PS Bitange Ndemo makes a point/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 9 – The government is looking to initiate the use of hand held tablets to accelerate e-learning and e-health in the country.
Speaking at the launch of Samsung’s latest tab, “the Galaxy Note”, Information Permanent Secretary Bitange Ndemo said a pilot will soon be launched where one school will receive 1,000 tablets for use by students in a year.
“We’re trying to collect student performance data and we’ll review their performance after one year, before we go full scale tablets throughout the country to allow another bracket of the people who would have never had the chance to use this technology to enjoy its benefits,” he said.
Ndemo said that the Galaxy Note has the potential to provide doctors with a device that can store medical results, x-rays, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRIs), ElectroCardiogram (ECGs) and give them the ability to share that information with other doctors around world.
Samsung East Africa Deputy Managing Director Robert Ngeru said the phone is one of the first in the market with this technology.
“We do everything in one. It’s your phone, it’s your tablet, it’s your diary, it’s your memo, and it’s your office on the go. There’s no other technology like this that is available today and Samsung is the largest provider of Android devices globally with the fastest processor providing well over 500 applications for download,” he said.
The Galaxy Note is being billed as a hybrid between a tablet and a smart phone combining a 5.3-inch screen and the stylus, or “S-Pen” for Sh70,000.
The innovative S-Pen allows users to jot down notes, circle important items or scribble on images, and then save and immediately share them with a contact over e-mail, multimedia messaging, Bluetooth, Picasa or Samsung’s proprietary AllShare platform.
