My cousin was looking at my Acer mini laptop and told me she was thinking about getting one for her Mom whose computer died recently. I thought, you know, this could really good choice for her. If you are looking at getting your parent a computer, here are my 5 top reasons for considering an netbook like the Acer Aspire One for your Mom or Dad.
1. You don’t have to go over to her house to fix the computer.
As adult children, we are often the ones who end up being “tech support” for our parents. I know I get a tech support call at least every 6 weeks from either my parents, my husband’s mother or my grandparents. (It takes a special kind of patience sometimes….). Because the Acer One is SO easy to carry around, she can just bring it over for you to find that program that she knew she had somewhere on the computer but just doesn’t know where it went.
2. Lots of options for getting online
Most people want a computer to get online, and your Dad is no exception. How else will he find cheap plane tickets to visit you, send you email of your brother’s ‘brilliant’ children, or buy miniature football collectibles on Ebay? The nice thing about laptops is they can be connected wirelessly–and that gives them choices.
If your father already has high speed Internet in the house, just plug in the network cable to the Acer. If he has a wireless router, then he can work anywhere in the house on this mini laptop. If he doesn’t have high-speed Internet in the house at all (yet), he can easily get online anywhere that offers wireless Internet like coffee houses, fast food restaurants, and many public libraries. And the nice compact size makes it easy to use the Acer anyway away from the desktop (but it’s just as easy to use at the desktop too!)
(Sorry, dial up is not an option with the Acer mini, but really, you want to go that route?)
3. A relatively inexpensive display of your love
Your parents love telling their friends how good you are to them. Short of a new car or expensive jewelry, what looks as good as giving Mom or Pops a computer–and a laptop no less? (OK well, maybe some other stuff too, but trust me, computer is high up on the list of impressive gifts.) They don’t have to know you spent less than $400 (maybe less than $300 if you get it loaded with Linux instead of Windows). Then your parent will really know who the “good one” is.
4. You don’t have to feel so guilty if you don’t pick up the phone.
With a computer, your Mom and Dad have even more ways to stay in touch with you. If that’s a good thing for you, then you can share without always being on the phone or in person. If being in touch more often makes the corner of your eye twitch, well now you can keep in touch consistently, but at a distance.
Mom has a computer where she can keep up with her email, at home or away from home. She can upload pictures of her latest cruise or your brother’s ‘brillant’ children easily with the USB ports or built-in SD card slots. She can even talk to you via Skype or other webcam-telephone software. The webcam that comes with the Acer mini is built-in and ready to go as soon as you turn on the computer. You can be as close as you want, or not.
5. It’s small enough for them to get comfortable.
Yes, the Acer One has its drawbacks–see below–but it has more benefits in my book. It’s small enough where your parents can move it around easily to work where they want to work: at a desk, at the kitchen table, in the backyard, at the library, sitting on the couch, in the bed, etc. And it’s small and light enough to easily to carry around in a tote bag when she comes to visit you.
A few more things to consider when getting your parent an Acer One
OK , the small screen size may be a problem for some. But first, the Acer One was very crisp, clear graphics. Two, you can always use another monitor. If your parent already has a large monitor they like (say the one that went with the computer that just died), you can plug it in to the netbook, and voila, full size screen.
Ditto, for the keyboard. From my own personal little survey, this keyboard size is fine for most. But if your Mom or Dad wants a little more space, you can attach a standard size USB keyboard–no problem.
Don’t forget to get them a set of headphones with mic for great sound and the ability to talk to you online.
Definitely don’t forget the mouse. The built-in trackpads can be tedious to use all the time. If she doesn’t already have a mouse, get her a compact, wireless one.
If your parent has never really used a computer or Windows, consider getting an Acer Aspire One loaded with Linux. This operating system makes itself very easy to use with simple menus and instructions. And it costs less than an Acer with Windows.
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