My love affair started back when I was a mere 13 year-old in high
school. I was fascinated by computer games. During my school days I met
Anibe Agamah, who would later on become my co-founder at Encipher. We
shared floppy disk drives with various games, and after our high school
leaving exams we both set out to learn computer programming. We learnt
how to code in C-language and Assembl. Anibe had a more artistic
inclination and his web skills picked up and mapped out a year later. He
also went on to study computer science and acquired an Msc in
technology management while I ventured into software engineering.
What’s the story behind Encipher Group, and what was the inspiration for the INYE tablet computer?
Encipher was set up originally in the UK as a company which combined
both strengths of the founders: Web application development and software
development. This was back in June 2008. We actually set up shop when
we got our first web application development job. As time went on, we
decided to expand into new territories, hence our decision to branch out
to making personal computers. The real inspiration for Encipher INYE is
the Apple iPad. With the nature of the operating system the iPad had
and its portability, we felt we had an entry point within the Nigerian
market with a tablet. I had been having a look at the Android OS
[operating system] since its launch in 2008 and I felt that a tablet PC
running on Android OS with its open nature provided us an opportunity to
get Nigerian developers building applications for it and also provided
an alternative product for indigenous consumers.
Tell us about your flagship product-the Inye Tablet Computer.
The Inye tablet comes in 2 specs: INYE-1 was unveiled April 2010 and
is a 7-inch resistive screen tablet. It runs android 2.1 and allows a
user to connect to the internet using its inbuilt WIFI card and allows a
user to also use an external 3G modem from GSM networks. It offers
about 3hrs of battery life and allows HDMI output to HDMI capable
devices (e.g. TV). It also allows a user to plug USB devices such as
external flash drives and keyboards.
INYE-2, which was unveiled in May 2011, is an 8-inch capacitive
screen tablet. It runs Android 2.2 and allows a user to connect to the
internet using its inbuilt Wi-Fi card as well as using inbuilt SIM
[card]. It offers about 8 hours of battery life. It also offers
connection to other USB devices such as external flash drives, keyboard
and mouse.
What’s your comparative advantage? Are there any special
features Encipher tablets have that the iPad, Playbook or other tablets
do not possess?
The comparative advantage to the iPad and Playbook is the nature of
[operating system] our devices run. The Android OS is seen to be the
fastest growing platform currently within the mobile space. The open
nature of the OS allows third party developers to build relevant
applications for vertical markets which are still relatively untapped at
the moment.
Sign up here with your email