INNOBLOG

The annual family newsletter has been typed. The photos of your kids making snowmen are just too cute. Youre about to hit the "send button to get the e-mail to your whole family, when you remember that Grandpa doesnt own a computer. You could print everything and send it to him via snail-mail, but youve waited until the last minute and know he wont get it until after the holidays. What do you do?

If you or someone else has set Grandpa up with Presto, the answer is easy; you e-mail it to him. Presto couples an HP Printing Mailbox with Presto Service, a low cost, flat-rate monthly service to automatically print hard-copies of e-mails and photos sent by authorized users. Presto allows people to conveniently send messages and images, while simultaneously reducing the hardware and skill needed by the recipient.

Prestos offering is innovative. It overcomes barriers by offering a simple, at-home solution for the less tech-savvy. You can handle all the account details remotely, even monitoring ink levels. Grandpa just needs to plug the Printing Mailbox into a power outlet and phone jack, and add the included paper and ink cartridge. Then he can instantly receive hard-copy e-mails and photos. Grandpa doesnt need to own a computer or know how to use the internet to get that newsletter right away, and he doesnt need to go to the local pharmacy to pick up the photos that you would have needed to order.

Surprisingly, this offering has been around for a year. The concept is innovative and the reviews on Amazon.com are great, but if not for a commercial on television recently, I probably wouldnt have known it exists. Why hasnt there been wider adoption? Possible reasons include that in an effort to simplify the experience for the end-user, there is reduced functionality and the involvement of another party is also needed. This product offering relies on someone purchasing the Printing Mailbox and setting up the Presto Service account for another. HP has rendered the Printing Mailbox useless for purposes other than use with the Presto Service; it cannot be connected to a computer. Additionally, someone with a computer and access to the internet must be the account administrator; they are responsible for adding authorized users.

Despite these drawbacks, Presto has potential. Presto targets end-users who are traditionally non-consumers of computers and printers, offering a simpler product to help them join the age of instant electronic communication. The product offering also expands the HP brand to individuals who would typically not use its products. Simplifying technology to draw in non-consumers is something weve seen successfully implemented before, and perhaps with Presto, we will see it again. After all, now Grandpa can get e-mail without a computer.