Futurize Korea

SK Telecom opened a new exhibition space last November in their downtown Seoul office tower called the T.um Experience Center.

The T.um center is similar to the exhibits in the Nuritkum Square Digital Pavilion which presents different technologies based around different themes: Play Dream, Play Now and Play Basic.

At the start of the tour, you will be issued a T-key which is a small tablet computer with a backpack that you wear like a life vest. You can interact with different exhibits using the T-key such as using the built-in camera that is used in an e-commerce U-Shopping prototype where the system detects products such as a bottle of wine from a magazine, television commercial or physical object and then allows you to find out more about the product or purchase it.

There’s also a U-Fashion exhibit which uses a facial and body scanner to build a virtual avatar that can be fitted with different clothes developed by SK C&C.

After the Play Dream section of the tour, you’ll learn about the history and future of the company in the Play Basic exhibit. While the Play Now section is a showcase of current SK Telecom mobile services.

The T.um website has a detailed overview of each exhibit, so you can get an idea of all the different displays even without visiting.

No photography is allowed inside the T.um center and tours are also available in English.

Along with the exhibition space, there’s a Starbucks on the 1st floor that has two “Ubiquitous Tables” that have touch screen tables that can be used to order a cup of coffee and access other functionality like games. Details from an SK Telecom press release:

Once customers select and pay for items from the "Ubiquitous Table", the order information is immediately transmitted via mobile technology to the store's system. As soon as the order is ready, a message appears on the screen of the Ubiquitous Table allowing the customer to simply go and pick-up the item at the counter. Customers can pay through mobile payment service by entering their mobile phone number for authentication, regardless of what carrier they use.

Moreover, Ubiquitous Tables enable customers to enjoy various SK Telecom services from the touch screen, including MelOn (mobile music portal), Cizle (movie portal), 11st (online shopping), Broad & TV (IPTV), and GXG (online games).

The tables also have a headphone jack, USB port and SD memory card reader.

You can find the SK Telecom T.um Experience Center near Exit 4 of the Euljiro 1-ga subway station on Line 2.

The INQuisitor: T.um exhibit at SK Tower (November 10, 2008)