my 70 yo mom needs an easiest to use, plug n play type computer

[faithnotgreed]

for internet and email

i told her if she will get rid of aol, then she can start out fresh without all the junk that is on her current computer
plus she has windows me...

is my choice between an emachine or imac? i love my mac but even though imac would my choice, shes never used a mac and plus will need a 17" monitor so financially i guess that rules out an imac

are there any good emachines?
easy easy easy to use and not filled with junk that make it maddening are the key words here

thank you so very much,

[cheezus]

1. eMac - basically a 17" CRT imac $799

http://apple.com/emac

If you want easy, Mac is the way to go. Internet and email are all integrated and easy. No virus/spyware problem.

[BigMcLargehuge]

25. yes, eMac is a best choice

I got my mom, a computer-phobe, one and my mother in law too.

[GoneOffShore]

2. iMac may be ruled out BUT

look at the eMac.
You can get a $799.00
1.25GHz PowerPC G4
256MB DDR333 SDRAM
40GB Ultra ATA drive
Combo drive
17" flat CRT.
Or check out Small Dog electronics - they have deals on used machines.
Don't let your mom go to the dark side.
Get her a Mac. She'll have more fun, especially if she's got a digital camera.

[nosmokes]

3. is there an apple store near you?

they should be able to set you up with something used without breaking the bank. say an iMac with a separate monitor?

[NewHampshireDem]

4. DO NOT BUY AN E-MACHINE!

It is the computer equivalent of a Bic razor ... as in 'disposable.'

I had one, found out it is all proprietary Chinese parts inside when it died one day. You wanna know what killed it? I moved it from one room to another. Yes, in the course of carefully carrying it 10 feet it died.

Luckily I bought it from Best Buy, where there was a fuss over the conflict between e-Machines, who said Best Buy was an authorized repair center and Best Buy who said they were not. Eventually the manager gave in and refunded 100% of my money toward a new machine. In the midst of all that he told me that if I had bought the extended warranty they would have just *thrown away the e-Machine since it couldn't be repaired*!

[faithnotgreed]

8. wow. guess that rules emachines right out.

figures.... i have no respect for windows and little for pcs but why cant one just buy an easy to use computer to do the basics?
why do they have to louse them all up with junk

guess its for the same reasons one cant find an easy to use isp that everyone can use.

thanks again for the heads up

[Maddy McCall]

10. Plus, Gateway is now manufacturing e-machines, and Gateway SUCKS

[NewHampshireDem]

14. I did not know that ...

My e-Machine debacle was about 2 1/2 years ago now. Of course, I know that Gateways are crap. My school district used to buy them, and, well, now we buy Dells.

You know, I hate to say it, but the best computers I ever owned were made by ... Packard Bell! I've had three of them and all outlived their usefulness. My 8088 that I bought in college was actually still working 15 years later--after being waterlogged when it went through a fire in my fraternity house. I donated it to my school and the tech coordinator eventually tossed it because we couldn't get software for it any more.

[faithnotgreed]

5. thanks everyone - now youve opened the mac door! im looking

for a used one (should have said that earlier) but i will definitely be on the lookout for the mac you mentioned

we dont live in the same state.

thanks again. ill go look online right now

[emulatorloo]

7. Check this mac shopping site for bargains

www.dealmac.com

Look in the "systems" or "bargain basement section"

Also here - Week's Best eMac Deals:

http://www.lowendmac.com/imac/edeals.html

[benburch]

6. Buy a refurbished eMac from Apple

Here is the link for the refurbished goods from Apple's online store;

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/72007/wo/Ol7jSZ6uwkWo23J9atD8BxLCN5S/0.0.9.1.0.6.61.0.0.0.0.0.0.3.1.1.0?105,68

Refurbished eMacs, starting at $499, appear here in ones and twos several times a week.

You have to keep checking this site every morning at around 8 AM PDT, for the new items that get posted here.

[faithnotgreed]

9. thanks! thats a great resource

[aquart]

11. Craigslist. Pick up a PII or PIII for a few hundred.

Soup up the memory(some come already souped), and the thing will fly.

[Poiuyt]

12. Check out smalldog.com

They sell used and refurbished Macs, PLUS they sponsor liberal talk radio like the Thom Hartmann Show.

[benburch]

19. Smalldog are nice folks.

I've heard naught but good about them.

[yellowdawgdem]

24. Small Dog is not particularly low-priced

Although they are a good company, no doubt. But I wouldn't look to them for the cheapest price on anything. Powermax.com is another really good macintosh company, in Oregon, but their prices are similarly high to middle.

[Poiuyt]

28. True, but

It's true that smalldog isn't the cheapest, but I appreciate the support they give to liberal radio, so I think they deserve a pat on the back.

[Placebo]

13. Get an Apple eMac.

Easy to use, great performing simple machine. And its nice to look at too!

I used to have one, she'll love it. :)

[shraby]

15. Go to a computer shop in your town

and see what it costs to get a bare bones one built. That is what I did with my last computer. One advantage is that if something goes wrong with it, you can get in the builders face instead of sitting on hold for an hour and then not get any satisfaction.

[Placebo]

16. You don't want to 'build' a computer for a senior citizen...

so its running windows and can get riddled with viruses and spyware???

GET A MAC. Let her have some piece of mind.

[shraby]

17. I'm a senior citizen.

[yellowdawgdem]

18. used mac or new pc

For buying a used mac, I've had good luck with this company:
http://www.macresq.com/
They have lower prices than many, and they usually have weekly specials as well. You can get a used g4 for a good price, though you might need to purchase the monitor separately- some have it, some don't.
Regarding pc's I've not had the best luck with those. However, I've always bought used ones, and I think that's a mistake with pc's, and especially with people who don't do well with sensitive software,idiosynchracies and the like.
However, Dell always has a deal for around $700 for a pentium 4, and it usually includes the monitor, shipping, and peripherals, etc.. And you can buy 3 years of tech support, and while the telephone support sucks, they do have to replace stuff that way, if needed. I guess xp pro is fairly stable, so it depends on what she is comfortable with. I don't find os X to be as much fun as os 9 was, so I am one of those people who plans on keeping 9 as long as I can, like until nothing will run on it.

[faithnotgreed]

20. thanks again. ill check out all the places you mention here

so i can get her a used emac

sounds good!

[rednek_Liberal]

21. Gateway just bought e-Machine and plans to

retail at CompUSA stores. But that is not an endorsement for Eother Gateway or e-machine... Or CompUSA for that matter. Do her a favor and just get a reliable HP/Compaq or Dell because the Support is well worth the price. I am certified to do warranty repairs on both Compaq, and Dell So truthfully I would reccommend HP/Compaq.

[loftycity]

22. If you want a PC I think Sony has the best and really good service..nt

[Wcross]

23. Uh, why spend any money?

Is her computer dead? Having AOL and windows ME doesn't make a computer trash. Why not reformat her hard drive and either install windows xp or reinstall ME? She can then install net zero or some similar cheap isp. Maximum out of pocket would be 89 bucks for a copy of xp.

[faithnotgreed]

26. short version is that she has no confidence and doesnt want to

do anything on the computer unless its a very known task. so she does the basics.

plus i live in a different state than her and just want her to have something easy
that plan is im sure easy for you but for her just hearing about it would be overwhelming.

thanks

[Wcross]

27. Tell her to take it to a computer store.

I doubt it would cost her over 100 dollars to set it up like it was the way it was when she bought it. Tell her to get a firewall, spyware killer and pop-up killer so it doesn't get cluttered up again.
If she gets another computer it will be in the same shape as her current one in the same amount of time. If all she uses it for is e-mail and internet there is no reason for her to upgrade something that works fine now.