Email seniors? How do you to that if they don't use a computer, like the 52% of Americans over age 65 (according to a Pew Internet & American Life Project study)? Did you know you can now email seniors to bring them into today's digitally connected family, it's easy with Presto computerless email. They don't need to have a computer or Internet connection, they only need a Presto Mail account ($15/mo.) and a Presto Printing Mailbox ($99.00 one-time cost).
Best of all, there is nothing at all for them to learn. During account signup, you are provided an address for their email - seniors only need to pick up the paper once they hear the “you've got mail” tone on the printer. Only email from approved senders is delivered using the senior's regular telephone line. All of this is totally automatic with no ringing phone, no interrupting calls, and no buttons they need to press.
CONNECTING GRANDKIDS
Included with Presto is a way for grandkids to tag photos on Facebook and deliver them automatically to grandma or grandpa's email - seniors absolutely love this visual connection to the generations.
GREAT FOR A GIFT - OR FOR HELPING TAKE CARE OF MOM/DAD
Lots of people buy Presto on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day to give the gift of photos and email seniors love. But Presto also provides a lot of tools that can help a family help their Mom or Dad age safely in their own home. Things like scheduled medication reminders, to-do lists, pre-scheduled email messages (for future events), boarding passes, fandango tickets, etc. -- it’s incredible how many different ways families use Presto to send email seniors find helpful to their daily activities.
To find out more about Presto and for the latest special offer, click [ here ].
Thanks,
The Presto Team
My last post about senior email referenced a review from Amazon that described the value families get from hooking up their parents or grandparents digitally. For this post, I asked someone who didn’t know anything about Presto to read about it and write down what they thought the value was. This provided an “outsiders” perspective that is uncolored by actual use of the product, or from any pressure to write a review than panders to a particular audience. I found it interesting and hope you like it. Thanks to the author (who asked to remain anonymous) — Peter Radsliff, CEO, Presto Services Inc.
“In today’s internet savvy world everything is done digitally including updating family members. But what about family members who don’t want to mess with email, can't afford a computer or simply do not want one?
Postal offices are quickly fading and a phone call can only provide so much.
It certainly can’t allow your loved ones to watch as your family grows. As the younger generation continues to become technically inclined, most of our elder generation simply refuses to buy in to all of it. But it’s still important to keep them updated and there is a great way to do that.
It’s called Presto.
Presto is an email machine that allows an e-letter to be sent through a phone line to your loved one without the use of internet or computer. It allows them to print a full document of what you have sent to them from a simple “Hello” to a Christmas newsletter. Presto allows for full color photos as well so your loved ones can receive updated pictures of your family quickly.
When most people hear about an email machine, the first thing that comes to mind is spam. With Presto, you don’t have to worry about spam. This email machine only allows for authorized users to send directly to the machine’s specified address.
Presto provides a great source of communication with family members and since most of us do everything we can online in today’s world, it makes our life much simpler as well. It’s a quick and efficient way to communicate regularly and is very easy-to-use. It’s a plug and go email machine and doesn’t have a lot of confusing switches, gizmos and gadgets.
If you are looking for a great way to communicate that is an alternative to email and internet Presto can provide a great way to keep family members updated without the use of a computer.”
A “gift for dad” chronicled through an Amazon.com review by S. Johnson in Dallas, Texas. This person captures the benefit of Presto’s email machine for seniors better than anything we could say.
Here is the text of the Amazon review that is depicted above:
[five stars] Christmas is coming up- Best senior gift EVER!!!, December 4, 2011
by S. Johnson "xxp00" (Dallas)
If you are searching for a holiday gift idea for that senior citizen/baby boomer in your life...THIS IS IT!!!
My mom was always the designated tech-ie...my dad would always had her the cell phone when it rang...she managed the computer and email account...and when we gave him his own laptop to try and bring him into the communication loop....he used it for playing checkers!
Now that my mom is having memory issues he can no longer rely on her to check email and stay in touch with those of us spread all over the country. The kids and grandkids want to share activities and photos and just keep in touch but with time differences its difficult to make a phone call.. and he sometimes it's difficult for him to hear a call made from a cell phone or from inside a car with road noise. BUT this little gadgit solves all those challenges! I was able to set up a new email address for dad and moniter the address book of who can email him (this equals NO SPAM or unsolicited email!) I was able to set up 1-5 predetermined times a day when his email or messages from us will be printed out on his PRESTO printer. Whatever is convenient for him.
He can look forward to walking by his PRESTO printer on his way to breakfast and at lunch and or dinner and picking up his email to read and share with my mom over mealtime or to show friends and neighbors the latest pictures they received!
Now, for example, I can send them my travel schedule and know that they have a hard copy to refer to. They always know how to reach me as my contact phone number prints out at the bottom of each email from me so if they want to respond they don't have to look up my number!!! It's right there on the email!!!
This is a really nice feature of the PRESTO machine...as they are always getting my cell phone number mixed up with my daughters and my brothers and my husbands...etc....but NOW the contact number of the sender of the email prints out with the message so they can easily respond with a call if they need to!
The monthly subscription fee is nominal compared to the data plan I was paying for on the iPhone they never really learned to use.
Now I can get a confirmation email that Dad rec'd my email if I choose to. The PRESTO even lets me see how he's doing with supplies like paper and ink so I can arrange for refills went he needs it.
I had some issues with the initial set up of the device and was contacted by the CEO who together with his customer service team, contacted my Dad personally and resovled every problem. I have never experienced this level of customer service with ANY product!
I think the PRESTO email machine is a life changer for my Dad. He really enjoys getting mail 5 times a day! But selfishly...it's a gift for ME! I never have to worry about staying in touch....If I have something to share with him or just want him to know I'm thinking of him...PRESTO! He knows!
Thanks PRESTO for making my life easier!!!!
Envision the setting: Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher—the high priest and priestess of technology from the Wall Street Journal—onstage at their D4 All Things Digital conference in 2006, about to see Presto revealed to them, the audience, and the world.
Photo: © Wall Street Journal
A photo of them is snapped by a Palm Treo smartphone, then attached to an email message, and sent. Moments later, that photo automatically prints out of a device the world has never seen before. A device that prints out messages and photo attachments sent via email, that are beautifully formatted, at high resolution, in full color—without being connected to a computer or the Internet! And with that single sheet of paper emerging from the HP Printing Mailbox, Presto computerless email was born.
Today, hundreds of thousands of family members rely on Presto to send their parents and grandparents not only email, but also airline boarding passes, Fandango tickets, medication reminders, Facebook photos and more.
Map of Presto users in America (source: Presto)
The other day, I was asked what one thing has surprised me most about seeing Presto evolve over the years. I answered that it was how clever families have been using Presto to help their loved ones remain healthy and happy from a distance. For example, we received a note from a dutiful son who took photos of his Mom’s pills and created a custom PDF medication page that he sent to her daily. We were so impressed by this that we created an automated scheduling engine to facilitate this type of task—which became the basis for the PrestoConnect communications manager.
The second thing that amazed me was just how difficult it has been to make people aware that Presto exists in the first place. Although Presto Mail has just turned five years old, throughout its “toddler” years it has been featured on TV’s The View, Montel, In the Loop with iVillage, many cable shows, and twice on The Martha Stewart Show.
Presto on The Martha Stewart Show
Presto has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today and many other leading newspapers plus Parenting, Parade, USA Weekend and AARP Magazines just to name a few. But even with the substantial media coverage and online discussions Presto has garnered, I am always surprised when I hear from people I encounter who say it is exactly what their parent or granparent needs but why have they never heard of it?
Of course, I am highly sensitive to whether people just don’t KNOW about Presto, or whether they really don’t CARE about Presto. But the 5-star Amazon reviews and hundreds of messages we have received telling us how Presto has improved their lives makes me know it is the former, and that there is an awareness challenge for tools like Presto that can substantially improve the lives of America’s seniors.
Presto user reviews on Amazon.com
That’s why in 2010, I co-founded the Aging Technology Alliance with about 30 like-minded leaders of companies who are similarly trying to improve the world for our graying population. AgeTek now has over 65 member companies and organizations and is becoming a force to be reckoned with.
In addition to the wonderful interactions I have had with Presto account managers and end users—whom we lovingly nickname “Lindas” and “Betties” respectively—my life has been enriched by becoming a small part of a growing movement of concerned individuals who are advocating for change to improve the lives of our elder loved ones. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge Susan Ayers Walker - founder of Smart Silvers and the leader who fanned the spark that turned into a flame which became AgeTek; Laurie Orlov - our industry’s original tech analyst; Mary Furlong - founder of the original SeniorNet and boomer industry guru; Jill Gilbert - founder of The Gilbert Guide and digital health technology guru; Dr. Marion Somers - geriatric care manager to the stars and strident advocate for senior rights; and the wonderful people at GrandCare Systems: Charlie Hillman, Gaytha Traynor and Laura Mitchell whose tireless effort, advocacy and production of their bi-weekly industry web conference have helped moved the industry forward. These are but a few of the committed individuals whom I have been honored to collaborate with in the charge to empower millions of caregivers with technology that can bring comfort, safety and happiness to their elder loved ones.
Looking back, it’s been an incredible ride. Presto has helped so many families stay more connected using the tools they prefer: senders using Facebook, iPhone, PC, etc. and receivers getting “e-letters.” We are happy to have played a part.
What’s next for Presto? We’re now working on tackling some other very big problems that are facing Americans and expect to launch our “next big thing” in 2012. Until then, thanks to everyone who has sent one of the tens of millions of Presto Mail messages that have brought a smile to a grandparent’s face.
Cheers,
Peter Radsliff
CEO, Presto Services Inc.
As uninterested as I am in trying to piggyback on the misfortune of another, I feel compelled to write something about a person whom I’ve never met, yet who has fundamentally changed who I have become: Steve Jobs.
My Apple journey started in 1983. I was taking one of my final courses at San Francisco State University learning how to program in Basic. I created a program that was aimed at teaching very young children the difference between interacting with a keyboard and just mashing all of the keys. My goal was to complete this final course and graduate with my B.A. in Industrial Arts. But what resulted was a lifelong fascination with technology, its uses, and misuses.
Part of that class experience resulted in my accidentally erasing all 4,000 lines of my newly finished code by using the wrong DOS command. As painful as it was to spend three hours retyping all 4,000 lines referencing a paper printout, not graduating by failing my last class would have been worse. I counted myself lucky, but learned an important lesson the hard way about the benefits of good user interface.
Some months later, I decided I needed to know more about computers from personal experience and therefore visited my local Beneficial Finance location (i.e. legal loan shark) and took out a $3,200 loan to buy an Apple IIe personal computer. The IIe was Apple’s third offering, and many Macintosh faithful forget that it lasted in the market until 1993, a full nine years after the Mac was introduced. From my perspective, the IIe didn’t really do much. The applications were few at that time, and without anything more than an Apple dot matrix printer, the output was less than exciting to say the least. I would say that the biggest benefit the Apple IIe brought to me was an insatiable curiosity about the potential of computers.
In 1984, I started a job where I had access to an Alpha Micro mainframe that the company used to run its business. This was eventually replaced by an IBM AS400 mainframe, but the most interesting work came out of a Taiwanese clone of an IBM AT PC (interestingly, branded the “Orange” PC) that the CEO brought back with him from a trip to Asia. I talked him into allowing the marketing and engineering departments to use it and we set up “the computer room” in a closet that made it easy for us to share the one PC and its daisywheel printer.
As the weeks went by, I was struggling to learn Microsoft DOS (disk operating system for those of you reading this who are under 40 years old) with its arcane command line interface, configsys files and autoexec bat files. Suffice it to say that the learning curve was steep. Still, using the Wordstar word processing program and Calcstar spreadsheet application beat the heck out of typing into our secretary’s IBM Selectric. The engineers and I later graduated to Lotus 1-2-3 and Jazz and really got good use out of the PC.
However, a daisywheel printer was not so useful as an output device for marketing materials that needed to look professionally produced. And anyway, my immediate problem was struggling to maintain a tight marketing budget while needing to produce multiple dealer and distributor price lists which cost $3,000 each to have typeset before printing. The frequent updates of these documents was eating my budget inside-out. So, after a few years, I convinced the CEO to send me to a desktop publishing seminar to learn more about whether we should buy a new computer to contain prepress costs. What I learned gave me the ammunition I needed to propose that the company should buy a Macintosh. I created a proposal, and in a week got the funds and was soon thereafter the proud user of a Macintosh IIci with 13” color Apple RGB monitor, Apple Scanner, and most importantly, Apple LaserWriter printer. This setup with Aldus PageMaker and Adobe Illustrator 88 cost the company a cool $14,000, but amazingly, it paid for itself in other reduced costs in only 1.5 years. 
But another more amazing thing happened, having a WYSIWYG system, from screen to 400dpi paper output, empowered me as a budding designer to be freed from the tyranny of budget constraints and vendor capabilities. It allowed me to be as creative and skillful as I wanted to be. My kids today take for granted that the world’s information is at their fingertips and that if they can dream up something, they can realize it on paper, on disk, or onscreen. It wasn’t that way 25 years ago. Realizing a creative vision only happened if you had the budget and business connections to translate your idea into reality. And putting a creative design on paper meant someone cutting rubylith, and burning halftones, and setting type. Needless to say, I went crazy. I worked ceaseless hours learning how to use my new software and the graphical Mac OS. Luckily, it was all logical and easy to use. The Mac was living up to its hype as the computer “for the rest of us.”
The desktop publishing revolution was precisely that…a revolution. It empowered people to express their own ideas while getting rid of many of the obstacles that were previously in the way. It also empowered a lot of bad design in the process. A good hammer does not a carpenter make, and after all, the Mac was just a better hammer. It didn’t turn people into good designers. But it empowered me to be the best that I could be and provided the opportunity for me to create much higher value for my employer. That coupled with concurrent post-graduate education in design made for a powerful combination.
The subsequent years saw me buy my own Mac SE30 which I carried with me to trade shows in the airplane’s overhead compartment. It was my original “laptop” and the employees at Kinko’s around the country knew me on a first name basis. I used my Macs to create 24-page price lists, 80-page full-color catalogs, magazine advertisements, multi-media slide presentations, tradeshow exhibits, product instruction manuals, illustrations, patent abstracts…you name it. The Mac allowed me to leverage my design and software skill to put me ahead of others in my field, providing high value to my employers, and advancing my career in ways that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. 
Who knew then that a subsequent job would see me leading a team of almost 80 people including 18 graphic designers, 28 marketers, 10 product managers, and 20 engineers—all who used Macs to create thousands of new products every year. My teams absolutely relied on the productivity that was enabled by the Macintosh to create ideas, share them, make decisions, and then realize them. We could not have done what we did, with the time to market we achieved, if it wasn’t for the Macintosh. Years later, that same team applied its efforts into creating accessories for the iPod which became the fastest selling products in company history at that time. But this was just the next step in my brush with the fruit of Steve Jobs’ labors.
For each successive job change I made from then on, I made a condition of my employment that I was given the best Apple laptop available. I didn’t do this from a sense of entitlement. I did it because I believed so deeply that the value and productivity it would allow me to provide was a proven and prudent investment. A few times, I had to argue with my new employers, promising them that I would provide my own tech support and in the process making no friends with their IT support staff. But in the end, my decision was correct. The value I brought as a worker was greatly enhanced as a result of the way I used the Mac platform to push the boundaries of productivity and creativity.
And it is this same ethos that drove me to have my children only use Macs at home. I’m happy to say that my daughter is a visual genius whose artwork is empowered through her use of her MacBook Pro, and that my older son is a likewise musical genius who has already self-produced, recorded, engineered and distributed his original music all on his MacMini. My youngest son is also a Mac guru at 12 and I see just as bright of a creative future for him.
Being CEO of a venture-backed company in Silicon Valley, I know many people who worked with, or for, Steve Jobs directly. I was once sitting in the lobby of Apple’s headquarters (what they call the “mothership”) waiting for a job interview when Steve Jobs walked in the front door 20 feet away from me. Although this was my closest brush with the man, I have spent the past 28 years sharing his vision and using the tools he provided.
Am I merely a fanboy? Perhaps. Do I think Steve Jobs was a great human being? I’ve heard enough stories about his own dark side to make that a question for others to answer. But what I do know—without question—is that my life has been substantially improved through the adoption of Steve’s vision of a technology tool made for regular people. 
One more thing…Thank you, Steve Jobs, for making my world a better place, and for helping me to be a better me.
Peter Radsliff
CEO, Presto Services Inc.
We've been thinking lately about what healthy aging is, for both the elder person and those who take care of them. Here are some articles on these topics that we find interesting. What do you think?
Title: Middle-aged women care for everyone but themselves
From: USA Today
Re: Middle-aged American women now have the lowest well-being of any age group, according to startling findings of a study by Gallup-Healthways.
Title: Lifestyle changes may cut Alzheimer's risk
From: Agence France-Presse
Re: Relatively simple lifestyle changes such as increasing physical activity and quitting smoking could have a dramatic impact on the number of Alzheimer's cases over time
Title: In old age, illness and dying can be postponed
From: NPR
Re: Research in aging shows that once people reach a certain age, rates of disease, disability and death start to decline.
There is an extremely helpful communications tool for family members who make decisions about the support and care of their aging parents and who need a simple, convenient, and cost-effective way to communicate with them.
It’s called “Presto” and it consists of a specially designed printer and online service that work together to bridge the technology gap and redefine the way families can share their lives, conversations, and information. And it does this while allowing everyone to still use the methods of communication each one prefers.
Here are the top ten reasons Presto has proven to improve the lives of parents or grandparents and all of their family members, as well.
10. Presto makes it easy to gamble on its claims. With a 60-day no-risk guarantee, you can “bet” that your parents or grandparents will love it, and if they don’t you can send it back for a full refund.
9. Presto is inexpensive. At only $14.99 a month (plus a low one-time cost for the Presto Printing Mailbox), Presto is WAY cheaper per month than adding broadband Internet, plus there are no costs or hassles with paying for a computer or additional software.
8. Presto is a “green” alternative. Even though all emails print out on paper, most parents or grandparents on the Presto system get about 2-3 emails a week. Compare that with the energy used to run a computer and monitor, and not to mention all of their packaging waste, and Presto is a winner hands down.
7. The Presto DailySmile feature connects grandkids to their grandparents by letting them “tag” photos in Facebook or upload them from a computer and automatically deliver one photo every day.
6. The Presto Newsstand feature provides free or very inexpensive content such as articles, columns, puzzles and news from many major media sources to supplement family emails and help Mom and Dad feel connected and informed.
5. Presto only delivers mail from approved family members and friends so no junk mail or spam can get through—ever!
4. The Presto Printing Mailbox connects to an existing phone line and dials out up to five times a day to quickly retrieve mail and automatically print it. So the phone never rings. The Printing Mailbox just plays a pleasing tone when the mail arrives.
3. Presto includes free phone, chat and email support for life (based in North America) which is really handy for adding approved senders to the friends list, for any questions about billing, or to troubleshoot any problems.
2. The PrestoConnect account manager web site lets you monitor Printing Mailbox connectivity, ink and paper status and lets you preschedule messages, reminders or to-do lists for Mom and/or Dad to help them stay independent while dealing with life’s little challenges (some Presto users even set up medication reminders to help their folks).
And the number one reason to get Presto for your parents or grandparents is…
1. No one in the family has to provide any tech support, because Presto truly doesn’t need any. Without the need for a computer, or Internet hardware the most difficult thing to handle is replacing paper and ink. And unlike standard printers, the Presto Printing Mailbox was specifically designed to make that easy for elders.
So there you have it. The top ten reasons we’ve been told that Presto has improved the lives of tens of thousands of moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas around the U.S. Find out more for yourself by visiting www.presto.com.
Sincerely,
Peter Radsliff
CEO, Presto Services Inc.
The 1968 movie “Wild in the Streets” put forth a proposition that all people over 30 years old be placed in "retirement homes" where they are forced to take LSD, taking the 1960s mantra "Never trust anyone over 30" to the extreme. But it seems that neglecting or discounting the contributions of our elders is something that has unfortunately become part of American culture. In an effort to remind us of the contributions of those who were past middle age, I thought I would post a few facts:
- Famous trumpeter Louis Armstrong is the oldest recording artist with a number 1 hit record: “Hello Dolly” which he recorded in 1964.
- Dorothy Geeben ofOcean Breeze Park,Florida, at age 96 was the oldest mayor in theUnited States.
- Betty White was the oldest host of Saturday Night Live at 88 years old
- Clifford Batt is the oldest person to swim theEnglish Channelat 67 years old in 1987
- The oldest Oscar winner was Jessica Tandy for her wonderful role in Driving Miss Daisy.
- The oldest author when published was Sarah Louise Delany with her 1997 book, “On My Own at 107.”
And let’s not forget professional sports notables Satchel Paige at 59 (baseball), Gordie Howe at 52 (hockey), Jerry Barber at 77 (golf), Buddy Helms at 87 (auto racing), Skip Hall at 64 (mixed martial arts), John Whittemore at 104 (track and field) and legions of others.
As Mark Twain said, “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” Go show a senior that they matter to you today.
Peter Radsliff
CEO, Presto Services Inc.
Chairman, Aging TechnologyAlliance
I was at my mother-in-law’s house and took note of the two Hummel figurines on her living room side table shown above. She is an avid collector of Hummel, Royal Doulton, Lladro, and Belleek figurines. Though not exactly my style, I always like to stay open-minded to what others perceive as valuable and artistic.
It got me to thinking of not only how my kids would remember their grandparents, but how I would want to be remembered by their kids when that time comes (I’ve got quite a few years yet before that). Will my “style” look as outdated and quaint to them as the frock coat, shawl and apron on the Hummel figurines look to my eyes?
Moreover, do my kids see their grandparents as “cool” in their own right? Or are they just nice “old” people who spoil them whenever they can? Are these questions even pertinent considering they are probably perennial?
A good friend of mine’s father recently passed away. He was a lifelong hot rod enthusiast and his son drove one of his custom cars to the funeral as a memorial. Undoubtedly that grandfather was looked upon as “cool” by the assemblage. But amidst the breadth of stories related during his eulogy, his passion for performance cars was clearly only a small facet of his fascinating life.
During the service I was thinking to myself, “What a shame that I didn’t get to know him better while he was still alive.” Will technologies such as Facebook and Google+ help us provide touchpoints into our lives for others to better know, enjoy and understand us? I’m afraid that social media won’t much help today’s great-grandparents (that’s why we created Presto Mail and Presto Daily Smile).
For tomorrow, who knows what will be the next interpersonal “fad” like Facebook is today. Possibly actually getting to know a tight circle of friends in person. Naw!
Cheers,
Peter Radsliff
CEO, Presto Services Inc.
P.S. Post any remembrances of your grandparents below. I’m sure many people would love to read about them.
Grandfathers! What describes yours best? I wish I knew the original author of the venn diagram above, because I think it is one of the funniest and most accurate expressions of what makes grandfathers special that I have ever seen. Put another way, what if I asked, “What do fedora hats, epic tales of adventure and body odor have in common?” Would you have said, “My grandfather!”?
This example illustrates how useful venn diagrams can be in helping you look at a topic from multiple vantage points. It also may just possibly help you better understand your elder loved ones.
What might you have put as the three disparate big ideas that ultimately overlap at “your grandfather”? How about: gravelly voice, questionably accurate stories, pencil-thin moustache, hard of hearing, yellow teeth, members-only jacket, technophobes, people with hearts of gold, freely given hugs…the list goes on.
If you are lucky enough to have a grandparent who is still living, what would their venn diagram be? Or what would you choose for the grandparents of your own children (i.e. your own parents). Moreover, what would your kids say about your parents?
We have been taking on this task with my own kids as a fun, educational, and often illuminating project. I guarantee you that the process will amuse and surprise you — especially the intersections between the circles (i.e. Indiana Jones, etc.). Try it in your own family. You can start in the middle, knowing it can be “your grandfather” or start with three big ideas, not knowing where it will lead.
If you come up with excellent diagrams, please post them in the comments below, labeled as follows: Big Ideas: a, b & c; Intersections: a+b, b+c, c+a; Center: d
Have fun,
Peter Radsliff
CEO, Presto Services Inc.
P.S. If your venn diagram is REALLY great, I’ll send you a prize.