{{Short description|American telecommunications company}} {{about|the U.S. health technology company|other companies|Lively (disambiguation)}} {{use mdy dates|date=December 2012}} {{Infobox | name = Lively | bodystyle = width:20em | titlestyle = | title = Lively | headerstyle = | labelstyle = width:33% | datastyle = | image = | label1 = Company Type | data1 = Connected Health | header2 = | label2 = Founded | data2 = 2005 | label3 = Founder | data3 = Arlene Harris | header3 = | label4 = Headquarters | data4 = United States | header4 = | header5 = | label6 = Parent | data6 = Best Buy | label7 = Website | data7 = {{url|shop.lively.com}} }}
'''Lively''' (stylized as '''Live!y''', and known before 2021 as '''GreatCall''') is a connected health technology company based in the United States of America.
Since 2018, the company has been a subsidiary of electronics retailer Best Buy.<ref name="Reference the Tenth;2018;heverge.com"/> Lively offers health and safety products and services for older adults,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Miller|first1=Jim|date=November 26, 2014 |title=Personal Tech Products Designed Specifically for Seniors|url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-t-miller/personal-tech-products-de_b_6223370.html |publisher=Huffington Post}}</ref> including mobile devices, cellular service, mobile apps and a wearable device. The company provides US-wide cellular service as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) through the Verizon Wireless network. The Lively Smart phone requires a data plan at an additional fee and those data services begin with a nominal fee and increases with options.
==History== thumb|250px|left|GreatCall, Inc. Logo GreatCall was founded in 2005 by Arlene Harris to provide aging adults with accessible technology and services.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mitroff|first1=Sarah|date=May 28, 2014 |title= GreatCall's Splash and Jitterbug5 help seniors stay safe and connected|url= http://www.cnet.com/news/greatcall-splash-and-jitterbug5-seniors/|publisher=CNET}}</ref> In the same year, the company launched the original Jitterbug phone.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lewis|first1=Peter|date=April 6, 2006 |title=Cellphones for kids – and seniors|url= https://money.cnn.com/2006/04/06/technology/ctia_fortune/|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060407200012/http://money.cnn.com/2006/04/06/technology/ctia_fortune/|url-status= dead|archive-date= April 7, 2006|publisher=Fortune}}</ref>
In 2009, the company launched Live Nurse (now Urgent Care). In partnership with FONEMED, it provides customers with access to registered nurses 24 hours a day.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lee|first1=Jacqueline|date=May 24, 2013 |title=No Copay Required: Patients Get Urgent Care Assistance From GreatCall App|url= https://www.healthtechzone.com/topics/healthcare/articles/2013/05/24/339492-no-copay-required-patients-get-urgent-care-assistance.htm |publisher=Health TechZone}}</ref>
Also in 2009, the company acquired Massachusetts-based venture MobiWatch, Inc., for its mobile Personal Emergency Response (mPERS) intellectual property. <ref>{{cite news|date=November 4, 2009 |title=GreatCall Acquires MobiWatch|url= https://www.venturecapitaljournal.com/greatcall-buys-mobiwatch/|publisher=Venture Capital Journal}}</ref>
In 2011, GreatCall added the app MedCoach, which provides daily medication management.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wong|first1=George|date=June 28, 2011 |title=GreatCall MedCoach lets you manage your medication with your iPhone|url= https://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/06/greatcall-medcoach-iphone/|publisher=Ubergizmo}}</ref> That same year, it introduced the 5Star Urgent Response (now known as GreatCall Splash), a mobile Personal Emergency Response System device, along with 5Star Medical Alert System, which uses GPS technology and advanced location analysis to connect users with emergency certified 5Star Agents.
In 2012, the company released the Jitterbug Touch, a keyboarded Android phone with a simplified user interface.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Colon |first1=Alex |date=November 29, 2013 |title=Jitterbug Touch (GreatCal)|url= https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2412594,00.asp|publisher= PC Mag}}</ref>
In 2014, the company added an alerting app, Link.<ref>{{cite news|date=January 7, 2014 |title=GreatCall Link Supports Family Caregivers in Enabling Independence|url= http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140107005504/en/GreatCall-Link-Supports-Family-Caregivers-Enabling-Independence#.VPj3MvnF91Y|publisher= BusinessWire}}</ref>
In November 2015, the firm acquired Lively Inc.
Lively, prior to being acquired, had developed an online software platform for caregivers to get alerts about pill dispensers and other items through a sensor system, allowing for the tracking of activity, diet, sleep, and movement.<ref name="Reference the Sixth;2017;sandiegouniontribune.com"/>
In 2017, Great Call had around 800,000 subscribers in the United States for its mobile services. It generated roughly $250 million in annual revenue, and employed around 1,000 workers, with around 700 of those worker in call centers in Nevada.<ref name="Reference the Sixth;2017;sandiegouniontribune.com"/> On June 7, 2017, GreatCall announced that it was being acquired by the private equity firm GTCR.<ref name="GTCR_Acquisition">{{cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gtcr-announces-acquisition-of-greatcall-300470198.html|title=GTCR Announces Acquisition of GreatCall|website=PR Newswire|accessdate=7 June 2017}}</ref> The price was undisclosed.<ref name="Reference the Sixth;2017;sandiegouniontribune.com">"Jitterbug phone outfit Great Call sold to Chicago private equity firm" ([https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/technology/sd-fi-greatcall-sale-20170607-story.html]); ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' (sandiegouniontribune.com); 07-06-2017; retrieved on 19 January 2023</ref> CEO David Inns remained with the company, as did other Great Call executives.<ref name="Reference the Sixth;2017;sandiegouniontribune.com"/>
In turn, GreatCall was acquired by electronics retailer Best Buy on August 15, 2018, for $800 million.<ref name="Reference the Tenth;2018;heverge.com">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/16/17697952/best-buy-greatcall-acquire-purchase-jitterbug|title=Best Buy just spent $800 million on GreatCall, the company that made the JitterBug phone|work=The Verge|access-date=2018-08-16}}</ref> GreatCall's CEO became Best Buy Health's president of active aging.<ref name="Reference the Seventh;2021;fiercewireless.com">"GreatCall switches to Lively" ([https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/greatcall-switches-up-to-lively]); ''Fierce Wireless'' (fiercewireless.com); 04-06-2021; retrieved on 19 January 2023</ref>
In May 2021, the company renamed itself Lively, taking the name of the company it had acquired in 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wirefly.com/news/greatcall-now-lively |title=GreatCall is now Lively |work=Wirefly |date=June 3, 2021}}</ref> Lively became available on Apple Watch in 2021.<ref name="Reference the Eighth;2021;fiercehealthcare.com">"Best Buy's Lively app now available on Apple Watch as retailer pushes further into healthcare" ([https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/tech/best-buy-s-lively-app-now-available-apple-watch-as-retailer-pushes-further-into-healthcare]); FierceHealthcare (fiercehealthcare.com); 04-03-2021; retrieved on 19 January 2023</ref>
Its Jitterbug Flip network experienced a network disruption at the start of 2023, with Best Buy stating that Jitterbug Flip2 phones, Jitterbug smartphones, and Lively-branded phones weren't impacted.<ref name="Reference the First;2023;fox6now.com">"Best Buy-owned phone service faces angry customers after 3G network shutdown" ([https://www.fox6now.com/news/best-buy-phone-service-3g-network-shutdown]); Fox6 Milwaukee (fox6now.com); 16-01-2023; retrieved on 19 January 2023</ref><ref name="Reference the Fifth;2023;bizjournals.com">"3G network shutdown cuts off some Best Buy phone customers" ([https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2023/01/10/3g-network-shutdown-best-buy.html]); ''Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal'' (bizjournals.com); 10-01-2023; retrieved on 19 January 2023</ref> Verizon is the 3G provider for Lively,<ref name="Reference the Third;2023;reviewgeek.com"/> and the network issues followed Verizon's retirement of its 3G mobile network.<ref name="Reference the Second;2023;startribune.com">"Network updates leave some Best Buy Jitterbug customers with no cell service" ([https://www.startribune.com/network-updates-leave-some-best-buy-jitterbug-customers-with-no-cell-service/600242660/?refresh=true]); ''Star Tribune'' (startribune.com); 11-01-2023; retrieved on 19 January 2023</ref>
==Products and services== The company operates the Lively phone service, an MVNO, or mobile virtual network operator, where it rents cellular service from other operators, and primarily caters to seniors with old-fashioned phones and medical alert devices.<ref name="Reference the Third;2023;reviewgeek.com">"Select Jitterbug Phones Sold by Best Buy Can’t Make Calls" ([https://www.reviewgeek.com/142343/select-jitterbug-phones-sold-by-best-buy-cant-make-calls/]); ''ReviewGeek'' (reviewgeek.com); 11-01-2023; retrieved on 19 January 2023</ref>
Lively manufactures the Jitterbug Flip phones, an easy-to-use cell phone marketed for American elderly.<ref name="Reference the Third;2023;reviewgeek.com"/>
The brand's Urgent Response Center offers medical advice, as well as prescriptions and refills.<ref name="Reference the Ninth;2022;techradar.com">"Lively" ([https://www.techradar.com/reviews/lively]); TechRadar (techradar.com); 07-09-2022; retrieved on 19 January 2023</ref>
==Awards and recognitions== * In 2006, the Jitterbug cell phone was recognized in ''New York Times'' tech journalist David Pogue's Top 10 Brilliant Ideas <ref>{{cite news|last1=Pogue|first1=David|date=December 28, 2006|title=Brilliant Ideas That Found a Welcome|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/28/technology/28pogue.html?pagewanted=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321063130/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/28/technology/28pogue.html?pagewanted=2 |archive-date=2018-03-21 |work= The New York Times}}</ref> and Reader's Digest 100 Best Products.<ref>{{cite news|date=January 1, 2007|title=Jitterbug Listed in Reader's Digest 100 Best Products – 2007|url=http://dynallc.com/2007/01/2007-jitterbug-listed-on-readers-digest-100-best-products/|publisher=DYNA|access-date=March 31, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402173649/http://dynallc.com/2007/01/2007-jitterbug-listed-on-readers-digest-100-best-products/|archive-date=April 2, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> * In 2007, the company won the wireless industry's Andrew Seybold Choice Award for "Best New Wireless Company"<ref>{{cite news|last1=Seybold |first1=Andrew|date=April 12, 2007|title= Things are Getting Better for Customers |url= http://andrewseybold.com/static/public/commentary/commentary028.html|publisher=AndrewSeybold.com}}</ref> at CTIA, the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Associations design award, and was recognized as a finalist for CES's Last Gadget Standing Competition.<ref>{{cite news|date=January 10, 2007|title=Yahoo! Tech Announces Winners of "Last Gadget Standing" Event at CES 2007|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20070110006065/en/Yahoo!-Tech-Announces-Winners-Gadget-Standing-Event#.VPjxu-EvV8E|publisher=BusinessWire}}</ref> * In 2008, it received the Stevie Award for "Best Overall Company",<ref>{{cite news|date=2008|title= Best Overall Company |url= https://www.stevieawards.com/pubs/women/awards/414_2252_19418.cfm|publisher=Stevie Awards}}</ref> the American Society on Aging's Award for "Best Small Business".<ref>{{cite news|date=2008|title=Best Small Business|url=http://dynallc.com/2008/01/jitterbug-honored-as-best-small-company-by-the-american-society-on-aging-2008/|publisher=American Society on Aging|access-date=March 31, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304112231/http://dynallc.com/2008/01/jitterbug-honored-as-best-small-company-by-the-american-society-on-aging-2008/|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> * In 2009, TripleTree selected GreatCall as the winner for "Best Consumer Experience" and GreatCall's LiveNurse application (now Urgent Care) received the CTIA Hot for the Holiday's "Hottest Mobile Consumer Application" award.<ref>{{cite news|date=October 13, 2009|title=Jitterbug LiveNurse Wins Best Mobile Consumer Application Award|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091013005435/en/Jitterbug-LiveNurse%E2%84%A2-Wins-Mobile-Consumer-Application-Award#.VPeeS-EvV8F|publisher=BusinessWire}}</ref> In 2010, LiveNurse also received the CTIA Hot for the Holiday's "Hottest Mobile Consumer Application" award.<ref>{{cite news|date=September 20, 2010|title=CTIA Announces Hot for the Holidays Awards Finalists|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=avtNlIiWV85s|publisher=Bloomberg}}</ref> * In 2014, the company Link app won the Today's Caregiver's "Caregiver Friendly Award".<ref>{{cite news|date=2014|title=Winner's Gallery|url=https://caregiver.com/caregiverfriendly/2014/cfa14_winners_serv.htm|publisher=Caregiver.com}}</ref> * In 2016, the Lively Wearable was recognized in ''The Wall Street Journal''{{'s}} "Best Of CES 2016: The Wondrous and Wacky Year Ahead in Gadgets".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Fowler|first1=Geoffrey|date=January 6, 2016|title=BEST OF CES 2016: The Wondrous and Wacky Year Ahead in Gadgets|url=http://graphics.wsj.com/image-grid/ces-2016-top-gadgets/|publisher= The Wall Street Journal}}</ref> * In 2016, the Jitterbug Flip was featured in the ''Wall Street Journal'' article on simple phones and was the editor's phone of the lot.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Fowler|first1=Geoffrey|date=April 27, 2016|title=Jitterbug Flip (GreatCall)|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/its-ok-not-to-use-a-smartphone-1461780160}}</ref> The same year, it was also recognized in ''PCMag'' as Editor's Choice for simple cell phones.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kumar|first1=Ajay|date=May 31, 2016|title=Jitterbug Flip (GreatCall)|url=https://www.pcmag.com/review/344725/jitterbug-flip-greatcall}}</ref>
==See also== {{portal|Companies|Telecommunications}} * List of California companies * List of United States wireless communications service providers * List of United States MVNOs * Page Plus Cellular {{clear}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{US mobile phone companies|state=collapsed}}
Category:2006 establishments in California Category:Companies based in San Diego Category:Telecommunications companies established in 2006 Category:Mobile virtual network operators Category:Verizon Wireless