More details, including pictures and pricing, of the first tablet computer to be developed in Congo-Brazzaville have emerged. When TechCentral first reported about the tablet in June, the company behind it, VMK, had only released images of the rear of the tablet, fearing copycats.

Now the company has released additional images of the device and announced the tablet’s name: it will be called the Way-C.

The Way-C is a 7-inch tablet with three capacitive buttons and features a 1,2GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory and has support for Wi-Fi. It will run version 2.3.3 of Google’s Android operating system and will sport a user interface called “Kongo”, says VMK CEO Vérone Mankou.

Though VMK has tried to keep its tablet as African as possible, it couldn’t be assembled on the continent so that part of the process has been outsourced to Chinese manufacturers. However, Mankou has visited the factories manufacturing the Way-C and been involved in the entire development process.

Way-C gallery (click images for larger versions):

Mankou says the final retail price of the device will be dependent on resellers, but he expects the Way-C to cost about US$300. Mankou says he wants to make tablets accessible to Africans and it was important the Way-C be priced accordingly.

He says that although the VMK tablet “is designed for emerging markets, it will be available globally”. VMK will focus on Africa first “because it’s more accessible” and the company is looking for African partners and resellers.

Mankou says the Way-C will be available in Congo-Brazzaville from 17 October. — Craig Wilson, TechCentral