PC with 6 keys for elderly

LONDON: Those excluded from the digital revolution, particularly the millions of elderly people, have a new hope with the launch of an easy-to-use computer to get them online.

The stripped-down ���SimplicITy��� PCs, which is less prone to viruses than standard computers, have just six buttons and allow technology-shy users to surf the internet, send emails and watch videos without having to navigate around cluttered desktops.

���Elderly people will be able to stay in touch with relatives overseas, and order their groceries online rather than having to traipse to the shops,��� said Valerie Singleton, the former Blue Peter presenter and co-founder of Discount Age, the website which devised the idea.

Launched ealier this week, for ��435.99 and ��525.99, it is slighlty more expensive than the market average for a simple desktop computer, the Daily Telegraph newspaper said on Thursday.

The firm claims it has already received interest from several nursing home chains interested in installing the machines in communal areas, as well as approaches from Germany, the US and Canada.