Printing photos is making a comeback, with companies like Artifact Uprising and TurnGram encouraging users to bring their iPhone pics into -- gasp -- the physical realm.
One particularly pleasant service is NanaGram, which will mail 10 4x4 or 4x6 photos of your choice to your grandparents -- or any relative, really, but it's cutest to say grandparents -- for a fixed rate of $7.99 every month. (This is the most basic package, but you can also pay more to send more photos.)
NanaGram does not have an app -- a nice perk for those whose phone storage is perpetually full. Instead, users text photos with captions to a phone number connected to their account. This also means that multiple people (siblings, cousins, etc.) can use the number, distinguishing NanaGram from similar services. It's like sharing a Netflix account, but with your relatives and for a kind reason. Nice!
Alex Cook, one of NanaGram's founders, told Mashable via email that his brother, Andy, originally created the service for his late grandfather's birthday.
"Knowing Grandpa loves lobster rolls, I picked up two live twin lobsters thinking there’s no way any of my siblings would top my gift," he wrote in a blog post earlier this year.
But then Andy presented his grandfather with the NanaGrams prototype, then called "InstaGrandpa." It was clearly the #1 hit (sorry, lobsters) especially since the 94 year old had recently stopped driving and wasn't getting out of the house as much. It helped him feel a bit more connected to the outside world.
"Isolation and loneliness is a very common problem in older people around the world," Cook said. "Having fresh photos throughout your home can increase a sense of connection and love. But really the best thing one can do for a family member is to give them your time and attention."
Today, Cook said, NanaGram has about 1,000 active users and has sent roughly 10,000 photos. The company has also enjoyed an active dialogue with users on the subreddit r/ShutUpAndTakeMyMoney -- a good move for a service looking to optimize its product. There are also several dick pic jokes on there, but that's Reddit.
Of course, NanaGram has its work cut out for it. The start up Postcard on the Run, which appeared on Shark Tank in 2011, counted Selena Gomez among its investors, and is likely responsible for many of the current phone-to-print companies that popped up in its wake, folded in 2015. But what distinguishes NanaGram from competitors -- its ability to accommodate multiple users on each account -- could be the ticket to its success.
Think carefully, though: do you even want to share your account? It could be the key to securing your title as Best Sibling.
Topics Family & Parenting
