India Debuts World's Cheapest Tablet PC, Aakash

The much-anticipated India's ultra-low-cost tablet branded as Aakash is finally here. Aakash has been designed, developed and manufactured by DataWind, in partnership with IIT Rajasthan, under the HRD Ministry's National Mission on Education through ICT. The tablet will be available at retail stores at a maximum retail price of Rs 2,999.

The Aakash is a 7” Android 2.2 touch screen tablet that has a HD video co-processor for a high-quality multimedia experience and core graphics accelerator for faster application support. The tablet features basic functions you'd expect to see in a tablet ---a web browser, multimedia player, PDF reader, Wi-Fi connectivity. The device has 2GB of RAM and two USB ports and includes support for optional 3G modems. Not limited to students, Aakash offers web browsing, social networking, instant messaging, multimedia, games etc. Instant messaging and social networking are delivered through the Nimbuzz application.

Although, the Aakash tablet will only be available to post-secondary students through the NME-ICT, DataWind will offer a commercial version, called the UbiSlate, starting late November at an MRP of Rs 2,999 (inclusive of all duties and taxes) including 12 months of warranty. Internet access across mobile networks will be priced at Rs 99 for 2GB. UbiSlate will include a cellular modem and SIM to access Internet. These two features will not be available in the $35 subsidized tablet meant for students.

DataWind CEO, Suneet Singh Tuli said, “Our goal was to break the price barrier for computing and Internet access. Working with IIT Rajasthan, and NME-ICT, we've created a product that will finally bring affordable computing and Internet access to the masses. This is not only a concept that applies to India, but has ignited the imagination of governments around the world. The Aakash is proudly made in India, and is destined to revolutionize computing and Internet access for the world.”