Who is a senior? Someone over 65? Boomers are between 44 and 62. Ronni Bennett at Time Goes By defines elders as anyone over age 50. Does being of a certain age mean that you require special accomodations in the form of a "Senior PC" or an extra simple cell phone or an adapted elderbrowser?

Microsoft Corporation just announced a project in the UK that will start development of what they are called a Senior PC. Jane Wakefield described it at BBC News in Microsoft developing 'senior PC'.

Microsoft UK is developing a "senior PC", which will have a simple interface and be aimed at older users.

The PC will come with software that allows users to manage prescriptions as well as simplified tools for everyday use, such as managing photos.

The machine, which it is developing in partnership with charities Age Concern and Help the Aged, is one of several projects the firm is working on.

Wakefield further explains,

In the United States, Microsoft already offers a number of so-called senior PCs, in conjunction with HP computers. It is not clear if the UK project is identical to the one in the US.

Other projects Microsoft is working on include an ad-funded PC and one that uses what it describes as a "social software licensing model".

In partnership with Milton Keynes council, this machine will come preloaded with a "digital literacy curriculum" - a step by step guide to how to get online, be safe and perform simple computer tasks.

Jacqui Cheng at ars technica found out more about the senior PC already available in the US and reported in Your grandma's computer: Microsoft SeniorPC en route to UK.

The SeniorPC, however, seems like the most solid idea of the bunch, as Microsoft already offers the product in the US. Through a partnership with HP, the machines offer a "simplified way" to do things like e-mail, word processing, travel planning, manage prescriptions, finances, and photos. The standard desktop model goes for $1,075 and comes with a 17" LCD, a printer/scanner/copier, Windows Vista Home Premium, and all of the aforementioned software. There is also an "autopilot" package for $1,185 that contains all of the above, but is specifically geared towards seniors with little-to-no computer experience. Both packages also come in laptop form, for seniors who are on the go.

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed with Ars that the UK program would mirror the one already available in the US. As for whether it's a popular item, Microsoft's not entirely sure, but is optimistic. "Given that the SeniorPC is still fairly new, it has only been around for about six months now, we have received good response from customers interested in the SeniorPC," the company told us.

While I'm certainly in the demographic, I'm already quite capable of using my computer, thank you very much. If a simpler computer is a good thing for older people, it should be a good thing for ALL people. As we have learned from the accessibility and web standards advocates, making a site accessible to someone with a disability is equally beneficial to the people who don't have handicaps. Accessible sites are also loved by the search engines, who just want to have fun with clear content. It's a win-win for every type of user. It doesn't just benefit the disabled.

You may recall this BlogHer article about Internet use and various demographics Pew Report on Digital Footprints. Ronni, at Time Goes By, commented on the Pew Report in her article Elder Technology Use.

While 85 percent of 18-29 year olds have sent or received text messages, only 11 percent of people 65 and older have. And although 34 percent of the youngest group have recorded a video on a wireless device, only 3 percent of elders have. . . .

Still, it is heartening to know that 29 percent of online users 65 and older have logged on away from work or home using a wireless laptop.

While elders lag behind young folks in adoption of technology, the numbers are remarkable when you remember that people older than 65 did not grow up with technology as the 20-somethings have and often, too, they retired before computers, cell phones, etc. were ubiquitous at work. They’ve had to teach themselves, sometimes with help from their adult children or grandchildren, but often not.

Keep in mind that elders are not the only self-taught computer users, not the only ones who haven't received formal training in technology. To me, a simpler computer, with easy to understand tools, sounds like a great idea for older people, younger people, newbies of every age, and technophobes of every generation.

Heather, on Tech sees both sides of the issue in Senior PC: Get Your (Grandmother's) Game On!.

My dad is pretty computer- and web-savvy. He's had a computer since about 1985 (maybe earlier) and he's definitely a power user. He was also born in the immediate post-war era (that's WWII, people), so he's not a spring chicken (but he ain't old, either!). My mother is four days younger than my father (yes, really). She despises her computer, although she's far better at using it than many people her age. I often push her to the limit with sending her MMS messages and making her join Twitter, and it frustrates her easily and quickly when things go wrong. But she's a trooper, and she actually carries a BlackJack as a phone, so hey, it's all good.

I've tried to convince my grandmother that she needs a computer too. She's 84 years old. I don't call her often enough, and I don't go see her often enough, but I would keep in much better and more frequent contact with her if she just had email. She scoffs at the idea, even when I offer to give her one of my old ones. But, my father and uncle have convinced her to carry a cell phone with her, and she's doing it (even in the yard), so there may be hope.

Microsoft seems to consider the mobile phone a technological entry point, as Heather, on Tech does. Speaking at the National Digital Inclusion Conference in London, Microsoft's head of skills and economic affairs Stephen Uden also brought up the idea of mobile phones. The BBC News article quoted him, saying,

He also said that the problem will not be solved by PC access alone.

"We have to get away form the idea that everyone is going to get a PC. It is simply not easy enough to use or cheap enough for everyone."

Instead many of the digitally excluded with be reached via mobile phones, digital TV and gaming consoles, he predicted.

Alina Turino, reporting in The New York Times, wrote At a Certain Age, Simplicity Sells in High-Tech Gadgets in mid-April. The article mentions simpler cell phone technology.

But, on the brighter side, I am trailing the baby boom bubble. And as their (and my) eyesight falters, their fingers become less dexterous and their minds less adaptable, the trend toward ever smaller gadgets with ever more features suddenly does not seem so appealing.

Consider the ubiquitous cellphone. Two models of phones, Jitterbug by GreatCall Inc. and Coupe by Verizon, offer the most basic services available. One version of the Samsung Jitterbug, for example, has only three buttons: one you can program to call one number, say a friend, work or home; another to call a live operator; and a third to call 911. The other Jitterbug is more like a regular phone, but both have dial tones and larger keypads.

Whether you're a baby boomer, an elder, a senior, or just a person turning 40 who finds her arms are no longer long enough to read small print, itty bitty keys are a problem. And what if you had Parkinson's or MS and had problems with fine motor skills? Tiny buttons are not helpful.

Turino also had some information about the senior PC.

Microsoft and Apple have certainly noticed this growing market. Last year, Microsoft began selling the SeniorPC (Memo: may want to think about a name change). Hewlett-Packard’s computers, available as desktops or laptops, come with mental acuity games, prescription software (that provides reminders when to take medication at the correct dosage and when to reorder, as well as medical history), financial software and the option of a keyboard with larger buttons.

They can also be used with a simplified desktop screen that hides options, for those who need just a few functions, said Rob Sinclair, director for accessibility at Microsoft.

Finally, we come to the idea of a special browser for elders. Not a whole computer, just a browser that's adapted for elders. Ronni from Time Goes By presented at Gnomedex last year. She talked about the problems elders have with browsers. In
You Can Help Build the First ElderBrowser, Ronni explains what happened.

It is thrilling that my presentation at Gnomedex in early August caught the attention of some big-name technology companies along with some individual, expert technologists. One of the latter is a fine, young man named Joshua McKenty who chased me down at my seat in the auditorium at Gnomedex to offer his services in creating a web browser that would meet the needs of old people.

And, my friends, he wasn’t just blowing smoke. In only three weeks since Gnomedex, we are already in the early stages of developing an ElderBrowser that will make surfing easier for old people whose eyesight may be fading, whose motor skills can diminish, and which will speed the learning curve of newbie elders.

The really interesting part of the discussion about a browser for elders comes from the readers who left comments. If you want to know what elders think about browing experiences and what kind of suggestions they have about making browsing better, read all the comments. If you think that age is a factor in "getting technology" you may be surprised by the comments of these elders.