Presto: It’s for Printing!
- November 28th, 2006
- 4 Comments
A new service has launched that aims to bring the joys of receiving emails to the Luddite horde. Presto uses a special printer designed by HP. The printer hooks up to a regular phone line, no need for broadband, and automagically prints emails that come to a unique users@presto.com address.
Now the first thing I questioned was how the system avoids spam. Well to circumvent this obvious problem, it only receives emails from accepted friends, so no print spam for Viagra and/or midget porn.
The printer costs $150 and then the Presto service is $10 per month. It’s a reasonable enough price, that shouldn’t be an issue given the demographic—old people are swimming in cash.
The main limitation in my eyes is that there is no reply function. I know this sort of flies in the face of the error-proof design, but I think people are quickly going to want to send their own emails. Just because their customer base isn’t tech savvy, doesn’t mean they don’t want to talk back. Maybe they won’t think so initially, but I’m willing to bet that they change their minds quickly. I wonder how Presto will respond to that new demand.
Presto: Because Computers Scare Old People [TechCrunch]
Joe Seither (Who am I?)
1 year ago
Blake,
thanks for the coverage. I want to add a little perspective on Presto’s one-way email solution.
I know it seems odd to many (online) people at first blush, since we’re all so technology adept, and it doesn’t seem to be a hard problem to solve… so why would Presto make a one-way service?
The answer is simple: Consumers told us what they wanted and we built it.
In the three years Presto has been working on its solution, we’ve gathered input from lots of potential customers. They consistently told us:
- They are phone-based people.
- They’re offline for a good reason: they have no desire to learn computers.
- Staying in the email loop, receiving emails from family and friends is what they miss most about not being online.
- They want Presto to be really easy to use and they don’t want to have to learn anything new
- When they want to reply, they’re perfectly happy picking up the telephone. (This is why Presto messages have the sender’s phone number printed right on them.)
Presto is a great example of customer-driven innovation. We listened to consumers and we certainly hope our solution meets - and exceeds - the needs and expectations of the tens of millions of American adults who are offline, yet still want to stay connected to email (and digital photos) from family and friends.
Joe Seither
Presto Services
Brian (Who am I?)
1 year ago
Joe: You really think that anyone over 50 is technically inept and doesn’t want a computer? I’m 60, have a network of about 500 boomer friends and associates and I am hard pressed to think of any one of them who don’t have a computer. Sure, not all of them use it to more than 5% of its potential but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to learn more. That’s why I set up my blog. Your marketing strategy is an insult to boomers and seniors. Look at the subject line on Techcrunch “Presto-because computers scare old people.” I realize its supposed to be tongue in cheek but that’s basically what people think about your product and that’s just wrong!
Joe Seither (Who am I?)
1 year ago
Brian,
Thank you for tracking Presto, I appreciate your energy and I have read your post on thesavvyboomer and comments elsewhere. I actually think we’re on the same team because we’re both working to bring the benefits of technology to more people, focused to a large extent on the needs of older Americans. You are solving the technology adoption challenge through education; we’re simplifying the consumer solution. In short, I just don’t believe our efforts are in conflict, so I’m truly puzzled by the tone of your comments.
I don’t doubt that your network of tech savvy boomers is real and vital, and I’d guess that there are a hundred other networks in the US just like yours, which is just terrific. This doesn’t mean, however, that there aren’t tens of millions of Americans who are not online and have no desire or time to get up the learning curve to get online with a PC. As evidence, I’ll cite longitudinal research on this trend from Pew Internet & American Life – it’s very compelling data. We’ve built our solution in response to input from hundreds of consumers over years of research. We help people stay connected to email and photos from family and friends without the need for a computer or Internet account.
Our solution and our promise is not at all insulting to our target customers, it’s what they’ve been searching for; it’s what they want most from an online experience with a very low cost of entry, no learning curve and fewer ongoing PC-related complexities and risks. But you don’t have to take it from me; I encourage you to read the comments from actual Presto users on TechCrunch… they’re delighted with Presto!
All the best,
Joe Seither
Todd (Who am I?)
1 year ago
This concept is a fantastic idea. The issue is not insulting non-tech savvy users (like my parents), but providing a convenient method for us non-US Mail letter writing, tech savvy e-mailers to facilitate communication. The problem is that non-tech savvy Americans, (like my parents) really really like receiving letters. Phone calls are ok, but a letter can be shared and reread to further the enjoyment and hence the higher value.
Keep it up!
Todd