India unveils Rs 1500 computing device

Human resource development minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday unveiled a $35 access-cum-computing device that could revolutionise education.

The device allows users to perform tasks that meet most requirements of students — writing and storing text, browsing the internet and viewing videos, for instance.

"This represents an invitation to innovation. Other groups including private companies in India and abroad should now try and make a product even cheaper," Sibal said.

Effectively, the device unveiled on Thursday — made by a team from the IITs and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore — would set a US $35 cap on the price, HRD ministry sources argued. Manufacturers would now be invited to produce the device at rates cheaper than the prototype.

The HRD minister also set a 2011 deadline for the device to hit the markets. "The sun will shine on Indian students in 2011," he said, adding that once the device hits the market, universities and colleges would be encouraged to purchase the product for their students. But the promise of a low-cost computing device to revolutionise the experience of studying is not new and in the past has failed the price test when finally manufactured.

On February 3, 2009, then HRD minister Arjun Singh had launched a similar low-cost gadget in Tirupati which the ministry had claimed at the launch would cost between US $ 10-20. Then higher education secretary Rameshwar Pal Agrawal and joint secretary N.K. Sinha had told reporters they planned the device at a cost of between Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000. Like Sibal, they set a deadline too — six months.

The HRD ministry said that though the Tirupati device had not been dumped, its cost rose to US $ 47 by the time it was to be manufactured. Sibal too had launched a similar device costing US $ 250 in 2005 when he was science and technology minister.[/img]

Indian government unveils a $35 tablet

Indian government unveils a $35 tablet



Sure, the Apple iPad may having a starting price of $499, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend half a grand to pick up a tablet computer. The government of India has unveiled a handheld tablet that it says could sell to students for about $35. And believe it or not, it’s not made of paper.

We don’t have detailed specifications yet, but the tablet will apparently have a touchscreen display, 2GB of storage space, WiFi, USB, and a low power processor that uses just 2 Watts of power.

Oh, and that $35 price tag? It’s not the final price. India is hoping that eventually the tablets could sell for as little as $10.

If the price seems a bit outlandish, keep in mind that the government may be subsidizing the cost a bit — and Chinese companies are already pumping out tablets that retail for as little as $100. But I still wouldn’t be totally surprised if someone eventually explained that the $35 just pays for the motherboard, processor, and memory in these Indian tablets, not the screen and casing.

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