First African Designed Smartphone, Tablet Hit Market

Congolese entrepreneur Verone Mankou wants his tech startup VMK to be for Africa what Apple is for the U.S. and Samsung is for Asia. That is, he wants the majority of people on the continent to use the African-designed smartphone and tablet he is making.

VMK makes a tablet called Way-C, which means "the light of the stars," and now a smartphone called Elikia, which means "hope."

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The tablet is the size of Samsung's Galaxy Tab and costs $300. The Android-based smartphone costs $170 without a contract.

Thumbnail image courtesy of VMK

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