Way-C : Tablet Made in Africa

Who said that Africa could not propose a technological alternative? With its trademark VMK, the Congolese verona Mankou empties into the arena with the way-C, a tablet ANDROID soon followed by a smartphone 

The Congo is ready to invade Africa then Europe (who knows ?) with his own tablet well of her own home, the way-C. A product of 7 inches - as the first Galaxy Tab from Samsung, either 18 cm diagonal measurement of the screen - under ANDROID 2.3 GINGERBREAD designed to attack the market for the entry of range, without sacrificing the quality of the camera. Verona Mankou, creator of the VMK society, does not come out as if by magic from a hat to try to scrape a little business digital. The revelation, touch this young entrepreneur from Brazzaville, the son of an engineer and a teacher, the has, during the presentation of the first iphone by Steve Jobs, in 2007.

This is already a year he worked on the best way to democratize Internet, without necessarily pass through the means "logical" (PC, notebook…) that the traditional logistics makes it difficult to put in place in Africa. The iPhone, Verona Mankou the already sees in his head in version XL. A product larger than a smartphone, easy to connect, tactile and cheap. The idea grew quickly, the concept is emerging precisely in a few months… but the lack of means and investors on place leaves the dream of tablet of Verona in a drawer, in 2009. Its touch revolution will wait. 

Finally, in 2011, the concept may finally be realized. The success of the Ipad and especially a lack of products available in Africa - we found the top of the range, then from the entry of range little expensive but of very poor quality - Accelerate the resumption of the project. "The market hi-tech in Africa is in full growth, i would even say that it is the only market in the world or a growth to four figures is still possible," we entrusted verona Mankou. The way-C supports life, little by little, always in the hope of touching the greatest number. "The African, not having a great purchasing power, wishes for a product of the same quality as the one available in the West… for a very low price, explains verona Mankou. The market is therefore plays on the price-quality ratio. It is here that we will pull out our out of the game. We will propose that products of very good quality at very affordable prices. »

In good contemporary industry, VMK is cosied up with a Chinese plant for mass production of the camera. However, the design of circuits comes from the spirit of the contractor. The Chinese plant achieved the way-C according to the plans supplied by VMK. Nothing is acquired "key-in-hands". The tablet includes the ANDROID Market, the official catalog of applications from Google, but also offers a VMK Market which " selects the best of the ANDROID Market, because it is not easy to find with hundreds of thousands of applications. The VMK market also highlights the applications developed by developers Africans", said verona Mankou. Equipped with a processor ARM Cortex A8 cadence to 1.2 GHz (+ 512 MB of RAM), a storage memory of 4 Gb, a slot micro SD to increase the memory, WiFi and a definition of screen of 800 x 480 pixels, the way-C is marketed at 150,000 CFA francs, or 228 euros.

Verona Mankou is also attracted by the smartphone. Logic. VMK worked as well on a model, in the shape of miniature replica of the tablet (photo of the prototype above). The tablet Way-C landed at this time in the Congo as well as in 11 other countries in Africa. But verona Mankou does not want to restrict itself to the cradle of humanity, he dreams of Europe and thus seeks actively for new distributors, so that the way-C - and its smartphone where appropriate - find asylum on websites merchants of the Old Continent. And to see the features and the price of the tablet signed VMK, she should not have to blush to some products positioned at the same price. Soon, the VMK in our countryside? That is all the misfortune that there may be a hope in Verona Mankou and VMK.

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Posted in: Innovation