DataWind, a provider of wireless Web access products and services, recently debuted what it claims to be the world?s lowest computing/internet device. Called Aakash, the tablet has been designed, developed and manufactured by DataWind, in partnership with IIT Rajasthan, under the human resources & development ministry?s National Mission on Education through Information & Communication Technology (NME-ICT). The government is buying 100,000 tablets from DataWind at an all inclusive price of R2,250 per unit (inclusive of all taxes, levies, and charges like freight and insurance, servicing and documentation).
DataWind has established a new production line in Hyderabad, specifically for this purpose, resulting in the ultra low-cost tablet to be the first indigenously designed and manufactured tablet. The company plans to offer a commercial version called UbiSlate soon, priced at R2,999 including 12 months of warranty. Internet access via mobile networks will be priced at R98 for 2 GB of data, in the commercial version, which includes a cellular modem and SIM card slot.
At this price, Aakash is impressive for it is a functional Android tablet. We at PCQuest got to play around with Aakash and this is what we found. It has the basics you would expect to see in a tablet?connectivity, a Web browser and media players, PDF readers, downloadable apps. There are two USB ports, a rarity in tablets and a micro-SD card slot, and a 3G version is also planned.
Intended for students, the Aakash tablet can be used as an Ebook reader, for access to online streaming course material and Web-based research. Not limited to students, Aakash offers anybody that wants high quality Web, social networking, instant messaging, multimedia, games and hundreds of thousands of applications, a durable and affordable mobile device. Instant messaging and social networking are delivered through the Nimbuzz application.
The Aakash is a 7-inch Android 2.2 touchscreen tablet that has a high definition video co-processor for a high-quality multimedia experience and core graphics accelerator for faster application support. The 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.
The Aakash is a really light tablet, weighing just 350 gm, with a 7-inch display and an almost pocket-able form factor. However, the device?s software is limited by its specifications (a slow processor and low memory) and cost: it runs the Android 2.2 Froyo operating system, intended for low-cost smartphones. This further means no Android market, the standard tablet-and-phone app store that Google doesn?t allow access to from Froyo 2.2 devices. Instead, there?s GetJar, a more limited app store largely for phone apps. This means most apps on the tablet will run in a smaller size, or in lower resolution if expanded to fulls screen. The battery life is a let-down too; the 2100mAh battery lasted less than the rated three hours.
With its innovative tablet, DataWind hopes to satisfy the desire for low cost computing in India. Overall, it is an ambitious attempt and it will be one to watch.
Specs
Display and resolution: 7-inch display with 800 x 480 pixel resolution
Processor: 366 Mhz Connexant with graphics accelerator
Operating system: Android 2.2
Memory: 256 MB RAM
Storage: 2 GB Flash (internal)
Supported document formats: DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, ODT, ODP
PDF viewer, Text editor
Peripherals: 2 Standard USB port
Audio out: 3.5 mm jack/audio in: 3.5 mm jack
Power and battery: 180 minutes on battery. AC adapter 200-240 volt range
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