India has released a Rs.1,500 ($35) Laptop / Tablet PC for students and teachers in Schools, Colleges and Universities. The $ 35 laptop was unveiled by Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday.
“Our target is to bring it (the price) down to $ 10 a piece and our research teams are engaged in that project. In the meanwhile, we have developed this low cost access-cum-computing device,” Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters. “Our learners should get it in 2011 and the government will provide a 50 per cent subsidy per computer,” the Minister added.
The computer has been developed by a research team comprising IIT professors and experts from IISc, does not have a hard disc and uses Linux… but it has every function, which a normal computer has, the minister claimed.
The device has support for video web conferencing facility, multimedia content viewer for example pdf, jpeg, zip, etc, and computing capabilities such as Open Office, SciLab and internet browsing with flash plug-in, JavaScript. It also has wireless communication for Audio/Video, Cloud computing option, remote device management capability, multi-media input output interface option. “Since there is no hard disc, the computers have lesser memory, but one can use add-on memories. There are solar panels also with the computers,” the Minister said.
Initially it may be manufactured in Taiwan or somewhere else, but ultimately manufactured in India.
Specifications:
- Operating System: Linux
- Display: Touch Screen
- Keyboard: Built in
- RAM: 2GB
- Connectivity: Wifi, USB
- Power: 2 watt.
The laptop is currently not available for sale in the market as the Government has decided to launch it for students in 2011.
If India can give a $2,000 car, a $16 water purifier and $2,000 open-heart surgery, why not a $35 computer?
Is this true ?? I am not sure about this tablet and its configuration. If the power is 2 watt then it must be ARM architecture ( or non Intel ). If they mention that it won have hard disk then it must be MMC card or NAND disk. This will create great competition for OLPC or ClassMate CP.
it looks more than a Vidoe Game, wht are its features & useage ?
currently we cant even get touch screen phone at this price and they are saying laptop ???
I saw this news on Zee TV also.
Check out the video of the launch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGEDizaWX0k
Looks like the media – WC included, unfortunately – has jumped on this story without any research ino similar announcements made by Indian politicians over the years.
This article from ComputerWorld has a different take on the “$35 Tablet” (http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9179591/Why_the_35_tablet_will_never_exist?taxonomyId=206&pageNumber=2)
YT: Thanks for the video link. I have embedded it.
OldElmerFudd: Thanks for the link. The cost is going to be subsidized by the Govt to the extent of 50%. But I guess only time will tell if it turns out to be a reality.
Incidentally India also has a $2000 car Nano running successfully on the roads made by the Tata’s.
I know it very well that its targeted for the middle class people in India and I really appreciate what these guys did. And I think THIS product is what we can actually call “magical” pr “revolutionary” 😛
Wow, India again takes on the rest of the world.
sir is most advantage of sutd, most new device in world.
Actualy these are the real manufacturing prices for any fonr within a range of rs 10000 to rs 15000 in market. the hykened prices of these mobiles in market is due the profits of the middle man i mean any phone passes through many level from factory to the market in which at every step profit is involved.government is directly proving the tab to the market .hope this helps you to understand the so called greatness of government!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
I m waiting for such an experience to get such low cost lappy
Hai me yeh janna chahta hun yeh kab students ke hat me ayega.
it’s a revolutionary decision made by HRD ministry. But doubt remains…
hi this is navin kumar from allahabad. iwanted to know from which university and college it would be purched.thank u
when this amazing tb is available in market some one tell me…..
It is available now: http://www.thegeeksclub.com/indias-50-tablet-sakshat-aakash-launched
Can Anyone update me promptly at the time of launching of this new revolutionary tab.