The Ordissimo Laptop Computer

Monday, 23 July 2012

One of our reviewers - Martyn Davies - has given us his views on the Ordissimo Simplified Laptop. 

The Ordissimo laptop is aimed at people, particularly the over 50s, who have never used a computer or the internet before.

First impressions of the computer are not good. It feels very light and plasticky. The trackpad that you would use to control the mouse on the screen is very small and difficult to see for sight-impaired people.

It is flush to the surface of the computer too - making it annoyingly easy to lose control of the mouse as your finger slips off the edge. The trackpad position is rather strange too. It’s on the left. I’m sure that there is a good reason for this but I can’t fathom it myself. But the good news is, if you are left handed you will find the trackpad handily positioned for you. There are two “mouse” buttons but both perform the same function.

If you have used a computer before, you will find the keyboard layout differs hugely from a standard computer keyboard layout. And if you want to know what a standard layout looks like, you can lift the rubber keyboard cover off. Basically, the Ordissimo is a standard laptop underneath.

There are some things to like about the Ordissimo. Large, clear, on-screen icons make opening applications easy. And if that doesn’t make things simple enough there are also dedicated function keys for launching tasks. Both the icons and function keys are labelled without jargon – mail; photos; write; to name but a few. And each key has a single purpose so you won’t have to hold down combinations of keys to get the computer to perform simple tasks like copy and paste.  There are special keys for zooming the text size on screen. The mouse buttons, however, are stiff and quite hard to press. One big plus is the operating system. It isn’t Windows - so the Ordissimo isn’t prone to computer viruses and malicious attacks from hackers.

In use, the computer is quick to power up and the icon-driven interface is reminiscent of an iPad screen. There is a customisation option where you can add extra “apps” to increase the functionality of the computer. But unlike the iPad, the choices are limited. Some of the apps duplicate functions already on the computer and some just don’t work.

In summary, the Ordissimo is a good idea, poorly executed. It feels cheap but at £599 for what is basically a £300 laptop, it isn’t.