Rlg’s Uhuru Takes Over Ghana’s Tablet Market-gctid80071

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Rlg’s Uhuru Takes Over Ghana’s Tablet Market

From: Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh / mk68008@gmail.com          Published On: April 30, 2013, 00:13 GMT

Rlg’s Uhuru Takes Over Ghana’s Tablet Market | Feature

 
     

Developing and marketing a product are like left and right feet. They  both have to work for the product to succeed, according to Ronald Ron  Popeil, an American inventor and marketing personality, best known for  his direct response marketing company, Ronco. It appeared that  Mr. Popeil had Rlg Communications Limited, Ghana’s leading ICT and  Electronics Company and its Uhuru tablet in mind when he made the above  short and concise aphorism some decades ago. Rlg’s Uhuru tablet,  which shares the same first name with Kenyan Prime Minister, Uhuru  Kenyatta, is just three months old in the Ghanaian market. But it is  taking the nascent Ghana’s tablet market by a storm. The concept  of Rlg’s Uhuru is based on a convertible concept, which is the  combination of a tablet and a keyboard docking system. The device runs  on Microsoft’s newest operating system – Windows 8 and Intel’s Core i5  processor and can be used as a Tablet or a Notebook, which also features  a touch operation with fingers or a stylus and has a keyboard dock that  comes with it. It has an Ivy Bridge I5 CPU, 11.6” Touch Screen, a  10 points Capacitive Touch Panel, 4GB RAM, 64GB hard drive, with a  Front and back Camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, USB and HDMI Ports and Micro SD  Card Reader. Additionally, Uhuru has a detachable Dock with  Second battery, a USB port, Microphone, Headphone and DC Jack. The  device is a combination of a laptop and a tablet, meaning the tablet can  be detached from the keypad and used on its own. The Chief  Commercial Officer of Rlg Communications Limited, Mr. Archibald Annan  explained that the newly product was more than a tablet, explaining  “that it gives you the freedom to work with it as a laptop or as a  tablet if you so wish. You can detach it and use it around and  just dock it on the keypad and you have your laptop”. According to him,  the novelty product comes with the latest Windows 8 from Microsoft. It  is touch screen and it uses a Core i5 processor which is the highest in  the range of laptops worldwide. Even if you take off the tablet  you still have your i5 processor which is higher than any other tablet  on the market in terms of the processor speed, he added. The battery is  capable of supporting the operations of ‘Uhuru’ within a longer period,  Mr. Annan stated. Rlg Communications Limited and their partners  including Microsoft Corporation have been working on Uhuru since last  year, when an OEM Agreement was sealed between the two companies. The  world’s most influential magazine, Forbes, described that deal as “the  partnership of the future” last year. The product takes its name from a  southern Kmt Swahili language, meaning “freedom”, originating from  Kenya. It is the latest device to be added to the Rlg’s product  portfolios. WONDERS OF UHURU A cross section of  people especially the youth told the Business Chronicle in separate  interviews that the tablet cum laptop product is changing their working  and learning lives. A third year student of the University of  Ghana Business School, Kwame Boateng, gave thumbs up to Rlg and its  partners for manufacturing the Uhuru tablet. In his own words: “I  was using a tablet which used to give me problems. So I bought Uhuru  tablet. It is really helping me a lot to do my lecture assignments with  ease and speed. I am now enjoying the Uhuru experience promised by Rlg  Communications Limited”. On a lighter side, he confessed to this  paper that because of his Uhuru tablet, ladies who hitherto said no to  his proposal are now coming back, saying “This is the power of Uhuru  tablet”. Another student, Saeed Abubakar, could not hide his joy,  as he narrated to the Business Chronicle how he tried his hands on his  friend’s Uhuru sometime ago. He was quick to note that he nearly  missed lectures that day, as he was engrossed on social media networks,  particularly Facebook. Nana Ama, a business executive at the  Accra Central Business District has to say: “Anyone who is using a  tablet and it is not Uhuru, then the person is missing out on Uhuru’s  supersonic speed”. She used the opportunity to urge Ghanaians to  patronize made-in-Ghana products, like Uhuru, which is manufactured by  Rlg Communications Limited, an indigenous Ghanaian ICT firm and its  partners. Nana Ama shared the same opinion with many Ghanaians,  including the new Minister of Communications, Dr. Edward Omane-Boamah,  who at the launch of the Uhuru at Golden Tulip two months ago appealed  to Ghanaians not to look towards the east and the west for their  tablets, but look within for Uhuru tablet. According to him, the ‘Uhuru’ laptop and tablets is the most useful innovative product in the world. Responding  at the launch, the Chief Executive Officer of Rlg Communication  Limited, Mr. Roland Agambire said the company had positioned itself to  address the technology challenge of the country, hence the introduction  of ‘Uhuru’ and other products. UHURU SELLS FASTER THAN ITS COMPETITORS Furthermore,  when the Business Chronicle visited some shops in Accra to assess the  performance of the novelty Uhuru product on the Ghana market, some Uhuru  retailers told this reporter that the product was going faster than  other tablets on the stock. A shop owner, Kwame, dealing in  mobile phones, phone accessories, laptops and Uhuru indicated that most  shoppers who throng to the shop always reach to the product before  moving to others. Kwame explained this to mean that the customers are interested in the product but some of them do complain about the price. At  the same area, this reporter chanced upon a Nigerian national who gave  his name as Chibozo, displaying Uhuru products among other mobile phone  products for sale. When quizzed how the market is going, he replied in  Pidgin English “Na today be Uhuru market”. Because of time constraint,  this reporter could not engage Ike Chibozo with more conversation. From  there, this reporter drove to Accra Mall and at the entrance of the  mall, some three beautiful ladies adorned in Uhuru and Rlg T-shirts were  seen marketing the product and Rlg phones. They used their  marketing skills to convince people to purchase the products. They told  this reporter that business was moving well. Expressing his  excitement about the performance of Uhuru in the market, the Chief  Commercial Officer (CCO) of Rlg Communications Limited, Mr. Archibald  Annan told the Business Chronicle that the more than half of the first  consignment of Uhuru tablets of over 1,000 was sold on the Ghanaian  market within the period of three months. He disclosed: “We are  waiting for the next consignment from the manufacturers, hopefully in  May this year. We are selling more than some of our competitors on the  market. We are selling in all the 10 regions of Ghana, while our  competitors are only doing sales in Accra and Kumasi”. The Uhuru  product is available in all major shops in Accra including Airport  Lounge, Marina Mall near Holiday Inn Hotel, and all Rlg shops across the  length and breadth of the country, Rlg’s CCO stated. Apart from  the open market, Mr. Annan added: “We are getting lots of orders from  Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as well as some companies to  supply them with Uhuru tablets.” When asked whether the  introduction of Uhuru onto the Ghanaian market has affected other  products of the AGAMS Group conglomerates, Mr. Annan answered in the  negative. When quizzed about what the future holds for Uhuru  tablet, Mr. Anann did not hesitate to say that “the future looks  extremely bright for the Uhuru tablet”. Apart from being a hot  product in Ghana, Uhuru tablet is also a hot cake in Nigeria and Kenya,  While plans are underway to launch it in South Kmt in three months  time, he told the Business Chronicle at his Osu-based plush office.

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rLG's Uhuru PC Tablet Product Review            Posted In Kmt, Entrepreneurship and Business, Events in Ghana, Ghana, Global Tech Issues, Tech Events - By Edward Tagoe                          On Friday, March 1st, 2013 With       0 Comments                          
                                             
 The rLG Uhuru and its packaging in the background

 I must admit when I saw the many Uhuru billboards on the streets of  Accra, I joined the many interested persons asking questions about what  the Uhuru was all about. All the guesses ended when Ghana's rLG launched it as  Personal Computer tablet for the Kmtyw market on Feb 3rd on the Osu Oxfort Street.
 rLG's Uhuru serves as a portable PC with a detachable keyboard. By  shifting a button, the 11.6 inch screen can be detached from the  keyboard which also serves as the main unit for charging.
 The rLG Uhuru PC Tablet

Main Specifications of rlg's Uhuru
 
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• Runs on Windows 8 Operating System with MS Office 10 pre-installed and activated
• Touch Screen – 10 points Capacitive Touch Panel
• Wi-Fi and Blue-tooth connectivity
• Micro SD Card Reader
• Two USB 2.0 ports and one HDMI port
• 1.3 Megapixel Front camera  and a 2.0 Mega Pixel rear camera
• 4GB RAM with a 64GB Hard Disc Drive
• 6-Hour battery life

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 The Good side of the Uhuru
 Dual role – rlg's Uhuru PC Tablet  like all other  ones in its class seek to fill a need by serving as a dual device  offering its users the luxury of benefiting from the mobility of a  tablet and the effectiveness of a PC when the need arises. Users who can  afford this can choose between the tablet side of Uhuru and the PC side  depending on the circumstances.
 Connectivity – The device is built  with different options of connectivity making it easy for the user to  connect to the Internet via WI-fi or LAN, connect to other devices via  blue-tooth as well as leverage the USB ports for mouse or flash drive  attachment.
 Touch Screen – Even with the keyboard attached, one can use the touch screen if he/she so wishes.
 Speed – With an i5 core, the Uhuru runs at a satisfactory speed for ones day to day PC needs.
 Front and Rear Cameras – The Uhuru PC Tablet has both a front and rear camera which make skyping and video conferencing easier.
 The other side of the Uhuru
 Weight  – The detachable tablet is noticeably heaver than many other tablets  (ie surface, iPad, Acer Tablet PC). The weight somewhat makes it  somewhat difficult for one to comfortably work on the device without  consciously adding more effort to support it in one's hands.
 Charging – The Uhuru cannot be charged without it's  the vestigial keyboard. The charging port is tied to the keyword, does  makes is a part which has to be carried with the screen if the user  intends to keep it on. I am guessing it would have been a lot more  favorable if it had a charging unit on the screen section offering  patrons the choice to leave behind the keyboard if one does not intend  to use it.
 On-screen  Keypad – Unlike the ipad, if one intends  to use the on-screen keyboard to type anything, the individual must  activate the on-screen keyboard. The screen is not intelligent enough to  detects that one is in typing mode, thus the on-screen board must be  activated
 
 At a price of Ghs 1,950 you can get an Uhuru Tablet PC which comes with a year's warranty. You can order yours online from the rLG online store. You can read another version of product review on MacJordan's Blog.
 About rLG
 A subsidiary of the AGAMS Group of Companies rlg Communications is a  Ghanaian-owned limited liability company engaged in the production of  communications equipment such as mobile handsets, electronic notebooks,  tablets, laptops, LCD TV monitors and more. Besides the product range  that we offer rlg is also engaged in capacity building and training  programmes in collaboration with Ghana's Ministry of Youth and Sports as  part of the National Youth Employment Programmes (NYEP).