PANASONIC INTRODUCES HOMETEAM™ - Online Service Connects Loved Ones, Keeps Families in Touch

NEWARK, N.J., March 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Panasonic today announced a simple way for grandparents to maintain and build ever more meaningful relationships with their grandchildren, even when they're far apart. The new HomeTeam™ service blends interactive books and games with video calling to create a fun and friendly environment designed to help start real conversations and build lasting memories. The service is available on web browsers for use on personal computers and as a tablet app from the Apple App Store and Google Play store.

HomeTeam brings grandparents and grandchildren closer together, helping to reduce a gap that may exist due to geographical distance or cultural differences. Phone calls with young children, often filled with yes and no answers, lack the depth and duration needed to build strong relationships and can leave individuals searching for something to talk about. Panasonic built HomeTeam from the ground up to address these and other unique challenges facing today's families striving to build regular and meaningful contact.

"HomeTeam bridges the gap that sometimes separates today's grandparents from their grandchildren, be it distance, culture, familiarity with technology or a lack of topics to discuss," said Todd Rytting, Chief Technology Officer at Panasonic Corporation of North America. "By providing activities that create common ground and shared experiences between grandparents and grandchildren, HomeTeam engages them in a way a weekly phone call never will. Panasonic studied how families struggled to create meaningful connections outside of family events and visits and this service was built to overcome the most common barriers. HomeTeam is easy to use and provides a natural experience with the power to unite families, anytime and anywhere."

HomeTeam Features

HomeTeam lets grandparents and grandchildren spend quality time together, by combining shared experiences, such as reading books or playing games together, over video chat. By offering a simple way to consume curated content across tablet platforms and computers, the service allows users to interact and feel more connected. The HomeTeam experience is delivered on iOS and Android tablets, as well as computers, and is the next best thing to being there in-person. It creates common ground and fosters meaningful connections between loved ones by giving grandparents and grandchildren something to talk about, enjoying real conversations and having fun.  

The HomeTeam service delivers rich content to people, starting with well-known and popular children's books, plus fun, multiplayer games. Panasonic collaborated with leading content providers in the industry, including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, in addition to well-known educational game development partners to gather quality content that is entertaining and familiar for both grandparents and their grandchildren. At launch, HomeTeam will offer more than 600 books and will have licensed more than 2,500 in total. 

Popular children's books include classics such as Curious George Gets a Medal*, Curious George Goes to the Hospital, Martha Speaks: Leader of the Pack and Just Grace. Available games feature timeless favorites, ranging from Checkers, Tic-Tac-Toe and Go Fish to Word Play, Chess and Animal Match.  

Pricing and Availability

New users can sample the entire HomeTeam experience, including unlimited access to content and all features, free of charge for 30 days. After that, a premium subscription for continued access to unlimited content is available either monthly ($8.99/month) or annually ($89.99/year). If users choose not to subscribe to the premium content after the 30 day trial, they can still enjoy unlimited access to video chat features without access to content.

The service is available through the following links:

• 
  Apple:  https://apps.apple.com/app/id970192448
• 
  Google:  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.panasonic.myhometeam
• 
  Web browser: www.myhometeam.com

* CURIOUS GEORGE and related characters, created by Margret and H. A. Rey, are copyrighted and trademarked by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company and used under license. All rights reserved.

About Panasonic Corporation of North America

Panasonic Corporation of North America provides a broad line of digital and other electronics products and solutions for consumer, business and industrial use. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. In Interbrand's 2014 annual "Best Global Green Brands" report, Panasonic ranked number five overall and the top electronics brand in the report. As part of continuing sustainability efforts, Panasonic Corporation of North America relocated its headquarters to a new facility, adjacent to Newark Penn Station in Newark, NJ.  It is the first newly constructed office tower in Newark to earn both LEED Platinum and Gold certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council. Learn more about Panasonic at panasonic.com/pressroom.

Connect with Panasonic:  Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Facebook, YouTube