GrandPad is an American technology company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[1] that produces a touch-screen tablet computer intended to be used by senior citizens. The device's interface is designed to be more user-friendly than traditional mobile tablets. It allows users to engage in video chats, view pictures, check news, and send messages (among other features).
History
GrandPad was founded in 2014[2] by Scott Lien, a former Intuit executive, and his son, Isaac Lien.[3] The elder Lien serves as the company's CEO.[4] It is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota where many of the technological aspects of the business are housed.[5][6] The first GrandPad tablet was launched in January 2015.[7]
In March 2016, GrandPad entered into a strategic partnership with technology and hardware company, Acer, which saw the latter company make an equity investment in GrandPad.[8] Later that year, GrandPad partnered with Comfort Keepers (a firm offering in-home care to seniors) to provide their tablets to seniors in the Comfort Keepers network.[9] In 2017, an updated version of the tablet was released with input from Acer.[10] Also that year, the company collaborated with Lyft to integrate the ride-hailing service's app into the GrandPad interface.[11]
In May 2018, it was announced that senior citizen-focused wireless network company, Consumer Cellular, invested in GrandPad.[12] Consumer Cellular also announced that it would become a distributor of the GrandPad tablet in the United States.[13] In March 2019, GrandPad opened its first European office in Gorey, Ireland,[14] which was established to support its European operations.[15] The company also began selling its tablet through Amazon and Walgreens.com in 2022.[16]
Product
The tablet is 8-inches and weighs 12.5-ounces. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor with 2GB of RAM and uses the Android operating system but with a specialized interface.[17] It comes with a Qi wireless charging dock and has 4G LTE internet access is built in.[10] Contacts and photo albums are managed remotely, typically by a relative. Only approved users can send e-mail messages or video chat requests through a companion GrandPad app on their phones. Games, articles, and music are tailored to the interests of the tablet user. No Wi-Fi, home phone lines, or passwords are required.[17] The technology is supported by a network of customer service agents who are on-call 24/7.[6] Other features include games, an encyclopedia, news articles, weather reports, a flashlight, a magnifying glass,[17] music, and Zoom integration.[18] Its tablet and companion app also have language capabilities in 40 languages.[19]
