Kapil Sibal launches Aakash
The world's cheapest tablet was launched in India by the Honorable Minister of Human Resources & Development, Communications & Information Technology, Kapil Sibal. Called 'Aakash', the tablet has been designed, developed and manufactured by DataWind Ltd., in partnership with IIT Rajasthan, under the Human Resources & Development Ministry's National Mission on Education through Information & Communication Technology (NME-ICT).
At the Plenary Hall in Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Minister Sibal enthralled an audience of 1,500 dignitaries, industry leaders, academics and students with a live demonstration of high-definition streaming video on the low-cost tablet, followed by web browsing and demonstration of educational applications. Five hundred devices were also handed out to students in attendance.
Minister Sibal explained, "the low cost device was the third leg of NME-ICT: after connecting over 1,000 institutions across the country with high bandwidth Wi-Fi networks and web-enabling masses of course-content for free. Under NME-ICT, the government intends to deliver 10 million tablets to post-secondary students across India. The target price of the 10 million units is Rs.1,750 per unit. DataWind has provided a firm proposal at the Rs.1,750 price point also."
Suneet Singh Tuli CEO, DataWind said, "Our goal was to break the price barrier for computing and internet access. Working with IIT Rajasthan, and NME-ICT, we've created a product that will finally bring affordable computing and internet access to the masses. This is not only a concept that applies to India, but has ignited the imagination of governments around the world. The Aakash is proudly made in India, and is destined to revolutionize computing and internet access for the world."
The Aakash is a 7" Android 2.2 touch screen tablet that has a HD video co-processor and core graphics accelerator for faster application support. The Aakash tablet is the only Android device in the market to offer DataWind's UbiSurfer browser, based on 18 international patents. The UbiSurfer browser accelerates web pages by factors of 10x to 30x, allowing for a web experience of unrivalled speed.
The device includes Wi-Fi connectivity and support for optional 3G modems. Two full-sized USB ports are integrated into the unit allowing pen-drives, external keyboards, web-cams, dongles and other inexpensive peripherals to be attached.
Although, the Aakash tablet will only be available to post-secondary students through the NME-ICT, DataWind will offer a commercial version, called the UbiSlate, starting late November at a Maximum Retail Price of under Rs.2,999 (inclusive of all duties and taxes). The price difference between the Aakash and UbiSlate is because the commercially available product will include a cellular modem, allowing it to deliver web access anywhere there is a cellular connectivity, and also to function as a mobile phone!
The open market product will also need to include various forms of excise duties, countervailing duties, sales tax, distribution costs, marketing costs, channel margins and field service support. The UbiSlate will be offered by DataWind online and through reputed electronics and mobile retailers across India starting late November. The UbiSlate will be priced under Rs. 3,000 including 12 months of warranty. Internet access across mobile networks will be priced at Rs.99 for 2GB.
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