bloom Launches to Bridge Communication Gap Between Generations

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwired - Jun 16, 2015) - Generations communicate in completely different ways. Grandparents talk on the phone. Kids text. It's left to busy parents to try and bridge the communication gap.

Today bloom launches to help bridge that gap. Backed by Google Ventures and FKA, bloom is a new device that connects families across generations and geographies.

"bloom is a great example of the type of high tech, high touch technology that has huge potential to impact the quality of life of older adults and their families," said Katie Fike, PhD Gerontologist and co-founder of Aging 2.0. "The contextual awareness and ultra simple interface facilitates family communication in a way that feels magical and seamless instead of frustrating and overtly technical."

The bloom product has three distinct yet integrated components: the bloomview display, the bloomband wearable, and a bloomapp available for iOS and Android. Family members share photos and videos through the bloomapp that appear on the bloomview, a stylish, portable display that looks at home in the kitchen or living room. By wearing the bloomband and approaching the bloomview, grandparents automatically trigger those shared moments to appear on the display. If something piques their interest, they can then initiate video calls with family members right from the bloomview. During these video calls, bloom helps keep conversations rich and current by showing the most recent shared images, ensuring families always have something to talk about. 

The bloomband wearable also includes additional health and safety features, like activity tracking and emergency support. It's a wearable that enriches all aspects of a user's everyday life -- from emotional to physical wellness.

"Between us, my father and I had lots of technology -- computers, tablets, smartphones, social networks, and video conferencing apps. But when I wanted to connect him with the kids, there were challenges," said Keith Kocho, founder and CEO, bloom. "Then it struck me that the right approach was to start from scratch and build something integrated and intuitive with a splash of humanity. The result is bloom. We're looking to bring families closer together and provide them with peace of mind knowing their loved ones are safe, easy to reach, and not missing out on memorable moments."

bloom also removes technical barriers to communication, never asking about confusing updates or login credentials. The bloomview makes use of customers' home Wi-Fi, so users can just plug it in and instantly begin viewing content shared by family members. bloom is currently available for $249 (limited time offer) on the company's website. For buyers who place their order before July 15th, 2015, the product will ship for the holiday season of 2015.

To order bloom today, visit www.bloomcloser.com.

About bloom
After consulting with geriatric psychologists and closely examining real-life family challenges and dynamics, the bloom team created a product to encourage more proactive opportunities for seamless, enriching communication between grandparents, parents, and grandkids. That meant removing technological barriers, integrating photos and videos to spark more enriching conversation, and bringing it all together on one easy-to-use platform. bloom is funded by Google Ventures and FKA. For more information, visit www.bloomcloser.com.