NotebookForums.com › Forums › General Notebook Discussions › Notebook Forums - General › Notebook for the elderly/bad vision
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Notebook for the elderly/bad vision

post #1 of 17
10/29/05 at 1:35pm
Thread Starter 
My father is looking for a new laptop w/ a large very readable screen. His vision is very bad and needs the BEST monitor he can find. He only uses his computer for internet browsing, and using the Microsoft word/excel/etc. I have no idea where to start looking. Any suggestions??

Patrick
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 17
10/29/05 at 1:37pm
You could start looking at the laptop ive got. it has a good screen. and also, you can change the Windows font on apperance.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 17
10/29/05 at 2:42pm
actually, you probably want the worst monitor you can find. 1280x800 with 15.4" is probably the best one to get. higher resolution monitors are more expensive and are harder to read for people with poor vision. get one with 1280x800 and then configure windows to use large fonts and stuff.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 17
10/29/05 at 2:44pm
maybe something like this

http://www.pctorque.com/sager-5560-gaming-computers.php
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 17
10/29/05 at 2:54pm
Yeah, drizek is correct.

Generally, BEST usually is interpretted as meaning high resolution, whereas you probably want a low resolution screen.

You might just want to take your father to Best Buy or such (not that I am recommending Best Buy necessarily), and have him view the variety of different screens available: wide screen vs standard, glossy vs matte, etc., and have him pick out the model he finds easiest to view.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 17
10/29/05 at 5:27pm
Thread Starter 
Here is my problem w/ low-resolution screens: Dont they harm the eyes if they are looked at for an extended period of time?
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 17
10/29/05 at 5:55pm
Resolution refers to the number of pixels in the vertical and horizontal direction--for example, my 14 inch diagonal notebook screen is SXGA+ at 1400 by 1050. A lower resolution XGA screen (1024 by 768) of the same physical size (14 inch) will logically have larger pixels, and thus your father would find them easier to read.

I believe you are thinking in terms of CRT dot pitch, where smaller generally does mean a crisper image. But I have forgotten the details, and refer you to a CRT expert on the forum.

In any event, you are looking for an LCD, and lower resolutions are easier to see.

Edit: Note that I only mentioned a 14 inch screen because that is what I own. Clearly, the larger the screen, the easier for your father to read.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 17
10/29/05 at 7:15pm
no, that is low refresh rate which gives you headaches. lcd's dont refresh the same way crts do, so it is not an issue.

what size screen are you looking at? do you really want a 17" lcd?
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 17
10/29/05 at 7:25pm
In the mean time, have you tried using XP's magnifier?

Start>All Programs>Accessories>Accessibility>Magnifier.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 17
10/29/05 at 8:10pm
I dont think it matters what screen resolution you get since you can always turn it down. However, image quality takes a hit when running LCDs at non-native resolution.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 17
10/29/05 at 9:23pm
Get a 17" laptop with something like the 1440 or 16xx res and change the DPI to 120, that's more than enough.

M.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 17
10/29/05 at 11:18pm
this is a really nice laptop and it is pretty cheap. the lcd is 1440x900 and is 17". fujitsu makes some of the nicest and highest quality lcd's, so you really cant find anything better than this.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834110156
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 17
10/30/05 at 2:34am
my grandfather has a dell 9300 with the 17 inch screen and he said its easy for him to read. Look for the models with the normal screens.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 17
10/30/05 at 2:44am
Start>All Programs>Accessories>Accessibility>Accessibility Wizard

I use the wizard on all of my machines. I always make everything bigger including icons. I have an old lady at work with poor vision. I used the wizard and made everything extra large.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 17
10/30/05 at 4:59am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the suggestions
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 17
10/30/05 at 6:56am
I suggest 15" XGA screens. They have only 85 Pixels per Inch, and they are the cheapest screens around. Take the best 15" XGA you can find.

For pixel per inch figures of the computer screens, see:
http://www.qg.fi/screeninformation.html
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 17
10/30/05 at 7:08am
Probably echoing what some of the other people have said, get a lower resolution screen and a bigger screen size.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Notebook Forums - General
NotebookForums.com › Forums › General Notebook Discussions › Notebook Forums - General › Notebook for the elderly/bad vision