Mom needs computer

[Rob454]

Ok my mom wants to look for a house so she said she wants a computer. She is fairly clueless abotu how computers work. I was thinking of a Ipad cause they seem really simple to use.
I dont know if she needs a basic one or the super duper one. its mostly for surfing the net looking for houses and getting a email account.
I think a lap top woudl confuse her. I used my buddys ipad and it seems pretty simple. I guess the new ones are only 500$ BNIB
Or how about one of those mini computers

[ejhc11]

Maybe this could work. It's what I'm using right now from an international post.

iPad 64GB 3G 1st gen, from AT&T for $529. Go to ATT.com and do a search for iPad.

[ironcross]

Best thing is to take her to best buy and let her tryout some.

Ask her what operating systems she has used the most.

My mother is not computer literate but she can use XP for basic use.

Just make sure you get her some good anti virus protection.

The netbooks might be too small for some people with aging eyes.

[whatpain]

i pads are good but you would have to set up here wifi for her. but they are really easy to use like you mentioned. the only draw back for me is the lack of ports so theres no way to upload stuff to it

[Rob454]

i pads are good but you would have to set up here wifi for her. but they are really easy to use like you mentioned. the only draw back for me is the lack of ports so theres no way to upload stuff to it

She would be cross eyed and drooling on the uploading etc.. She is absolutely not computer literate. She just wants a email account and a way to search the net for houses. My mom is old school. I guess Im gonna take her to the apple store and give her run through. Im looking for a KISS vehicle to get my mom out of the stone age. This is the first time she even remotely seemed interested in getting any sort of a computer of any kind.
I could give her one of my old lap tops but they are old and are a little harder to connect to the net.
I think the I pad is the easiest to use out of all the ipad style smart pads.

[Rivers]

i pads are good but you would have to set up here wifi for her. but they are really easy to use like you mentioned. the only draw back for me is the lack of ports so theres no way to upload stuff to it

Not true. Using the Camera Kit accessory, you can easily upload photos and movies to the iPad. You can also open shared files in a Dropbox folder. Lots more too. An iPad expert can show off its utility. I discovered that I'm using about 20% of mine so I need to start pushing myself more with it.

[brassburnz]

Forget the netbooks. My wife has a friend who has one and said, "I want one of those." So I bought the Acer from Costco for about $300. She used for two weeks. "I don't like it."

I tried to see if I could use it for, but the keyboard is too small and the display is too small. I've got a MacBook Pro so I don't even want to mess with the netbook.

I was playing with an iPad at the Apple store. Very nice platform. If I ever decide on a new toy, that's next on the list.

[jonzer77]

My mom is the same exact way about computers, absolutely afraid of them. I got her an ipad and and she absolutely loves it and uses it all the time for her email and web browsing. I have always been a PC guy but since moving in with my gf and using her macbook I have slowly converted to a apple fan. You can also find a ipad 1 on the sales adds here for cheap since the new one just came out or get the new one and show her how to video chat. What sold my mom on the ipad was the fact that no matter what screen you were on, just push the big button on the bottom and you go back to the home screen and you can do something else.

[1savage99]

I agree forget about the Netbooks they don't do anything well.

After years of supporting my mom's MS windows computers, I bought her a mac book. After a couple of lessons, I have never had a emergency support phone call. Due to the lack of complaints, my wife assumed that my mom had just stopped using the computer completely.

For a mother or wife I definitely would give them an apple, but at this point I would consider getting my own mom an Ipad over a Mac book.

[JDay]

Get her a net-top and a cheap monitor, it will easily come out under $500. This system below is more than enough for web/email, decent cheap monitors start around $100.

EDIT: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883108321 First URL was a barebones.

Not true. Using the Camera Kit accessory, you can easily upload photos and movies to the iPad.

How nice of Apple to make you purchase a $30 accessory to gain functionality that you should have out of the box.

[JDay]

My mom is the same exact way about computers, absolutely afraid of them. I got her an ipad and and she absolutely loves it and uses it all the time for her email and web browsing. I have always been a PC guy but since moving in with my gf and using her macbook I have slowly converted to a apple fan. You can also find a ipad 1 on the sales adds here for cheap since the new one just came out or get the new one and show her how to video chat. What sold my mom on the ipad was the fact that no matter what screen you were on, just push the big button on the bottom and you go back to the home screen and you can do something else.

Sounds just like hitting the Start Button.

[orchard]

How much will she type? If she likes to write emails, Ipad might not be such a good choice over a dedicated keyboard. But if it's just surfing the net she will be thrilled to have something to show off - especially pictures and videos of grandkids!

[jonzer77]

Sounds just like hitting the Start Button.

Netbooks are terrible, and for someone that doesn't want a "computer" then the ipad is great. I have built several computers and I could have built my mom one but I went with something simple, sometimes KISS is better. Keep your lame apple comments to yourself, they are just right for some people, but not for everyone. I would rather have a lightweight laptop then a ipad because I like having a computer but thats me. If all I needed was to check email and browse the web then a tablet would be just fine.

[Rob454]

How much will she type? If she likes to write emails, Ipad might not be such a good choice over a dedicated keyboard. But if it's just surfing the net she will be thrilled to have something to show off - especially pictures and videos of grandkids!

She might email me or maybe a realtor but its mostly for light use. I set up next week with her gonna get her a new one . i was thinking the mid range one 32 gig hell maybe Ill go 64 gig its only 100$ more. This way she can use it for more things as she gets more used to it and she wont run out of memory etc.

[glock21fan]

IMO just get a decent walmart lap top around $300 they work fine and my wife's has been through hell with school