Telikin attacks the problem from two angles. Like everybody else, seniors find computer software confusing and hard to operate.
Older users also must cope with fading eyesight and trembling fingers, which make it hard to read tiny on-screen menus or steer a computer mouse.
So Venture 3 bought and adapted a bunch of touchscreen computers made by Micro-Star International Co. of Taiwan. The touchscreen means that users can bypass the mouse and tap onscreen icons to control vital features. As for software, Telikin abandoned Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system, replacing it with its own secret sauce, a customized version of the free Linux operating system.
That means that standard Windows programs, from Microsoft Office to Modern Warfare 2, won’t run on the Telikin.
But on the upside, Telikin features a bold, simple user interface that’s far easier for beginners than any Windows box. Users get painless, instant access to the computer’s most valuable services simply by touching a few on-screen icons.
At start-up, you see the latest news headlines, the weather, notices of any incoming messages, and even a lovely landscape photo and an inspiring quote for the day. Along the left edge of the screen are icons to activate Telikin’s key features. Touch an icon, and there’s your e-mail box. Touch another, and you see a selection of popular websites about news, weather, entertainment, or religion. Pick the site you want, and a simplified version of the Firefox browser brings it to you. Want to video chat with the grandkids? Another icon launches the Skype Internet chat service and a directory of friends and relatives. A webcam and microphone are built into the MSI computer; touch the screen to place the call. I found video resolution to be mediocre, but the sound quality was excellent.
The Telikin has a 350-gigabyte hard drive for saving important documents, photos, and videos, and its built-in DVD drive lets it double as a movie player. It’s easily connected to any home broadband system with an Ethernet port or a built-in Wi-Fi wireless system.
