Laptop/ Netbook for parent, advice needed

[G777]

So I've been charged with the task of finding & purchasing a portable device for my mother, and I know next to nothing about such things.

She'll be 70 in a few months and suffers from bad rheumatoid arthritis making sitting at a desk & typing extremely painful after a few minutes, she wants something easy to use sitting on the couch or in bed.

All she really wants to be to do is email, surf and go on skype with family members.

I was thinking tablet but she seems to think a touch screen would be too difficult, budget is $400-$450 before taxes.

I live in the lower mainland, so best buy, future shop, staples, ncix etc. are all easy to get to.

Screen size between 13-15" and I'm looking to purchase in the next few days, any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated

[supaflyx3]

The bigger the better at her age, cramped keyboards + arthritis = terrible (speaking from experience) If her eye sight isn't too good try to shoot for something with a lower resolution screen, something with a AMD C-50 or similar and 2-4GB of ram would be perfect for her.

[G777]

Originally Posted by supaflyx3

The bigger the better at her age, cramped keyboards + arthritis = terrible (speaking from experience) If her eye sight isn't too good try to shoot for something with a lower resolution screen, something with a AMD C-50 or similar and 2-4GB of ram would be perfect for her.

Good feedback, thanks. Trying to find some useful reviews of the Asus K53U-DH21 ASUS K53U-DH21 15.6IN HD AMD E-450 4GB 500GB Radeon 6320G HDMI WIN7 Prem Mocha Notebook - ASUS - K53U-DH21

I'd rather get something with better than average quality and warranty;

'Cause if something goes wrong with it, I don't want to hear about it forever

[Adzsask]

I'd get them the biggest tablet you could afford, so easy to type on and super light/portable.

[3.0charlie]

But with arthritis, holding a tablet at a proper reading angle is very painful. I know.

Stick to a lappy, and buy her a laptop support too so she can use it while in bed or while sitting.
Otherwise, you will hear about an overheating CPU in no-time.

[Adzsask]

Originally Posted by 3.0charlie

But with arthritis, holding a tablet at a proper reading angle is very painful. I know.

Stick to a lappy, and buy her a laptop support too so she can use it while in bed or while sitting.
Otherwise, you will hear about an overheating CPU in no-time.

Just got my mom's GF a BB playbook, she couldn't type on keyboards anymore her fingers are so deformed from arthritis, I take it from the 2 hours of straight crying and thanking she would recommend it to any person with problems with arthritis. I bought her a leather case which folds into a stand for her and she LOVES it, she can play her facebook games once again.

[3.0charlie]

I said holding a tablet, let alone typing... and I'd rather type on a soft surface (like a proper keyboard) than a hard surface like a tablet with my own fingers....

[G777]

I think with the degree of deformity she has in her hands a tablet would be a non-starter really...

Any opinions on the Asus I linked? Or are there better choices out there?

[3.0charlie]

It's all fine, except I'd find a lappy without a numpad ti have the largest keyboard possible. And Asus has a great 1 year warranty in regards to spills and other mishaps...

[G777]

Originally Posted by 3.0charlie

It's all fine, except I'd find a lappy without a numpad ti have the largest keyboard possible. And Asus has a great 1 year warranty in regards to spills and other mishaps...

The warranty was definitely in my thinking, thanks for all the input & suggestions guys... the support is a great idea that I hadn't thought of.