Computer for a 76-year old PC-phobic grandma? :)

[Blackjack]

So my 76-year old mom has finally hit the frustration point with her dialup Internet (a service called Purespeed, which took over accounts from the smoother Tidalwave I initially had her signed to when she retired from teaching DOD schools in Korea and moved back here to Va.).

She's mostly been using hand-me down PCs from me, aside from a Micro Center Windows ME special she used for a while. She's now using my 2004-era Compaq. While it's decent, it's Windows XP, has a lot of crap on it I haven't quite been able to clean out (thus she gets some weird status and "take action" messages that confuse here).

And the dial-up had just become increasingly exasperating, esp. if someone tries to e-mail her photos, or a spam has images in it -- it just takes forever, and ever for the e-mail client to download the e-mail.

Anyway, after years of me begging her to, she finally seems responsive to letting me get her a new computer, and also hopefully switching to Cox cable Internet (which I've had since about 2003, and have been really happy with).

I'm also probably going to replace her Cannon bubblet jet (1992 era) printer, which is also a hand-me down from me.
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All she really needs a computer for is:
*e-mail
*basic web browsing (she's less into it for fun or even research, than occasional stuff like paying taxes online, and saving/printing tax forms etc. obtained online)
*printing e-mails, documents and sometimes web pages
*wiewing photos/videos sent by me and my brother's family might interest her, but she doesn't much like to sit in front of the computer for long.

Many all-in-one PCs have touch-screen options, but most of the ones I've tried in stores haven't really impressed me in terms of responsiveness or ease-of-use.

A part of me would love to get her an iPad. Whenever she fiddles with mine, all the phobias and sometimes confusion she has with her PC go away. I still feel like I'd need to get her a basic PC w/ WiFi router to make that work (I think she'd blanche at 3G monthly fees). Alas, she has pretty long fingernails, and honestly, I'm not sure she'd be comfortable with touch screens because of that.

While a laptop is certainly an option, her vision (farsighted) is pretty poor. She does like using my hand-me-down 19" Samsung LCD, and I think I'd be inclined for her to keep using that or some sort of all-in-one that has a monitor at least that size.
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I'm babbling.   I really just wanted to ask folks here if you maybe have parents/grandparents my mom's age that are sort of computer-phobic but have found something they're comfortable using?

Any ideas/suggestions welcome. I'm certainly open to moving her to Macs but I'm fine sticking with Windows 7, given that's the type of OS I'm most familiar with.

I do know she hates using a mouse, and my attempts to get her to understand right-click menus in Windows have failed, despite a couple "understanding Windows in plain English" books.

[Purge]

Mouse-click explanation:

LEFT Mouse button: DO THIS.
RIGHT Mouse button: What can I do with this?

[Calavera]

A part of me would love to get her an iPad. Whenever she fiddles with mine, all the phobias and sometimes confusion she has with her PC go away. I still feel like I'd need to get her a basic PC w/ WiFi router to make that work (I think she'd blanche at 3G monthly fees). Alas, she has pretty long fingernails, and honestly, I'm not sure she'd be comfortable with touch screens because of that.

This. Just get her an iPad. Seriously, if all she is doing is emails and web browsing, there's not really a need for a full on PC.  As an added bonus, you won't have to worry about malware nearly as much.

If you really, really feel the need to get a PC of some kind, get her an older Mac. If she already feels at home (in a sense) with iOS, she'll likely feel at home with OSX.

[CeeKay]

I'd say go the iPad route if she seems more comfortable with it and set up a cheap PC for anything that she cannot do on the iPad.

[Hrothgar]

You could get her a WOW computer.  It sound kind of like what you want.  Plus you could say Grandma is using Linux.

[Laner]

If she knows how to use a computer (despite being phobic) stick with that.   I tried going the iPad route with my computer-phobic mom, but she found it far more frustrating than her computer.... the touchscreen keyboard in particular was a source of annoyance.

[EngineNo9]

For my mom, who tends to have very cold fingers and touchscreens don't work well, I got her a touchscreen stylus for her Kindle Fire and she loves it.  Just be sure to check reviews on them, it seems some work much better than others.

[Pyperkub]

I'd say iPad with bluetooth keyboard and airprint photo printer (and Cox + WiFi setup).

Don't get a touchscreen PC.  Try using one for 10 minutes, and you'll find that the touchscreen is an ergonomic nightmare because it has to be in arm's reach to be worth it.

[Misguided]

We got my mother-in-law an iPad recently and she is really enjoying it. She had talked about wanting a computer for years, but won't read instructions, so things have to be relatively self-explanatory. Now she wants an iPhone too.

[Harpua3]

We got my mother-in-law an iPad recently and she is really enjoying it. She had talked about wanting a computer for years, but won't read instructions, so things have to be relatively self-explanatory. Now she wants an iPhone too.

I love the simplicity with apple products. My buddies 3 yr old figured out the iPad when she was 2...
That says it all!

[Hrothgar]

My two year old has figured out the ipad, iphone, the harmony remote control, leapster, leappad, navigating the Disney junior website, windows phone 7, my old palm pre, my android phone, and the chumby on my desk.  Two year olds love to learn and explore new things.  This might not be true with all 76 year olds.  I like Apple, but they don't have a lock on easy to use (especially in the eyes of a two year old).  She actually has the hardest time using the iphone since my wife's work requires a passcode.  Two year olds have a tough time with six digit numbers.

[Harpua3]

My two year old has figured out the ipad, iphone, the harmony remote control, leapster, leappad, navigating the Disney junior website, windows phone 7, my old palm pre, my android phone, and the chumby on my desk.  Two year olds love to learn and explore new things.  This might not be true with all 76 year olds.  I like Apple, but they don't have a lock on easy to use (especially in the eyes of a two year old).  She actually has the hardest time using the iphone since my wife's work requires a passcode.  Two year olds have a tough time with six digit numbers.

Interesting outlook.

[Blackjack]

If she knows how to use a computer (despite being phobic) stick with that.   I tried going the iPad route with my computer-phobic mom, but she found it far more frustrating than her computer.... the touchscreen keyboard in particular was a source of annoyance.

I've found Apple's Bluetooth wireless keyboard very comfortable (I'm using it right now or this post), and would probably set that up if I went the iPad route.

The problem is, I'd probably have to get some sort of wireless printer (she prints quite a lot, and is currently using a 1992-era Canon bubblejet hand-me-down from me.

I think I mentioned her fingernails are simply too long to use a touchscreen very comfortably. She can use it better in her lap, but after she almost let my new iPad crash on a hardwood floor, I decided that's not a good thing for her. Or me.  

For now I tweaked some things on the old PC. The dialup connection is still acting strange. Sometimes it works fine, other times, the connection seems to "time out" while checking e-mail, even though it's technically still connected. The workaround is just to exit Outlook Express and restart the program.

The WoW thing is a  possibility. It's just, if she bundles with Cox that'll include various security software that only works on PR or Apple.

Getting a Mac Mini and just plugging the old LCD monitor (which is a good 19") might work though I doubt there's any Mac driver for a 1992 Cannon printer. If I get her something new, whether PC or Mac, I think I'd just prefer it be some sort of all-in-one and then I'll take the LCD to a PC parts recycling center in the area.

Thanks for chiming in with thoughts. We'll see where we go from here.

[Blackjack]

I was doing some searches and here's another computer billed as "for seniors." I've seen these jumbo-size letter keyboards in catalogs. I've considered getting her one of those, though I think she types more by feel than by looking at the letters.

A Plus Senior Computers
http://www.aplusseniorcomputer.com/
*These seem to be Windows 7 computers (a 23" touchscreen desktop, some smaller non-touchscreens and a couple laptops) with a customized start-up display they call "Senior Place" (rather than Linux like the WOW).

While my mom would blanche at the cost of the top model, I don't have to share that number with her. 

[Blackjack]

A little bump here as my mom looks to be close to switching to a Cox cable bundle and finally joining the non-dialup Internet access crowd. I've just asked her to give me enough warning so i can set up her up on something new, whether it's a desktop, laptop, Mac, or one of these funky things we've discussed here more targed to seniors.

[th'FOOL]

There are ipad cases that can assuage the fear of dropsies. I think the iPad is still your best bet. My mom and my aunt just got new iPads a couple of weeks ago and it's like they leapfrogged a decade or two of telecommunications overnight.

[ravenvii]

Why not just wipe the Compaq and install a fresh copy of Windows XP on it? That'll likely fix all the issues she's having. The computer's plenty fast enough to do what she does.