40Hrs smart life show-express report

Smart TV apps have become so prevalent today as manufacturers realize how attractive they are to customers.  So who better to ask for ideas on new apps than the customers themselves?  Samsung held a Smart TV app contest this year in collaboration with BesTV.  Winners were announced on September 23rd in Beijing, as the contest was targeted to local markets in China.

In addition to the ceremony, Samsung Electronics also set up a live 40 hour experiment called “Experience Festival” so that people could get a real feel for life with a Samsung Smart TV.  This experiment was held in a large transparent box on one of the busiest main streets in Beijing, ‘The Place’ (世貿天階).

This see-through box contained the setup of a regular family home – kitchen, living space, and bedrooms.  The best part was that each room was equipped with a Samsung Smart TV.  This way, the people “stuck” inside the transparent box were able to enjoy their 40 hours.

Of course they got to play games, watch movies, and keep up with the news, but they were also able to use the apps to invest in the stock market, help with the cooking, do yoga, order take-out, and even assign household chores.

Participants could come and go as they pleased, and many chose to communicate their experience to the “outside world” through SNS (social networking service).  During the event, more than 4,000 people attended on the spot and 620,327 people watched via online live casting.

Turnout for the event was amazing!

TV used to be a passive experience, but it now truly seems to be an active one that we can all take part in, thanks to apps and Smart TV technology.  Samsung’s goal is to build the world’s first high-definition TV platform based on the Samsung App Store, which already has 900 exclusive apps, showcasing the creative imaginations of Samsung’s developers and customers.  With China as an increasingly strong market, Samsung plans to introduce 100 free apps by the end of 2011.

By hosting this event in downtown Beijing, Samsung was able to really capture the enthusiasm that people have for the Smart TV and all the apps that go with it.  To see the public turn out in such great numbers for this event, and to see them enjoy the benefits of having a Smart TV in their home drives Samsung to continue to make products that make our lives simpler and fuller at the same time.   Who knows, maybe the next app that will make your life easier will be one you thought of!