Fujitsu 'Grannote' is the First Windows Notebook Designed with Your Grandmother In Mind
The folks at Fujitsu just launched a laptop that takes direct aim at grandparents. It's called Grannote (it's a Lifebook AH90/P) and it's intended for "mature adults, primarily around 60 years of age," the Japanese PC maker says. How do you tailor a laptop for the 60-year-old and over crowd? You start with a "clean design that resonates with mature sensibilities," or something like that.
It takes a bit of persistence to wade through Fujitsu's marketing jargon, but straight to the point, the Grannote is a notebook with user friendly features that senior citizens who aren't particularly tech savvy will appreciate. Things like "highly legible keycaps" with a 3mm key stroke and 18.4mm key pitch for satisfying key action and comfortable hand placement.
"The little finger or pinky finger, for example, types with less force, and so the keys that it presses are weighted for a lighter touch, while the keys that the thumbs press need more force to register a click," Fujitsu explains. "All of these subtle factors combine to make a keyboard that allows for smoother input with a satisfying feel. Similarly, the touchpad is designed with a button that gives reassuring feedback when pressed, helping prevent mistaken clicks and contributing to a stress-free experience."
It's those kinds of minute touches that Fujitsu feels will appeal to grandparents, along with things like "Awaseru Voice," which automatically adjusts the volume levels of high-frequency sounds depending on the age of the user. The idea with the latter part is to enhance high-frequency sounds that become harder to hear as one ages so the user can more easily hear what an actor is saying in a streaming movie, for example.
As to the actual hardware, Fujitsu didn't reveal a whole lot, saying the Grannote comes with an Intel Core i7 4500U processor, 8GB of RAM, around 1TB of storage, slot-loading Blu-ray drive, and box-type speakers. From the pictures, we can see at least USB 3.0 ports, HDMI output, a memory card reader, and a headphone jack all located on the left side of the Grannote.
The Grannote will launch exclusively to Japan on February 13, 2014. Pricing has not yet been determined.
It takes a bit of persistence to wade through Fujitsu's marketing jargon, but straight to the point, the Grannote is a notebook with user friendly features that senior citizens who aren't particularly tech savvy will appreciate. Things like "highly legible keycaps" with a 3mm key stroke and 18.4mm key pitch for satisfying key action and comfortable hand placement.
"The little finger or pinky finger, for example, types with less force, and so the keys that it presses are weighted for a lighter touch, while the keys that the thumbs press need more force to register a click," Fujitsu explains. "All of these subtle factors combine to make a keyboard that allows for smoother input with a satisfying feel. Similarly, the touchpad is designed with a button that gives reassuring feedback when pressed, helping prevent mistaken clicks and contributing to a stress-free experience."
It's those kinds of minute touches that Fujitsu feels will appeal to grandparents, along with things like "Awaseru Voice," which automatically adjusts the volume levels of high-frequency sounds depending on the age of the user. The idea with the latter part is to enhance high-frequency sounds that become harder to hear as one ages so the user can more easily hear what an actor is saying in a streaming movie, for example.
As to the actual hardware, Fujitsu didn't reveal a whole lot, saying the Grannote comes with an Intel Core i7 4500U processor, 8GB of RAM, around 1TB of storage, slot-loading Blu-ray drive, and box-type speakers. From the pictures, we can see at least USB 3.0 ports, HDMI output, a memory card reader, and a headphone jack all located on the left side of the Grannote.
The Grannote will launch exclusively to Japan on February 13, 2014. Pricing has not yet been determined.
