Imagine a computer that was so simple even a complete novice could use it out of the box. A computer with a low-powered, low performance and low-priced CPU, the Sempron LE-1250 (or maybe even an Intel Atom). Imagine that it comes in a small box with a tiny (by today’s standards) 19-inch monitor and cheap dime-store keyboard.
What would you do if you had a warehouse full of these machines, all less capable than the cheapest netbook? If it was me, I’d hire a trusted public figure and try to sell the lot to the only demographic that would buy them — old people who have never used a computer before. Better, I’d charge $735 or $890. After all, they all trust the lovely British TV presenter Valerie Singleton, right? Well, guess what? Somebody beat me to it.
The two simplicITy Suite computers are cheap-o boxes with the above mentioned processors, and either wired or wireless keyboard or mouse depending on whether you opt for the 100 or the 200 model. Available in the UK, both run Linux Mint and Eldy, a simple desktop environment which offers the bare basics of email, web browsing and chat. Eldy (and Linux, of course) are both free. In fact, visit the Eldy site (tagline: “Easy computer for our seniors”) and you’ll learn that it can be installed on any PC.
Now, we know that some oldsters can be scared of computers, usually because they think they might “break something”. And we’re all for anything that gets more people on the web (and hopefully reading Gadget Lab). But taking a bunch of extremely low-spec commodity PC boxes, loading them up with free software and hawking them to pensioners seems rather cynical given the high price tag.
The features of the software are nice enough (as they would be if Eldy were loaded onto that old PC you have in the basement). Old folk can browse the web, check weather and Skype the kids, but we can’t help thinking it’s all a little patronizing. Aiming a computer OS at seniors, especially when put onto overpriced hardware, smacks at best of do-goodism and at worse of cashing in on the uninformed. What is wrong with a cheap old PC running Ubuntu? Stick the relevant icons on the desktop, make ‘em big and off you go. It’s free, a helluva lot prettier than the Windows 95-alike Eldy, and when grandma is no longer scared of the web-browser, there’s whole lot more under the hood.
On the other hand, ex-Blue Peter presenter Valerie Singleton is looking amazing at 72 years old. Maybe I will buy one.
Simplicity copmuters [Simplicity via BBC]
Eldy product page [Eldy]
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