The Indian government thinks the $35 Aakash Android tablet has the power to change the world. After testing one out, we’d tend to agree.
An Aakash tablet was brought to the VentureBeat office on Tuesday by Vivek Wadhwa, a visiting professor at the University of California at Berkeley and Duke. Wadhwa, who is researching the Indian education system, and is a columnist with the Washington Post, was given the tablet by Kapil Sibal, the Indian minister of human resources and development, who has been the driving force behind the tablet project. The device (whose name means “Sky” in Hindi) was produced entirely in India — a point of pride for the Indian government.
The 7-inch Android-based device will be distributed at a government subsidized price of $35, making it the world’s cheapest Android device. The general retail price will be $60, which is still remarkably cheap for such a powerful device. A contract between the Indian government and Canadian development partner DataWind, should put between 10 and 12 million devices in the hands of students across India by the end of 2012, according to Computer World.
Screen: 7-inches; 800-by-400 pixels; Resistive touchscreen
Operating system: Android 2.2, Froyo
Processor: 366 MHz Connexant; HD Video co-processor (both with graphics accelerators)
Memory: 256MB RAM (internal); 2GB Flash (external)
Storage: 2GB card included, expandable up to 32GB
Ports: Two USB 2.0; 3.5mm audio out jack; 3.5mm audio in jack (No built-in speakers)
Connectivity: GPRS; Wi-Fi 802.11 a,b,g
Power: Up to 180 minutes on battery; AC adapter, 200-240 volt
Weight: 350 grams
An Aakash tablet was brought to the VentureBeat office on Tuesday by Vivek Wadhwa, a visiting professor at the University of California at Berkeley and Duke. Wadhwa, who is researching the Indian education system, and is a columnist with the Washington Post, was given the tablet by Kapil Sibal, the Indian minister of human resources and development, who has been the driving force behind the tablet project. The device (whose name means “Sky” in Hindi) was produced entirely in India — a point of pride for the Indian government.
The 7-inch Android-based device will be distributed at a government subsidized price of $35, making it the world’s cheapest Android device. The general retail price will be $60, which is still remarkably cheap for such a powerful device. A contract between the Indian government and Canadian development partner DataWind, should put between 10 and 12 million devices in the hands of students across India by the end of 2012, according to Computer World.
Aakash stats at-a-glance:
Screen: 7-inches; 800-by-400 pixels; Resistive touchscreen
Operating system: Android 2.2, Froyo
Processor: 366 MHz Connexant; HD Video co-processor (both with graphics accelerators)
Memory: 256MB RAM (internal); 2GB Flash (external)
Storage: 2GB card included, expandable up to 32GB
Ports: Two USB 2.0; 3.5mm audio out jack; 3.5mm audio in jack (No built-in speakers)
Connectivity: GPRS; Wi-Fi 802.11 a,b,g
Power: Up to 180 minutes on battery; AC adapter, 200-240 volt
Weight: 350 grams
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