PDA

View Full Version : A laptop for my mom...



cardinals_fan
November 22nd, 2008, 01:56 AM
My mom needs to buy a new laptop. I'd be interested to hear some recommendations. Here are her needs:

OS: Windows, preferably XP (through Vista Business downgrade?).
Processor/RAM: Enough to run the OS fairly fast (mostly a factor with Vista). She doesn't do anything to strain a machine's resources.
Screen Size: This is the tough one. I think she'd be an ideal candidate for a netbook, but her eyes aren't great and she probably needs a bigger screen.
Sturdiness: This laptop won't face much abuse, but she isn't particularly gentle with electronics.
Portability: While portability is nice, she will mostly use the laptop on a desk with the cord plugged in.

Obviously, that isn't enough for anyone to sort through the thousands of laptops available and pick one out after reading the specs. I'm interested in people who have actually bought a machine and used it in a similar fashion.

mkendall
November 22nd, 2008, 02:21 AM
Seems to me that getting a reasonably priced laptop at Best Buy would suffice, maybe increase the memory if necessary. My mother uses her laptop for email, minor document work, Yahoo! crosswords and Mystery games, and I think she got a much "larger" machine than she needs.

As for those times when porting the laptop to different locations, as opposed to a different room, if she's a backpack kind of person (my mother at 64 is) they make backpacks for that purpose, otherwise you could find an over-the-shoulder laptop carrier. Personally, I have a wheeled Catalogue Case with a laptop sleeve. It's similar to this one (http://indoors.pricegrabber.com/briefcase-business-case/m/12459908/ut=4b401affa94f2742) but much cheaper.