PRESTO: CROSSING THE COMMUNICATION BARRIER FOR PEOPLE WITHOUT COMPUTERS

Not everyone in a social network has a computer. Think about your family and your customers... does everyone have access to email at home? Prestoprovides a telephone connected printer that allows people without a computer to still receive email, digital photos (even from Facebook), PDF files, and other documents. Many seniors are on Facebook. In fact, older adults are the fastest growing segment of Facebook. The interactions help keep families together: "On an almost daily basis I know what they're doing in their lives, and all the things they comment on," says Davi, 73. "It's been a great blessing." Where Presto comes in is for those people who do not have a computer, but still want to be in touch. I met Peter Radsliff, CEO of Presto, at the Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit and was intrigued by his story of grandparents who went from feeling out of touch with their family to having a refrigerator covered in current emails and pictures. Is it just for families? Like most technologies, the power is in how it’s used. Families are certainly the major correspondents, but anyone on the approved senders list can be in touch simply by sending a regular email: doctors & other caregivers, community organizations (e.g., for a monthly calendar or announcements), news sources & entertainment. How do Presto customers reply to the emails? According to the Presto website, “the way they're most comfortable—with a phone call. Presto makes this easy to do by printing the sender's telephone number on each email we deliver.” Presto was a technology that took me by surprise. I could easily see the value to people without computers at home, but then the breadth of other uses became clear. Someday all family members and customers will have some kind of a computer at home, but until then, Presto provides a tool and service for crossing the communication barrier for those who do not.