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 BOSTON (AP) - By offering technology that allows people without computers to read e-mail, Presto Services Inc. took on a bold challenge. Yet Presto and its Internet-connected printer that spits out the e-mails are remarkably well conceived.
I tested this service with my grandparents in California, ages 86 and 87, and thought of it as a dual experiment. While putting Presto through its paces, I wanted to see how people tuned to slower social rhythms felt about becoming more connected to today's constantly firing communications culture.
This is not a complete transformation, since Presto is one-way: Recipients get printed e-mails but have no keyboard or computer screen for responding. For that reason, my grandfather told me he didn't think he'd enjoy Presto.
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