Sakshat
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India's sub-$50 Android tablet claims 1.4 million orders in two weeks
How popular is the world cheapest tablet? Pretty darn popular, it seems. The Aakash has already notched up 1.4 million bookings since going up for sale on December 14th, not massively surprising given the $41 (2,500 rupee) price tag. An upgraded version is already planned for March, with three new factories planned to each produce 75,000 new units per month. If a sub-$50 tablet is still too expensive for your tastes, then you may be happy to hear that the price should still sink as low as $35 and could even be pushed as low as $10. At that price, we'll take five.
India's $35 tablet is here, for real. Called Aakash, costs $60
India's much-hyped $35 tablet for students is a reality. But, like every other super-cheap education project, the price has jumped -- though in this case only to Rs 2,999 ($60). It turns out that the Aakash is actually an Ubislate 7 from Datawind (makers of the Pocketsurfer). Beneath the 7-inch 800 x 480 resistive touchscreen is a 366MHz Connexant CPU, 256MB of RAM and 2GB of storage (expandable via microSD) running Froyo and the Getjar market on top. The battery life is rated for a rather short three hours, and much less if you want to play HD video. In addition to the 802.11 a/b/g WiFi chip, you also get a GPRS modem to stay connected in rural areas. We wish India's HRD Minster Kapil Sibal's pet project all the best and if you want to see the device held snugly inside a Rs 300 ($7) keyboard folio, check out the picture after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
India's oft delayed $35 tablet ready to ship, unicorns shed tears of joy
India's unfortunately-named Sakshat tablet began life as a $10 laptop way back in early 2009 and, in the years since, has had more than its fair share of delays and difficulties. But, after repeatedly dashing hopes and destroying dreams it appears the $35 tablet is just about ready for take off. The Times of India is reporting the first batch of this still slightly mysterious machine will be shipped out at the end of the month to the Indian Institute of Technology for 2,200 rupees apiece -- a bit above the goal price at around $50, though government plans to subsidize the devices should cut the cost in half. With one pie-in-the-sky tablet project finally getting out the door, we're almost afraid to ask -- hows that XO-3 is coming along Mr. Negroponte?
India's $10 laptop is not a laptop
You know what was missing from the so-call "unveiling" of India's $10 laptop yesterday? Photos. Now we think we know why. The $10 laptop is not a laptop at all, the display-less and keyboard-less prototype device demonstrated is just a 10 x 5-inch wide slab that stores (and apparently prints) distributed learning materials which can later be retrieved by an impoverished child... using a laptop and paper he can't afford to purchase. It's also said to cost $30 and could be a component to a low cost laptop in the future; a claim that is fiercely disputed by Taiwanese component makers. Still, without any official photos of the device or specs posted to one of the many government agencies involved in the project, well, we still can't say we're 100% confident saying what this device is. Not that chest-thumping rhetoric and purposeful misinformation should be a surprise from politicians seeking re-election. Update: Added that image to the right of what's purported to be the non-laptop prototype by The Hindu (and we're not going to argue with the Hindu).[Via OnlyGizmos, Thanks Shrikanth G.]Read -- Not a laptop 1Read -- Not a laptop 2Read -- Taiwan's laptop industry skeptical
India 'unveils' $20 laptop, the Sakshat
As expected, India's government unveiled the jointly-developed "$10 laptop" today, now priced at $20. Unfortunately dubbed Sakshat, which ironically translates as "before your eyes," the laptop is slated to ship in six months, with specs in line with what we've heard already: 2GB of storage, WiFi, Ethernet and 2 watts of power consumption. In fact, there really isn't much "unveiling" going on at all, since there's still no published image of the thing, or information about the screen size, RAM or processor. Some folks are also still skeptical as to whether a laptop can really be produced at such a low cost, since most LCDs alone would put it over budget, but we suppose we'll find out this summer. The laptop itself won't be subsidized, but the government will shoulder 25 percent of the cost of broadband for colleges, and there will be free e-learning textbooks available to students online.
