Tablet maker Wise Tablets launched a new tablet that has been designed especially with the South African market in mind. The Wise Touch 1, which has been developed in South Africa, will be available in 7” and 9” with a capacitive multi touch, while running on Android 2.3. But while it might sound like just another tablet, the Wise Touch 1 has something extra.
“The problem with tablets available today is that all of them offer exactly the same thing, software markets. This offers no true uniqueness between them; frankly the public opinion is that a tablet is a hybrid phone/laptop combination seen as just another gimmick or techno toy.
Well, not anymore, the Wise Touch brings a new edge to the game. This edge is not a special camera or a killer app. No, what makes the Wise Touch South Africa’s first South African tablet is what’s on the inside,” explains Gian Shipton, Managing director of WISE Tablets.
The tablet comes shipped with a whole host of local apps, which has been developed on behalf of South African brands and pre-loaded on the tablet.
“This localized content is presented in the form of a WISE Shopping Mall, WISE Business Park and a WISE Education Centre. The Wise Shopping Mall contains applications that include local retailers, travel shops, banking, food courts, videos, TV, movies, toys and features more than 15 departments with 115+ applications developed for SA. The Wise Shopping Mall was also developed especially for the Wise Touch to offer the user an easy, unique, interactive shopping experience as an alternative to the e-commerce options available today,” the company explained.
“Within the Wise Shopping Mall you have a variety of shopping options available, just as you would have in a physical mall. Read a Magazine or today’s newspaper in the Magazine Store, order Take Away from your favourite restaurant in the Food Court or do all your shopping through the various Retail Stores, all of this from the comfort of your own home,” added Shipton.
As for availability, the company should have stock by early next year. “We expect the first tablet batch to arrive in SA in the middle of December but we will probably not have devices available for our consumers during the December month. The official launch date with stock in SA however is planned for the first quarter of 2012 but we are already building an order book with existing reviewers, resellers and educators.”
In terms of pricing, users will be able to enjoy the tablets in a budget. “The 9” WISE TOUCH tablet will retail for less than R3500, the more popular 7” 3G tablet will retail for less than R2500 and the entry level 7” Wi-Fi for less than R1500. A very competitive offering considering that all the localized apps are pre-loaded for free, including education access.”
More information can be found at http://www.wisetablets.co.za
Charlie Fripp – Consumer Tech editor
