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I’m not sure if this story hits dead centre of the competition category, but I’d like to tell the story as I hope it might inspire one or two others who find themselves thinking as I did, but weren’t sure whether to take the plunge.
When I first got my hands on a work colleague’s i-pad, I must admit I was pretty much hooked on the experience. I thought it was a fantastic way to access the web and much more. I also had another thought which was “wouldn’t this be the perfect device for my mum!”
Now, my mum is well into her seventies, so she’s getting on a bit. Despite being as sharp as a tack and school teacher by profession, over the last decade or so, she has pretty flat-refused to use, own or have anything to do with PCs or the online world. In other words she has been completely PC illiterate. To be perfectly honest, with a Windows laptop being the only real option, up until now I’ve pretty much accepted this and only made half hearted attempts to suggest that she might consider otherwise. I certainly have considered it too risky a proposition to invest in one on her behalf.
However with the potential I saw in the tablet, I thought I should certainly reconsider.
So in the weeks leading up to Christmas I was contemplating getting my mum a tablet. This was in the context of unanimous opposition from every quarter of the family, sisters, wife, nephews etc. The overwhelming view was that on Christmas Day she would politely accept the gift, with much appreciation and then, just as politely, it would soon get placed in a draw and forgotten about. So, still, I was undecided as most options looked too expensive and therefore still too risky.
Then I came across the Vega for £250, lots of positive reviews and a real sell-out. Decision made! Regardless of what anyone else thought I was on a mission. I ordered my mum broadband, under the pretence of getting a better home phone deal. This wasn’t hard given that she’d been on the same BT tariff for years. I also set about getting my hands on a Vega. This, as you can imagine, was no small feat, regularly checking Currys’ site in the hope I would strike lucky. As luck would have it, one day I clicked on the Vega and rather than getting the usual “out of stock”, it was added to the basket. That was bit of “Willy Wonker” moment in itself! It soon turned up. Immediately I applied Paul’s ROM. It worked really well. In fact, having used the Vega for a week or so, I have to admit that finally wrapping it up on Christmas Eve, with the thought of handing it over the next day, wasn’t quite as easy as I thought it would be!
Anyway Christmas Day came... It was a hit, on the day and ever since, it’s been a key topic of discussion between me and my mum. Simply, the little device has opened up a whole new world for her... emails, apps, i-player, word games that she loves, and of course the web... just imagine!!
Now to say the little Vega is life changing is a stretch. However, there is inevitably going to be a time when my mum isn’t as mobile as she is now and I think this has opened up to her a massive resource that will become a real help for her in lots of different ways!
When I first got my hands on a work colleague’s i-pad, I must admit I was pretty much hooked on the experience. I thought it was a fantastic way to access the web and much more. I also had another thought which was “wouldn’t this be the perfect device for my mum!”
Now, my mum is well into her seventies, so she’s getting on a bit. Despite being as sharp as a tack and school teacher by profession, over the last decade or so, she has pretty flat-refused to use, own or have anything to do with PCs or the online world. In other words she has been completely PC illiterate. To be perfectly honest, with a Windows laptop being the only real option, up until now I’ve pretty much accepted this and only made half hearted attempts to suggest that she might consider otherwise. I certainly have considered it too risky a proposition to invest in one on her behalf.
However with the potential I saw in the tablet, I thought I should certainly reconsider.
So in the weeks leading up to Christmas I was contemplating getting my mum a tablet. This was in the context of unanimous opposition from every quarter of the family, sisters, wife, nephews etc. The overwhelming view was that on Christmas Day she would politely accept the gift, with much appreciation and then, just as politely, it would soon get placed in a draw and forgotten about. So, still, I was undecided as most options looked too expensive and therefore still too risky.
Then I came across the Vega for £250, lots of positive reviews and a real sell-out. Decision made! Regardless of what anyone else thought I was on a mission. I ordered my mum broadband, under the pretence of getting a better home phone deal. This wasn’t hard given that she’d been on the same BT tariff for years. I also set about getting my hands on a Vega. This, as you can imagine, was no small feat, regularly checking Currys’ site in the hope I would strike lucky. As luck would have it, one day I clicked on the Vega and rather than getting the usual “out of stock”, it was added to the basket. That was bit of “Willy Wonker” moment in itself! It soon turned up. Immediately I applied Paul’s ROM. It worked really well. In fact, having used the Vega for a week or so, I have to admit that finally wrapping it up on Christmas Eve, with the thought of handing it over the next day, wasn’t quite as easy as I thought it would be!
Anyway Christmas Day came... It was a hit, on the day and ever since, it’s been a key topic of discussion between me and my mum. Simply, the little device has opened up a whole new world for her... emails, apps, i-player, word games that she loves, and of course the web... just imagine!!
Now to say the little Vega is life changing is a stretch. However, there is inevitably going to be a time when my mum isn’t as mobile as she is now and I think this has opened up to her a massive resource that will become a real help for her in lots of different ways!
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