Neura producer: 'You can't manufacture this kind of tablet in Romania'

Romanian company Televoice officially launched last week under its Evolio brand the Neura tablet which it is positioning as a serious competitor for the Apple iPad.
“Our tablet is an iPad killer since it offers more at a similar size and for a fair price. This proves that Romanians too can launch a high technology product with exceptional performance onto the market,” said Liviu Nistoran, CEO of Evolio.

The tablet runs on the Android 2.2 operating system and is now available in local retail stores at a recommended sale price of RON 1,499 for the wi-fi version and RON 1,899 for the 3G version.
“We estimate sales of 4,000-5,000 Neura units in Romania by the end of the year. We will reach approximately half of the iPad market share, with the prospect of exceeding this level in December,” said Nistoran. “We are in discussions with retail outlets in Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland to distribute the tablet.” The Evolio.ro website has received orders from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, South Africa and Venezuela. “We hope we will sell another 5,000 units on markets in Central and Eastern Europe,” said the CEO.

The overall investment in the project was in excess of USD 1 million. USD 144,711 went into the software, customization and promotion of the tablet while USD 900,000 went on stocks.
The device was designed in Romania. However, the hardware was manufactured in the same industrial region where the iPad is made, Shenzen in China.

“This is the region where more than 80 percent of the electronic products in the world are manufactured. Production costs are 30 percent lower than if they were produced in Korea or Taiwan. In Romania, you cannot manufacture this kind of tablet because the necessary technology does not exist. The creation of such a production line and the assimilation of the respective technology would cost more than USD 20 million which is not economically sustainable except via state aid,” commented Nistoran. In 2010, Televoice posted sales of EUR 3 million. Company estimates are that turnover will reach EUR 5.5 million this year.

Otilia Haraga

Tablets

Evolio Neura
OS: Android 2.2/3.0; Processor: NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual Core; 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Camera front; Internal SSD memory: 16 GB; Battery autonomy: 6-10 hours; Size: 25x19x1.4 cm ; Weight: 780 grams (the 3G version); 760 grams (the Wi-Fi version)
Price: RON 1,500 (the wi-fi version); RON 1,900 (the 3G version)

Apple iPad 2 64 GB
OS: IOS 4; Processor: Dual-core A5 1 GHz; Wireless, Bluetooth, 3G; Internal flash memory: 64 GB or 16 GB
Battery autonomy: up to 10 hours; Size: 18.57 x 8.8 x 24.12 cm; Weight: 613 grams (the 64 GB 3G version); 601 grams (the other two versions); Price: RON 3,600 (the 64 GB 3G version); RON 3,000 (the 64 GB version); RON 2,100 (the 16 GB version)

Samsung Galaxy Tab
OS: Android 3.1 Honeycomb
Processor: NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual Core 1 GHz; Bluetooth, wireless; Internal memory: 32 GB; Size: 256.5 x 175.2 x 8.63 mm; Weight: 560 grams
Price: RON 2,700