World's cheapest tablet launched at Rs 2250 

 NEW DELHI: The HRD ministry distributed its low-cost tablet to 500 college students from all over the country on Wednesday. The device that took six years to develop and was once subject to widespread ridicule comes dirt-cheap at Rs 2,250.

The government would pick up 50% of the cost and a student will be able to buy it for Rs 1,125.

Indian government hopes the device could herald a paradigm shift in making technology accessible to marginal sections of society and bridge the digital divide. It is likely to undergo intense scrutiny by the highly-competitive tablet market.

Christened Aakash or the Low-Cost Access Device, the tablet developed by IIT, Rajasthan and other leading institutions, packs all common features found in Android tablets. It comes as a counter to MIT academic Nicholas Negroponte`s One-Laptop-Per-Child (OLPC) project that the Indian government was considering at one point.

Sporting a 7-inch touchscreen, Aakash runs on Android 2.2 operating software. According to specifications, it has a high-definition video co-processor for good multimedia experience.

The device comes with Wi-Fi connectivity and has support for optional 3G modems. Two full-size USB ports are integrated into the unit. Aakash can be used as an ebook reader. A student will be able to access online streaming of course material and web-based research.

A BTech student of IIT, Delhi developed the first cut of the design. His father, Prem Kalra, later became director of IIT, Rajasthan and took the project to the logical conclusion.

N K Sinha, additional secretary, HRD ministry and the man behind the low-cost tablet, said considering the huge demand, the price would come down further. Sinha, the first person who conceived that a low-cost tablet could be produced in India, was once ridiculed for taking the nation for a ride.

On Wednesday HRD minister Kapil Sibal complimented him: "You took the nation on a pleasant ride." The man Sibal and others completely forgot was late Sudeep Banerjee, secretary, education who resisted imposition of OLPC and gave Sinha a free hand.

Early this year, the project nearly got derailed as the company that was asked to produce the low-cost tablet was taken over by an IT major. Later, that deal fell through and the project was started all over again.

Produced by Datawind, 100,000 tablets would be given out to students over the next year. Currently, the company is producing 700 tablets daily at its Hyderabad facility. Datawind has set up a manufacturing facility only for Aakash.

The company has been given the order for 100,000 tablets that would be delivered by November-end. The next order of 10 lakh tablets would go through a tendering process. HRD ministry officials said, "Considering the widespread interest in the product, many companies might independently produce these tablets with competing prices. We do not have a closed mind in terms of innovation of technology and price. All are invited."

One jarring point about Aakash remains. The tablet won`t be available to school students immediately. The cost is being borne by the National Mission on Education through Information & Communication Technology. This deals exclusively with higher education, reason Aakash cannot be given to school students. This goes against the original idea of providing laptops to school children and coming up with a project to counter OLPC. The HRD ministry is likely to move another cabinet note for making it accessible to school students.