Not Sakshat, India launches Aakash, the cheapest tablet PC around
India unveils Rs 1,500 tablet PC
New Delhi: India unveiled a Rs 1,500 (around $ 30) tablet PC designed specifically for students.
“If more companies decide to manufacture a similar device, prices will come down automatically,” Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said after unveiling the low cost-access-cum computing device here.
The device would be made available to students in 2011.
When the ministry floated the concept of a low cost laptop some years ago, officials said it would cost Rs 500 ($ 10). It will now cost about three times the initial projections.
The ministry expects the prices to drop to Rs 1,000 ($ 20) and reach Rs 500 ($ 10) as innovations are introduced.
The device, no bigger than a conventional laptop, is a single unit system with a touch screen and a built in keyboard along with 2GB RAM, Wi-Fi connectivity, USB port and powered by a 2-watt system to suit poor power supply areas.
“This is real and tangible and we will take it forward. Sun will rise for the Indian students in 2011,” he said.
The ministry also invited private players to produce similar low cost computers.
“When we started the project, the response from the private sector was lukewarm. Now many are willing to join the innovation,” Sibal said.
The ministry started its efforts by holding discussions on this concept with a group of experts at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras and IIT Bombay, a ministry official said.
The low cost tablets will be distributed in institutions by the HRD ministry. The final price will depend on the transportation cost.
“We will give some subsidy on the device. As far as transport is concerned, if the transport cost in less, the government can bear that as well,” Sibal added.
New Delhi: The much awaited India’s ultra-low-cost tablet is finally here. The much talked-about $35 tablet has been branded Aakash, and not Sakshat as reported earlier.
The initial cost at which the government is acquiring one lakh units the tablet PC from DataWind is Rs 2250 per unit. The target price at which the government intends to acquire an additional 1 crore units is the previously publicised Rs 1750 per unit.
Powered by Android 2.2 (Froyo) and a 366 Mhz processor the 7-inch tablet has a resistive touch screen. The Aakash tablet is in fact DataWind’s UBISlate 7 tablet. Weighing 350 grams the tablet has 256MB RAM and an internal storage of 2GB Flash memory.
The tablet will also be commercially available from November at a price of Rs 2999. A cellular modem will be the additional feature in the commercial model. Some units of the tablet PC were also distributed to the students present at the launch event in New Delhi. The device will initially be made available to post-secondary students.
The Aakash tablet also has support for Wi-Fi connectivity and includes a microphone and stereo earphones. The tablet also comes with a 12-month replacement warranty. The device was first showcased in back in July 2010. The tablet supports additional external memory up to 32 GB and includes an USB port.
A keyboard portfolio case for the tablet will also be made available during the commercial launch at an additional cost of Rs 300.
India trails fellow BRIC nations Brazil, Russia and China in the drive to get its 1.2 billion population connected to technologies such as the Internet and mobile phones, a report by risk analysis firm Maplecroft said this year.
The number of Internet users grew 15-fold between 2000 and 2010, according to another recent report. Still, just 8 per cent of Indians have access. That compares with nearly 40 per cent in China.
Some 19 million people subscribe to mobile phones every month, making India the world’s fastest growing market, but most are from the wealthier segment of the population in towns.
The launch last week of Amazon’s Kindle Fire shook up the global tablet market, with its $199 price tag and slick browser a serious threat to Apple’s iPad.
Like the Kindle Fire, the Aakash uses the Google Android operating system, but market watchers were sceptical the Indian-made device will have mass appeal.
Specifications:
Hardware:
- Processor: 366 Mhz. Connexant with Graphics accelerator and HD Video processor

- Memory (RAM): 256MB RAM / Storage (Internal): 2GB Flash
- Storage (External): 2GB to 32GB Supported
- Peripherals (USB2.0 ports, number): 1 Standard USB port
- Audio out: 3.5mm jack / Audio in: 3.5mm jack
- Display and Resolution: 7″ display with 800×480 pixel resolution
- Input Devices: Resistive touch screen
- Connectivity and Networking: GPRS and WiFi IEEE 802.11 a/b/g
- Power and Battery: Up to 180 minutes on battery. AC adapter 200-240 volt range.
Software:
- OS: Android 2.2
- Document Rendering
* Supported Document formats: DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, ODT, ODP
* PDF viewer, Text editor
- Multimedia and Image Display
* Image viewer supported formats: PNG, JPG, BMP and GIF
* Supported audio formats: MP3, AAC, AC3, WAV, WMA
* Supported video formats: MPEG2, MPEG4, AVI, FLV
- Communication and Internet
* Web browser – Standards Compliance: xHTML 1.1 compliant, JavaScript 1.8 compliant
* Separate application for online YouTube video
- Safety and other standards compliance
* CE certification / RoHS certification

Aakash was launched on October 5 and is currently the world’s cheapest tablet with an expected market price of $60. It is sponsored by the government of India and will be available at subsidized rates for students as its main purpose is to promote literacy and education in rural as well as urban areas.
The specs of the tablet itself are as follows:
It has a 7 inch touchscreen, a 366 MHz processor, weighs in at 350 grams, uses Wi-Fi for internet access, has 2 USB ports, 256 MB RAM, 2GB flash memory, 2GB micro SD card and an expandable memory of 32GB. And the OS it uses is Android 2.2 Froyo.
It’s not freely available in the retail market yet, but it will be made available to university students first – according to their official website. While a retail version with better specs is also supposed to be in the pipeline.
Pepper.pk, which is a Lahore based company, has three world No. 1 titles to its name including the four-time AppWorld No. 1 app, Photo Editor and has won numerous local awards as well as significant international recognition.
The company’s apps are available across all major mobile platforms including iPhone/iPad, BlackBerry phones and BlackBerry PlayBook, Windows Phone 7, Android and Nokia.
The company said that it would start customizing relevant apps from its current 150 offerings for the Aakash tablet as soon as it becomes commercially available.
It’s a great step from the company to forge a friendship between the two countries through IT and hopefully more companies in the two countries will take the lead and collaborate on other technological ventures.

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