. And just because of that for elderly person I would recommend a full size laptop, and even not necessarily the newest one, it just depends on the planned usage, to use the internet you do not require intel i5 cpu and 4gb of ram, do you? just find balance between power and price.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you NowAndHere. I am afraid I don't understand much of that!! Not v good with computers. Are you saying a big lap top would be best? My dad will only be using it at home. All he will use it for is internet i.e booking train tickets and emailing. He would need quite a large screen and buttons.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Definitely get a laptop, less fiddly for your Dad to use than a netbook.

There probably isn't a single laptop on the market that won't perform the basics you require.

I don't think it would do you any harm to pop into somewhere like John Lewis that has a broad range of makes and sizes.

Tell them your requirements, they don't usually do the hard sell, and once you see something you like you can always try and get it cheaper online elsewhere if you're not happy with their price.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

> He would need quite a large screen and buttons.


I'm not elderly, but still always use a full-size keyboard and mouse plugged into my laptop when using it at home. I'd also plug in an external monitor if I wanted a screen bigger than the laptop's 15", or dual screens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I asked about getting a new laptop, on this site, several months ago, and had some fabulous advice. I now type to you from my very good new Toshiba Laptop. AND I was recommended a very good on line company to buy it from. I am not being paid nor do I benefit in any way by happily and freely recommending to you that you might consider buying a Toshiba laptop from http://uk.insight.com/en-gb/content/?src=go01&gclid=CO7Pj6HysasCFeUmtAodak3ldQ
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My question to KK:


Does it have to be a laptop?


You said your dad is elderly and only going to use it at home. Is there any concern that he may not want to carry the thing about? Is he frail? Any PC can enable the tasks you mention so you'd be better off spending not that much on the computer bit and perhaps spending a bit more on the quality and size of the screen to maximise the legibility and enjoyment of picture quality for your dad. If you shop about a bit you might even be able to get a fancy PC with touchscreen so making some interaction even easier and intuitive for him. Depending on your choice of construction the PC may be a whole lot easier to fix and upgrade than a laptop so will last longer.

Is he accident prone? I'd rather dry out a separate keyboard from a cocoa spill than be sending the whole thing off somewhere to be fixed. Besides you can always get a spare keyboard and be back up and running in moments.

If you're worried about support and fixing then it's worth considering what after sales service is available from your chosen retailer/manufacturer.

If you are worried about accident or theft then there's the insurance aspect. You may find that desktop PCs are cheaper to insure than laptops.


Is he an experienced computer user? If not then you might want to consider setting up the PC with a separate login for him that cannot do technical admin actions so he doesn't accidentally mess things up. (My dad has messed up several PCs left for him to email and browse with and his "technical minded" friends have all managed to make things worse trying to fix them [sigh])


Happy to answer any q's you have if you want to ask.


Good luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • Plenty for sale online from various ticket vendors but you'll need to part with £250 and upwards by the looks of it. Out of interest i kept an eye on the prices for the England and Italy Euro final. At one point they were on offer for a couple of grand each. On the day sellers were obviously getting itchy feet and prices dropped somewhat but never went any lower than £400. That was a few hours before kick off. There was plenty still available half an hour before kick off.   Having been to Wembley a couple of times for play off finals i found it to be not a great place to watch football. Sat three rows back from the pitch side advertising hoardings for one game and way way up in the gods for the other. We felt to far away from the pitch on both occasions. Up in the goods was just stupid because we felt cut off as well.  I don't think it was rebuilt with acoustics in mind either. Even with most of our 25k fans singing it never sounded loud because it's pretty much uncovered and too open.   Happy hunting!
    • It doesn't work as a commercial venture.  Bit churlish to say I told you so.  I told you so.  I'll send less greetings cards.  What pees me off is international postage where you can no longer send light letters at 10 grammes, normal ones up to 20g, now all at the much more expensive 100 g  Didn't we vote to take back control and price everything according to irrational units like ounces? That's some obscure humour btw   
    • Available from Monday April 8th 2024, 2on2Walkies take pride in doggie care and only walk 2 furry friends at a time. I make sure that they get plenty of doggie interaction and socialisation in the park as well as making friends. Back home happy and tired I always check that the water bowl has fresh water and always make sure the doggie is left comfortable before I leave. I'm fully insured and have a couple of slots available for local walks to either Peckham Rye Park or Dulwich Park.  Thank you!  
    • Why would they only send them recorded delivery? I used the signed for option yesterday.
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...