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Microsoft UK also says it is working on an ad-funded PC

It will come as no surprise that what officials in the UK consider being the “digitally excluded” are commonly the elderly and the poor. Here in the U.S., there is an entire market for electronic devices that are specifically designed and cater to the needs of the elderly.

Cell phones for elderly users have fewer buttons, are easier to use, and have larger screen fonts that can be read by those with poor eye sight. Microsoft UK isdeveloping what it calls a Senior PC that will be aimed at the same group of users.

The Senior PC will have a simplified user interface and come pre-loaded with tools that will help the elderly in their everyday lives. The pre-loaded tools will include an application to manage prescription medications and to manage photos.

Microsoft UK is developing the Senior PC in cooperation with two UK charities; Age Concern and Help the Aged. The plans for the Senior PC were unveiled at a London conference called Digital Inclusion.

According to BBC News, around 17 million UK citizens are considered to be “digitally excluded.” In America, Microsoft previously offered a similar PC in cooperation with HP and BBC News says it’s unclear if the UK project will be similar.

The Senior PC will come with a digital literacy curriculum preloaded in a partnership with Milton Keyes council. The digital curriculum will help the elderly learn how to be get online as well as how to be safe online and perform simple computer tasks. Initially the Senior PC will be given to 1,000 households and if the program proves successful it will be increased gradually to 10,000 participating homes.

Firm details on the Senior PC are lacking, but Microsoft head of skills and economic affairs Stephen Uden said at the National Digital Inclusion Conference in London, “Reaching most of the final third will mean that we have to throw out the rule book. We will only solve these issues by taking risks and trying new things.” Uden gave no firm shipment date for the Senior PC, but did say Microsoft expects the computer to be ready within a year.

The Senior PC isn’t the only project in the works from Microsoft UK that aims to lessen the digital divide in the UK. Microsoft also says that it is working on an ad-funded PC and a PC that uses a so-called social software licensing model. There is no clear information on how exactly either of these two types of PCs would work.

dailytech.com