3 ms·

This is cute but bearing in mind most of today's grandparents (at least in the West) have had decades of using computers professionally and at least a good few

by nanna 6y ago

This is cute but bearing in mind most of today's grandparents (at least in the West) have had decades of using computers professionally and at least a good few years using tablets and smartphones, I really think the pitch should be directed elsewhere. I especially don't think they would appreciate a 'telegram' feature! Also, I know it's not meant literally, but its genderisation as 'granny' is a really problematic cliche that I wish tech folk would stop repeating.

nanna 6y ago
Look, let me put this another way, since I'm being downvoted. I think my 70 year old mum, who is a grandma, would find it patronising and sexist to have a device pitched to her as an easier to use version of the iPad she is a bloody master of in every way. She's far more adapt than my dad, bless him, but even he can use WhatsApp and the like fine after being shown.
- mattowen_uk 6y ago
  I was about to say the same thing, but it seems you got flak for it. Here in the UK, a large percentage of 70+ year olds (my Father is 75) are totally au fait with mobile phones, computers and tablets. In fact a lot of older folk have moved to large tablets as it's easier to zoom the text and scroll around for people their age. Maybe it's a country-by-country thing?
- flobosg 6y ago
  FWIW, the author’s grandmother is twenty-six years older than your mother: https://twitter.com/mrcatacroquer/status/1386318879572570112 https://twitter.com/mrcatacroquer/status/1386318879572570112 > My Yaya is Felisa Romano Martin, from Segovia, 96 years old, and she is the best Yaya in the world.
  - fauria 6y ago
    That tweet goes along with an impressive picture of the Alcázar de Segovia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site medieval castle: https://www.eladelantado.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/ALc%C3%A1zar-de-Segovia-Nevado-1392x927.jpg https://www.eladelantado.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/ALc%... [1] More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alc%C3%A1zar_of_Segovia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alc%C3%A1zar_of_Segovia [1] Source (Spanish): https://www.eladelantado.com/segovia/la-imagen-segovia/ https://www.eladelantado.com/segovia/la-imagen-segovia/
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
- andrewzah 6y ago
  It's called that because they made it specifically for their grandmother. Do we really need to state that it's going to depend on the particular person and their needs? Also, that grandmother is _96_. That is not even remotely close to someone in their ~70s. It is also dependent on the person: one of my grandmothers (around 70) doesn't like ipads, and can operate phones a little bit. My other grandma, similar age, loves her ipad. You're being downvoted because you're treating this like a generalized business pitch, when it's a specialized hardware project someone did for their own grandmother, and gave it a cute name based on their language. If I made something specifically for my grandmother, I might include "bunica" in the name. Seeing as that's what my whole family calls her, and its a way to say grandmother in Romanian, which is a gendered language. Also, I fail to see how the gender of the word for grandmother here is relevant for the discussion. Grammatical genders (also called noun classes) are not necessarily related to human sexes, but I digress.
  - dang 6y ago
    Please don't post in the flamewar style to HN. If you're answering a comment that you think is incorrect, do so in a netural and/or friendly way. Otherwise you just make the thread worse, no matter how right you are or feel you are. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
    - andrewzah 6y ago
      My apologies, will edit.
    - nanna 6y ago
      Thanks for all your work, dang.
  - nanna 6y ago
    > you're treating this like a generalized business pitch, when it's a specialized hardware project someone did for their own grandmother, and gave it a cute name based on their language. Ok, fair enough, I accept your argument.
  - 6y ago
- notwhereyouare 6y ago
  you put an ipad in front of my 80 year old grandma and she'll have NO idea how to use it. Even after training her and walking her through using it multiple times. She just won't remember. This device is basic and captures all the needs. I think the only other cool feature would be a way to receive voice chats back and play them to her
  - atleta 6y ago
    This is very far from being true as a generic statement. My parents are around 80 and they are not the only ones of this age I know who can use these devices pretty efficiently. (They both have an android smart phone plus they have a Linux laptop. They use these all the time. Oh, and they watch content and listen to internet radio on their Kodi running on a RasPi.) Of course not all 80 year old will be able to use these efficiently or, for that matter will like using them, but that's a different story. You can still make those easier to use (e.g. with a customized android skin/ui) or build a thing that somewhat looks like an actual but specialized computer.
- fighterpilot 6y ago
  The device isn't being pitched to old people who know how to use an iPad. It's being pitched to old people who don't. So your mum has nothing to worry about.

by nanna 6y ago

nanna 6y ago

Look, let me put this another way, since I'm being downvoted. I think my 70 year old mum, who is a grandma, would find it patronising and sexist to have a device pitched to her as an easier to use version of the iPad she is a bloody master of in every way. She's far more adapt than my dad, bless him, but even he can use WhatsApp and the like fine after being shown.

mattowen_uk 6y ago
I was about to say the same thing, but it seems you got flak for it. Here in the UK, a large percentage of 70+ year olds (my Father is 75) are totally au fait with mobile phones, computers and tablets. In fact a lot of older folk have moved to large tablets as it's easier to zoom the text and scroll around for people their age. Maybe it's a country-by-country thing?
flobosg 6y ago
FWIW, the author’s grandmother is twenty-six years older than your mother: https://twitter.com/mrcatacroquer/status/1386318879572570112 https://twitter.com/mrcatacroquer/status/1386318879572570112 > My Yaya is Felisa Romano Martin, from Segovia, 96 years old, and she is the best Yaya in the world.
- fauria 6y ago
  That tweet goes along with an impressive picture of the Alcázar de Segovia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site medieval castle: https://www.eladelantado.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/ALc%C3%A1zar-de-Segovia-Nevado-1392x927.jpg https://www.eladelantado.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/ALc%... [1] More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alc%C3%A1zar_of_Segovia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alc%C3%A1zar_of_Segovia [1] Source (Spanish): https://www.eladelantado.com/segovia/la-imagen-segovia/ https://www.eladelantado.com/segovia/la-imagen-segovia/
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
andrewzah 6y ago
It's called that because they made it specifically for their grandmother. Do we really need to state that it's going to depend on the particular person and their needs? Also, that grandmother is _96_. That is not even remotely close to someone in their ~70s. It is also dependent on the person: one of my grandmothers (around 70) doesn't like ipads, and can operate phones a little bit. My other grandma, similar age, loves her ipad. You're being downvoted because you're treating this like a generalized business pitch, when it's a specialized hardware project someone did for their own grandmother, and gave it a cute name based on their language. If I made something specifically for my grandmother, I might include "bunica" in the name. Seeing as that's what my whole family calls her, and its a way to say grandmother in Romanian, which is a gendered language. Also, I fail to see how the gender of the word for grandmother here is relevant for the discussion. Grammatical genders (also called noun classes) are not necessarily related to human sexes, but I digress.
- dang 6y ago
  Please don't post in the flamewar style to HN. If you're answering a comment that you think is incorrect, do so in a netural and/or friendly way. Otherwise you just make the thread worse, no matter how right you are or feel you are. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - andrewzah 6y ago
    My apologies, will edit.
  - nanna 6y ago
    Thanks for all your work, dang.
- nanna 6y ago
  > you're treating this like a generalized business pitch, when it's a specialized hardware project someone did for their own grandmother, and gave it a cute name based on their language. Ok, fair enough, I accept your argument.
- 6y ago
notwhereyouare 6y ago
you put an ipad in front of my 80 year old grandma and she'll have NO idea how to use it. Even after training her and walking her through using it multiple times. She just won't remember. This device is basic and captures all the needs. I think the only other cool feature would be a way to receive voice chats back and play them to her
- atleta 6y ago
  This is very far from being true as a generic statement. My parents are around 80 and they are not the only ones of this age I know who can use these devices pretty efficiently. (They both have an android smart phone plus they have a Linux laptop. They use these all the time. Oh, and they watch content and listen to internet radio on their Kodi running on a RasPi.) Of course not all 80 year old will be able to use these efficiently or, for that matter will like using them, but that's a different story. You can still make those easier to use (e.g. with a customized android skin/ui) or build a thing that somewhat looks like an actual but specialized computer.
fighterpilot 6y ago
The device isn't being pitched to old people who know how to use an iPad. It's being pitched to old people who don't. So your mum has nothing to worry about.