Media Coverage on Remote Monitoring for Seniors Lacks Substance

Enough already!

Clearly, free buzz is the best marketing any tech vendor can get—and it is good to raise consumer awareness about a market category with fewer than 10,000 deployed units (a sum of the installed base, as described to me by vendors). Overall, these stories have been superficial: Hey, these are news stories, after all. They briefly mentioned a randomly selected set of tech vendors and perhaps whetted the appetite of consumers to consider their use. Never mind that numerous barriers and constraints have, to date, limited adoption of remote home activity monitoring because of issues with pricing, reimbursement expectations, a well-established set of product capability and features, and a well-developed distribution model.

Those Ten Tech Trends for 2010

Are we there yet?

It's been more than six months since this blog post about tech trends that would influence product capability in 2010. It seems fitting to check on what's happened so far, with another status check planned just prior to the new year.

After the Genetic Marker Test, Living to 100 Had Better Be Better

Can we get the care we want?

Line up to learn your longevity likelihood: Aren't you just loving the opportunity we will soon have to download that free genetic marker test kit, the one that with 77% accuracy will tell whether we will live past 100? Boston University scientists have “no plans to profit” from the results, but they will make the kit available later this summer. (Warning: analysis of the results will be costly.)

Aging in Place Technology Watch News for June 2010

What do boomers on opposite ends of the demographic have in common?

I wonder if there is a unified baby boomer market. I know, there's an age range that SOUNDS like a demographic, but do 46-year-olds and 64-year-olds having anything in common besides fitting into the age range? What can a marketer do with this information? Color me skeptical.

Under the Radar: The A-Plus Senior Computer

Despite the hype, the iPad may not be best for seniors

Over the past few years, several attempts at creating a “senior” computer have been made, including a pricey senior PC partnership between HP and Microsoft and the thin-client GO Computer from MyGait (sold through FirstSTREET), which is not extensible—what you get is what you get, and as a few frustrated comments on the blog post indicate, it's not to everyone's liking when it is time to add devices or additional software.

Tech Tides Turning for Boomers and Beyond?

Let's hope so!

Yo, non–iPad swipers: next, a gazillion options for boomers. Apple's transformative this-ain't-no-computer iPad launch sent a message that I bet will be heard loud and clear by vendors. While 88% of baby boomers surveyed by AARP have no plans to buy an iPad, they may start looking around for something to replace those desktops (57% of surveyed boomers, according to AARP). Expect Dell, HP, Acer, et al. to offer a plethora of beautiful tablets at low prices. And maybe they'll want low-priced software like PointerWare or InTouchLink layered onto one of these, which, if combined with the Microsoft Guide, would actually get us to the point (no pun intended) where PCs can be used by ordinary people.

AARP: Baby Boomers Are Uncomfortable with the Internet

Really?

Glass half full or half empty? Surprise! This new AARP study about social media and the Internet overrides previous assumptions about the 50-64 age range and comfort level with the Internet. Let's count just 40% of boomers as a fit with that description: 17% indicate they are extremely comfortable, and 23% are very comfortable. Only 26% access the Internet via a laptop and only 4% through smart phones or cell phones. Fifty-seven percent use a desktop computer. Only 27% are using social media sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter—dominated by Facebook.

New and Notable Tech Offerings

With a note on geriatric care managers and Skype

What the iPad Means for Boomer and Senior Markets

Can a product be any easier to use?

A video from a blog comment really got my attention: watch this 99-year-old woman as she is shown the iPad and how to read a book on it. Do you think she cares about its limitations? But would she have learned about the device if someone hadn't shown it to her and how to use it? Do you think she cares whether it's called a computer, a tablet, or a giant iPhone? She crossed a "digital divide" without looking up at the camera or theorizing about the significance of what she was doing.

Another Week, More Caregiving App Vendors

Adding to the “circle of care”

In a nontravel week, I have more time to speak to vendors, both prelaunch and launched. Here are three launched to add to the list of tech vendors to support caregiving (or "circle of care" as it is sometimes described). None require any specialized equipment or device in the home. And no doubt each would welcome your contacting them to learn more about their offerings.