Update of the $35 tablet
*Android OS
*cost of 1500 rupee's , of which 750 will be subsidy anyway.(So Indian insinuations can buy this machine for just 750)
Interview and Review (10 min)
Just review with spec's (2 min)
another Interview (5 min)
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http://www.techtree.com/India/News/Indias_35_Tablet_is_No_Vaporware/551-112557-893.html
India's $35 Tablet is No Vaporware
Rahul Srinivas, Aug 12, 2010 1228 hrs IST
Comes with Android, Wi-Fi, 2GB RAM and other features
If you thought the Indian HRD ministry's attempt at making that $35 (Rs. 1,500) laptop is pure government fantasy and the usual pep talk we see from the Indian government, be ready to be surprised. Not only does the tablet exist in a prototype form, it actually works pretty well - and how!
Before I start, let's take a look at the brief history behind the story. The first time we heard of the tablet was last month when the HRD ministry, out of no where announced its plans to bring this $35 wonder to the student community of India. Back then, it was welcomed with the usual suspicion and skepticism that the Indian and world media has regarding anything that is remotely connected to the Indian government.
A month on, when all the hype about the tablet was just about to die, folks from NDTV Gadget Guru managed to scoop an interview with HRD Miniter Kapil Sibal (if you don't know who he is, you REALLY need that tablet) who carried the tablet with him to the studios. And that resulted in the first video hands on of the device. Our first impressions?
Well, it's no beauty contest contestant. The looks are nothing much to home about. If you were expecting something curvy like the iPads or the JooJoos or the Notion Inks of the world, be prepared for a nasty, boxy surprise. But hey, this is no lifestyle product. This is pure utilitarian stuff so if it does the job, that should suffice.
The hardware on this thing is pretty impressive by the looks of it. I am not sure what processor does the number crunching inside but it looks quite meaty to handle most tasks thrown at it. It has 2GB of RAM which is quite sufficient for web browsing, the occasional video streaming and document editing tasks that this is expected to do. The tablet is particularly impressive when it comes to connectivity options. Apart from Bluetooth, it seems to have all you need - ranging from Wi-fi, USB ports, Video out and SD card slots to SIM card slots for 3G ready connectivity. There is a camera at the rear (the megapixel count is still under wraps) that should suffice for normal photography. Besides, I don't expect anyone to take this on an African Safari anyway - so, the camera is pretty much sufficient for something that won't cost more than $35. One disappointment might be the screen which is resistive in nature. But then, for $35, it's criminal to expect a capacitive display on this - that too a 7-inch one.
On the software front, while we all thought it would run some real excuse of an OS based on Linux, I was surprised to see it running Android OS! Yes, I know Android is based on Linux as well. The good thing about this bit is the fact that there is considerable activity on the app development front when it comes to Android and this would actually make the tablet appealing to people who are just looking for a pure, no frills tablet. While the version of Android doesn't look to be the latest one, it still is pretty much usable. Also, I think it is likely that the tablet is powerful enough to get an update to Gingerbread once that arrives. Let's hope the processor is clocked at 1Ghz or more so that its eligible for the update.
Sibal, during the entire course of the interview, emphasised that the $35 price is pretty much real and that had it been under the retail sales, the price would have been considerably higher. However, this project is government subsidised and has no intention to go retail. Surprisingly, he also confirmed that he is aiming to bring the cost down to $10 later! By 2011, he expects at least a million units of the $35 tablet in the hands of Indian students. He adds that once that is done, we are ready to take the next step and take the tablet global.
What we think about this $35 wonder from India? For once, India has proved and has actually made something that isn't just there on paper or in pictures. It is pretty much real and more importantly, it works pretty well. If the idea is taken forward, there is no doubt that this will positively impact the education of millions of children who do not have access to basic computing. Think of it - an Internet tablet for under $35. Only Indians could pull off this one!
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http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20013370-1.html
Early take on India's $35 tablet: 'Fairly impressive'
Remember that $35 tablet out of India we told you about last month? If you want to see the much-talked-about prototype in moving color, a gadget show on Indian television just featured an exclusive hands-on that could help dissipate some of the skepticism about the device.
"Everybody actually said, 'It cannot happen, a $35 tablet,' and not only does it exist, it works and it works brilliantly," said Rajiv Makhni, co-host of the show "Gadget Guru," who took the computer through its paces with show cohort Vikram Chandra and then talked all aspects of the gadget with Kapil Sibal, the country's Minister for Human Resource Development and the same guy who officially unveiled the super-cheap touch-screen device. Aimed at the country's students, it's being called India's answer to Nicholas Negroponte's famed OLPC laptop.
While originally presented as a Linux device, the prototype on the show runs on Android (and handles the operating system "fairly smoothly," the surprised Gurus say). It has a virtual keyboard, camera, full video capability, Wi-Fi for browsing that the Gurus found to be "simple and quick," an e-reader, and 2GB RAM. They say the touch screen is a bit slow to respond. All in all, though, they call it a "fairly impressive little package," particularly for the price, and a game changer for India and possibly beyond.
"We really didn't think it would be as functional as we have found it be," Chandra said.
The tablet is part of a larger initiative aimed at improving India's educational system through technology. It will originally be delivered by mid-2011, subsidized, to higher-education institutions for the estimated $35, Sibal said. (He acknowledged that it will surely cost more at retail.)
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My Comments:
I have my Hope's up right now , but let's wait and see how long that will last. The device looks solid , runs a proven OS. I have an Android phone , it's a good OS and gives the user a number of options.
Again still concerns over pricing but they seem very determined to make this as cheap as possible. Let's not be the cynic with out giving them a Chance, at the very least it will be subsidized.
What really is still the question now , is scale. How big is this tablet initiative going to be.
On that end i hope they do team up with Nicholas Negroponte , a man with a Midas touch , and founder of One Laptop per Child Association (OLPC) , as well as MIT Media labs(We all remember Pranv Mistry's sixth sense don't we).
It seems that the Solar powered version is an optional feature , that will cost more. At least for now. Price of solar panels also going down.
On the retail side however it wont be $35 , but you can expect the price to be well below $100. So it will still cost you less that what you pay for your phone. But they are still looking for a private sector partner to manufacture and market this item on the retail market(As i understand it however , this has no bearing on the governments plan's to distribute it to educational institutions however).
Microsoft has also offered Windows CE OS at a negligible price. This again gives the device more flexibility and options
(for those unfamiliar with Windows CE, i was not)
A Linux OS is also always on the table(they are all free).
(ubuntu Linux OS)
Memory is whatever SD card or Flash disk or even portable hard drive you put in it. You can probably even plug a keyboard in there.
Why because you have a USB port , as well as a micro USB port for storage device, as well as SD card slot , which makes it million times better than the IPad.
By the way it also has a camera , which i think you don't even need but hey it has it.
This device seems for the most part to be what it is , A Basic computing device at a low price.
It's not going to replace your laptop or even your smart phone.
But Much like India's other low cost alternative the Tata Nano that let people who don't have car's get cars ,
it will give people who don't have a cost effective solution to computing a chance to compute , connect and network.
I can talk about this with stars in my eyes , for a lot quite a bit more time. But i will save that for when it does become the crazy success that we all hope it can be.
Bottom Line: They have the Software and the Hardware of a functional machine. But can they sort out the pricing and they these device's , into the hand's of children not only in this Country but perhaps even around the world.
c
