The MailStation was an email only device that was marketed as a very simple, very cost-effective alternative to a home computer if your only interest was sending and receiving emails. I've heard it referred to as PawPaw Mail...you know, something for Grandma and Grandpa to use...not too complicated with few things that could go wrong. This seemed like the perfect solution to moving my parents into the 20th century and keeping them connected to children in California, Texas and Virginia. My mom took to it like a duck to water. She loved sending and receiving emails and soon developed a long list of folks she corresponded with. The MailStation did have it's drawbacks. You only viewed a couple of lines of text at a time and there wasn't the capability of viewing pictures. Let's face it...it's not a computer. Mailstation II solved the problem of not being able to view pictures, but the process to view pictures was cumbersome. The pictures couldn't be viewed in color, screen size was limiting and acceptable picture formats were not very user friendly. A home computer seemed to be the answer. Unfortunately a home computer was also the problem.
Teaching an 80 year old how to use a computer is a daunting task. The goal was still to primarily have access to email and viewing pictures, but it was no longer as simple as turning on the MailStation. I did my best to simplify the process, writing detailed lists of instructions, but it is impossible to anticipate everything that could and would go wrong. After a long weekend of instruction we left Pennsylvania and returned to Virginia hopeful that communication had been established and would be maintained.
Suffice it to say that one short weekend did not answer all questions and didn't make my Mom an expert. I spent a lot of time on the phone, trying to visualize what my Mom was seeing as she tried to understand this new machine. It was a frustrating experience for both my mother and myself and Jan had to remind me on more than one occasion to watch my tone. I needed a better way to provide help from three states away.
Enter Teamviewer. Teamviewer, free for personal use, allows you to remotely control any computer. Both computers have to have Teamviewer installed. It is then a simple matter to have the person you want to help open Teamviewer on their computer while you do the same thing.
Here's a screenshot:
Your partner gives your their ID number and password shown on the Teamviewer window and you take control of their computer. You see their screen and control their computer. I was now able to take control of my mother's computer, walk her through the problem she was having, saving a huge amount of frustration for both of us. Life has been simpler for both of us. If you are responsible for keeping parents or friends connected on the internet.....do yourself a favor...get Teamviewer!