Manila publisher unveils own Android-based tablet

Jumbo Editorial Team 

Diwa Learning Systems, a Manila-based publisher, has launched a new Android-based tablet by the name of Yopad, targeted at the education sector fast switching towards e-learning and e-books.

The device was formally unveiled during the recently held 33rd Manila International Book Fair at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. 

The China-made tablet computer will become available in the coming school year 2013-2014 and it’s expected to be sold for less than P 10,000 as a stand-alone unit. 

The 7-inch tablet can also come pre-packaged with Diwa’s digital content such as Genyo e-learning and e-textbooks. The schools, however, will have to pay an additional amount to cover the cost of the digital publications. 

Yopad has been regarded as just an option for educational institutions since the company’s digital resources are device-neutral and can run on any Internet-enabled tablet or PC. It also has Wi-Fi capabilities and runs on Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich.

It may be recalled Vibal Publishing, another company of Manila, had launched its own Android-based tablet titled Vibe, an 8-inch unit for students and a 10-inch model for teachers during an educational conference at the Philippine Normal University (PNU) in May. 

The tablets, priced competitively at P 10,900 for the 8-inch model and P 12,900 for the 10-inch tablet, are manufactured in China but are tailored-fit for local school use. 

The specs of the device are fairly decent, with the 8-inch variant sporting a 1.2 GHz dual-core chip from Samsung and multi-touch capacitive LCD screen from LG. Both tablets run on Android 4 or Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

The tablets were built according to the specifications of Vibal Publishing, integrating a host of educational apps, e-reader, and interactive textbooks. 

Vibal ventured to create its own tablet although it also provides e-learning content to other tablets being used in local schools such as the e-Rizal tablet in Laguna and the Samsung Galaxy Tab in La Salle Greenhills.