Simputer to hit market within two months

Kavitha Vivek in Bangalore

Simputer, the hand-held computer device designed by the team of scientists in the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, is all set to roll out from the drawing board to the consumer.

The first two commercial versions of the Simputer are underway to hit the market within the next two months. The price band of Rs 9,000 per unit is expected to be maintained by both the product lines.

Two Bangalore-based companies—Pico Peta Simputers Pvt Ltd and Encore Software Ltd—are currently working on versions that are expected to reach the market shortly. While Pico Peta, a commercial venture promoted by the Simputer inventors, will target their range at the rural and micro-banking applications, Encore Software, which was involved in the project, will focus on verticals like e-governance and sales force automation. Both the companies have licenced the product design from the Simputer Trust to manufacture the product for profit.

According to market sources Encore Software Ltd, promoted by Vinay Deshpande (also president MAIT), is currently weighing its options of either floating a subsidiary for the Simputer product line or starting the venture as a new line of business under the existing structure.

Currently, the hardware design of the Simputer version from Encore was being developed by Tata Elxsi and was likely to be manufactured in Honk Kong, sources said.