Do your parents or grandparents really need a full-blown computer? One startup thinks the answer might be no.
Seattle-based Pure Devices has launched a Kickstarter campaign in support of a new tabletop touchscreen device that streams data and applications from the cloud to a simplified user interface.
The company is hoping that the device, which allows users to email, shop, access subscriptions, ebooks, movies, TV and more, will especially appeal to the senior market, who may not be as comfortable operating today’s computers.
In fact, it was one such frustrating device that inspired Pure Devices’ founder Eugene Luskin to create the prototype. After trying to help his grandmother figure out her remote over the phone, Luskin says that he “marched over to her house and very simply cut a paper template and affixed it to her remote leaving holes for three buttons — On/Off, Volume, and Change Channel — the only buttons she really needed.”
I hear you, Eugene. I still have no idea what half the crap on my Xfinity remote does.
That said, even though the Pure Device is marketed with seniors in mind, it sure looks appealing to the rest of us tired of too many buttons. I believe the term they use in their Kickstarter campaign video is that the experience should be “liberating.”
Pure Devices’ goal is to raise $150,000 by Sept. 19, so far hitting nearly $3,500. For backers, discounts are offered on the Pure Device, and the cloud services subscription fee will be waived over the lifetime of the device.
And the company has already secured its production facilities in the United States. So, these Pure Devices will proudly say “Made in the U.S.A.”
Here’s their video to show you how it all works:
