Now that virtually everyone and everything are online, connections are increasingly being forged with those who aren't. Peggy Mail, which we covered last month, was one example; another is Presto, which allows consumers without computers to receive emails and digital photos as printouts via a dedicated machine.
Targeting grandparents and other consumers who may not have computers or Internet connections, Presto gives online family members a way to include their offline relatives in the "loop" with emails, photos and other online communications. The connection is made via an email address at presto.com, assigned to every offline user, and the Presto Printing Mailbox, a machine that gets connected to their analogue phone line. When online contacts send messages and photos to the user's presto.com address, Presto's mail service transforms them into printable, full-colour e-letters. The Printing Mailbox automatically retrieves those messages up to five times a day and then prints them out for offline perusal. All settings can be administered via Presto Connect, a website aimed at tech-savvy family members for managing communications via presto.com, even down to ink and paper levels in the user's Printing Mailbox. Event reminders, medical reminders and prescheduled message deliveries can also be coordinated through Presto Connect. The Presto Printing Mailbox is priced at USD 149.99—with a special USD 99.99 offer through Dec. 14—while the Presto mail service starts at USD 12.50 per month. Presto is available at Amazon, Best Buy and WalMart, among other retailers, as well as via the California-based company's website.
Now that OFF=ON and ON=OFF, as our sister site trendwatching.com would say, there are still lots of opportunities to bridge the two worlds. For starters: Presto is aimed just at US users, so how about bringing something like this to the rest of the offline world....?
Website: www.presto.com
Contact: info@presto.com
Spotted by: KN
I hope this thing is spam proof, otherwise grandma's getting 100 viagra ads on day one. It's a great idea though - just not sure it will sell. The other problem: limited shelf life - I predict people who don't use email (or related mediums) will be an extreme rarity (less than 1%) in the developed world in 10 years or so.
;-)
I agree about the limited shelf-life. Then again, We The Consumers buy and use a lot of products with a limited life-span. Just think of how quickly digital cameras, cellphones and iPods go from being shiny new gadgets to forlorn objects in junk drawers. And the broader idea is interesting—forging new connections between offline and online spheres.
They should make it a print/scanner. In that way grandpa can reply using has analog pen and paper.