New service co-founded by former Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz rejects ad model in favor of strict privacy
SAN FRANCISCO -- (BUSINESS WIRE) --
CareZone (http://carezone.com) debuted today to simplify the lives of those caring for children, partners and aging parents. CareZone offers a private environment, free from advertising and privacy threats, featuring a series of productivity tools to help those charged with caring for family or loved ones. CareZone's cloud services help those caring for others organize and manage information on tablets, smartphones and computers, and stay connected to family and other helpers with whom care responsibilities may be shared.
"By birth or by choice, we're all part of a family - it's the world's oldest social network," said CareZone CEO and co-founder Jonathan Schwartz. "But when you're faced with managing a child's personal information, or a parent's passwords or a loved one's last wishes, there's no place for confusing privacy policies or invasive advertising. Caring for someone in need requires both productivity and privacy - CareZone provides both."
CareZone accounts are opened on behalf of a loved one and are entirely private, available by default only to the person who opened it. The account owner may authorize others to access or update the account - from family members to emergency personnel - and can just as simply revoke that access.
CareZone services are accessible via any Internet connected device and include:
- Profile: Provides a permanent reference for key information, from names and addresses, to blood type and allergies;
- Journal: Records observations and conversations, as a private diary or a journal shared among any number of authorized individuals;
- Contacts: Stores information vital to the person being cared for, as well as managing information related to family, doctors, therapists, clinics, facilities and helpers;
- Medications: Manages medications and therapies, alongside history, dosage, frequency, schedule, and reactions;
- Uploaded Files: Provides a lockbox for important documents, such as reports, images, advance directives, health care proxies, discharge instructions, legal documents, etc.;
- To-Dos: Records and assigns duties to individuals, coordinates multiple helpers;
- Notes: Stores permanent notes such as care instructions, account numbers/passwords, billing notes, etc.
More services and applications are in development and will be rolled out throughout the year.
Co-founded by Schwartz, former CEO of Sun Microsystems, with Walter Smith, CareZone CTO and nearly 20-year veteran of Apple and Microsoft, CareZone is unique in its focus on privacy and not on advertisers. CareZone does not sell advertising against user content and puts subscribers entirely in charge of those able to access and update CareZone services.
"CareZone is committed to privacy in a way that ad-funded services can't be," Smith said. "At CareZone, you're the customer, not the product. You should be in absolute control of your family's information, and our business model is aligned with that principle."
CareZone accounts are available by subscription for $5 a month or $48 a year per individual being cared for. For the next 30 days, CareZone accounts will be available free for one year for up to three beloveds (a $180 value), with no limitation on the number of individuals invited to help care for them.
About CareZone
CareZone is a social utility designed for those caring for others, providing a simple, accessible place to stay organized and coordinated. Co-founded by Jonathan Schwartz and Walter Smith, CareZone is based in San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.carezone.com or follow @CareZoneTeam on Twitter.
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CONTACT:
The OutCast Agency for CareZone
Nicki Dugan, 415-392-8282
carezone@theoutcastagency.com
Caring Today: A day in the life of a caregiver (Graphic: Business Wire)