KT tablet targets middle-aged

KT, the nation’s No. 1 telecom services provider, said Thursday that it will launch a new Samsung tablet PC specially designed for middle-aged users, housewives in particular, on Oct. 31.

KT has developed the Smart Home Pad with Samsung Electronics and inked an exclusive deal to stock the new Galaxy Tab 8.9 for the next year.

“People in their 40s and 50s may have had difficulty using smart devices,” said Seo Yu-yeol, president of home business at KT, in front of about 100 invited housewives.

“Smart Home Pad is the first table PC developed to meet their growing demands.”

For the convenience of many middle-age users unfamiliar with smart devices and Internet-based content services, the new tablet PC is equipped with diverse services ranging from digital TV and video calling to a home-security system.

Seo highlighted the Life Jockey system inspired by the old-fashioned coffee shops here that used to play songs at customers’ request.

The facial recognition system recommends a list of songs considering users’ age or mood on any given day. Users can also request specific songs without having to download them from the Internet.

The telecom giant has been introducing smart devices targeting very specific age groups, starting with robot nanny Kibot in April, whose sales have topped the 10,000 mark.

The company plans to launch the tentatively named “Kibot 2” for elementary school students within the year and another caretaker robot for senior citizens as early as next year.

Seo would not reveal the specific sales target for Smart Home Pad.

“What’s important is attracting the somewhat isolated middle-age group into the smart market. In the end, we aim for Smart Home Pad to replace wire telephones in each household,” he said.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)