Need a Tech Makeover? sponsored by Intel®

Dave Altavilla and Marco Chiappetta of Hot Hardware hit the road to deliver tech makeovers.
Meet the lucky winners, and see all the Intel® powered gadgets put to good use!

Christine Arehart – NeedATechMakeover.com winner, Getnthruit

Keith Mottola – NeedATechMakeover.com winner, Steps off Broadway

Susan Gibbs – NeedATechMakeover.com winner, Fiber Farm

Congratulations to Christine, Keith, & Susan, and thanks to all of you who contributed in the NeedATechMakeover.com contest! Also, don’t forget to check out our parenting blogs at Mighty Girl, The Savvy Source, Cool Mom Picks, Craftzine.com. Happy Holidays!

Well, the community has spoken, the judges have weighed in, and we have three deserving winners who will soon be made over with $5000 each in fabulous new technology.

Please join us in congratulating:

• Steps off Broadway
• MVFiberFarm
• and Getnthruit!

Dave Altavilla and Marco Chiappetta of Hot Hardware will connect with our winners, videotaping the process of setting up their new gadgets and gizmos. We should be posting their videos here in early December, so make sure to come back and see them and give our winners a little love while you’re here!

1. Seven years of service – this puppy is a member of AARP in pc world.
2. It randomly shuts down faster than my husband in front of the television, remote in hand.
3. Wait, it just shut down and took 15 mins to reboot and reload this page so I could post.
4. I cannot lug this monstrosity to my favorite coffee bistro (with free wifi!) like I could if I had a laptop.
5. PETA will be after me if they knew I didn’t have a processor in this machine, my dogs are on a treadmill that is attached to a pulley which feeds into the cpu. I feed ‘em, I do!

I just want to join the internets. Really.

This is a tech makeover plea for my Mom and Dad.

They have a home computer now. An outdated, slow, cantankerous old thing that no longer meets their basic technology needs. What they need is new home computing technology that will carry them into the future. Let me tell you why…

They are expecting their first grandson any day now — today, October 6, is my due date. So, seriously, we are literally talking any day now! That’s the good news. The bad news is that 2,000 miles separate my Mom and Dad from their soon-to-be-born grandbaby. Traveling this distance more than once or possibly twice a year is the most my family can manage financially. A technology makeover would allow them to share in their grandson’s life though online video and photo sharing, two simple communication tools that are completely out of the question with their current computer system.

At the young age of 54, my Mom has lost most of her sight in both eyes. Among all the difficulties this creates in her life, this loss makes it impossible for her to continue to use the current home computer for personal or business use. In addition to helping her see her grandson grow, a technology makeover that includes tools for the sight impaired would allow my Mom to continue to use the home computer to manage my parents’ modest real estate investments (for retirement).

With the first grandson on the way, my Mom and Dad already have a granddaughter – my 12-year old niece, Rachel, whom they are now raising. Despite some challenges in her upbringing, Rachel is a very bright child, curious and interested in learning. With the right guidance and support, she could end up being just the second person in our extended family to attend college. A technology makeover for the home computer would enable her to keep up with school assignments and research college options (using the school’s computers before or after regular school hours is difficult since my Dad works and my Mom can’t drive).

A tech makeover will help my Mom and Dad in so many ways. They both will be able to bond with their new grandson even over a great distance. My Mom will be able to continue to use a computer despite her sight challenges. And their granddaughter will have a valuable tool to help her succeed in school and prepare for college.

My parents are in dire need of a tech makeover, but I hesitate to call it a makeover because technology is only minimally present in their lives to begin with. They were recently given cell phones for emergencies and travel; before that, they wondered if they could call cell numbers if they weren’t using a cell phone themselves. They now know the answer, I hope. They are both 69 and on a limited income. My father enlisted in the US Navy when in his native Philippines; he retired from the Navy while still a young man only because of back injuries. Since then he has been in food service in schools and nursing homes. My mother was a teacher briefly, was a stay-at-home mom for many years, rejoined the workforce in the Navy Exchange, and then retired a few years ago. Neither of them have been in occupations which require computer literacy. The one time my father had the courage to sign up for a computer class was when Commodore 64s were top of the line; and even then, the class consisted of lecturing and no hands-on experience. My sister and I both live far away from them and can’t provide tech support they would need if they did have a computer (they live in Florida, and my sister and I live in Minnesota and Virginia respectively).

My family is far-flung, with relatives on both coasts and in Canada and the Philippines. I know my parents feel cut off because they don’t have e-mail; they often ask me for my advice on services for seniors such as Celery which print or fax e-mails. I have researched that for them, but they would only be able to receive messages, and not send images or other files. My father is an avid amateur photographer and has taken some beautiful shots over the years; I would love to share some with you but he doesn’t have a scanner. He has been interested in getting a DSLR or even a pocket-sized point-and-shoot for some time; while it’s possible to take a camera’s memory card to a camera shop and print its contents without having a computer at home, that wouldn’t be taking full advantage of the camera’s potential, not to mention that he can’t share his shots with others without a computer. A tech makeover would help my father explore his favorite hobby, and help my whole family stay in touch.