Some common problems I have heard regarding “seniors & mobile phones” are:

• The phone is too small
• There are too many (useless) features
• How do I even make a call?
• How do I answer the damn thing?!
• I can’t see the screen
• My fingers are too big for the keys
• Where’s the phone gone? I can’t find it!

I’m interested to hear what people have to say about the best way to teach somebody who is new to mobile/ cell phones how to perform basic tasks, such as phoning a friend and answering it when it rings.

Any ideas?

Mobile phones can be very complicated for seniors (or anybody)!

This website:

http://www.seniorsguidetocomputers.com/

… is extremely useful! Have a look!

For all you young’uns out there who haven’t yet shown nanna & grandad how to use a computer, please take the following two pieces of advice very seriously:

1. Be ashamed

2. Be very ashamed

Of course there are exceptions, but by and large our grandparents have done a very good job seeing to the survival of their children and grandchildren over the past decades. Without them, there wouldn’t be any young’uns at all… and of course, there would be no computers or Internet either!

The benefits of showing nan & pops how to use a computer are immense:

1. You can share photos with them
2. Communicating to others on the Internet can be a great cure for boredom
3. They can save money by not buying the newspaper every single day
4. They don’t have to wait in line in a bank and risk catching swine flu or being caught in a terrorist attack

… and the list goes on.

Think back to how your grandfather showed you how to shoot a gun or your grandmother showed you how to bake a cake. Repay that debt! Sharing is caring!

Get granny online!

Visit this website – SeniorNet – by clicking on the this sentence.

SeniorNet provides online tutorials and ‘how to’ guides that you may find very useful!

These include:

• Display a personal photo on your desktop
• Email and receive attachments
• Force Quit a program
• Cell phone buying guide

When you are considering what type of computer to buy, think about the following first:

Rule 1: Do not spend more than $800.

If you look hard enough, you can find all the equipment you need (computer, monitor, keyboard and mouse) for under $800. Stores such as Umart Online (www.umart.com.au) do not maintain expensive displays and publically accessible store-space, but rather provide an online store where you make your order. You then take your order number into the store, present it to a staff member (or computer terminal) and the products you have ordered are retrieved from the warehouse while you wait (doesn’t take long!). You then make your payment and smile as you realise you’ve saved heaps of money.

It is particularly important for seniors to realise that young salespeople may project their own preferences. You do not need the latest and fastest computing power. Yes, you need a late model computer that is relatively virus immune and fast enough to operate the latest peripheral devices such as digital cameras, printers and can play movies, but you do not need the capability of playing the newest 3D games. Well maybe you do, but at least consider this before you go shopping, to reduce the risk of being ripped off.

Rule 2: Consider Laptops -v- Desktops

New laptops can be purchased for under $600, sometimes as low as $400… and these can be a great way to combine the keyboard, mouse, monitor and computer in one package. You can also take the laptop with you, and it can run on battery power. The downside of a laptop is simply that it’s smaller (harder to see) and is probably marginally slower than a comparable desktop (the bigger type of computer you’re probably used to seeing around).

Don’t forget that laptops also usually include multiple USB ports – the small slots on the side that allow you to plug in other devices. So you could purchase a laptop and a larger keyboard and larger screen (monitor). Laptops all also allow a mouse to be plugged in, if you do not like the touchpad way of doing business.

Rule 3: Consider Apple or Microsoft

Read some articles online about the comparative benefits of Apple Macintosh systems versus Microsoft systems. To do this, just type in ‘is apple or microsoft better?’ into Google.com. It is probably no use talking to your friend who has an Apple computer, because (at least amongst my friends) Apple users are fanatical about Apples. Read widely and make an informed decision in that way.