Tablet-tastic
The Indian Government plans to launch a $35 tablet designed for students next year with costs set to dip as low as $10.
The prototype was shown off by India's human resource development minister, Kapil Sibal, who is looking for a manufacture to roll out the prototype tablet destined for India's higher education institutions from next year, according to the BBC.
Thought to run the Linux operating system, the prototype, developed by some of India's top IT colleges, currently allows web browsing, word processing as well as video conferencing although it lacks a hard drive, instead relying on a memory card.
However, it's most remarkable feature is its proposed price of just $35, which would be significantly cheaper than Apple's successful iPad. Sibal said the price should eventually drop to $20 and then just $10.
Mamta Varma, a spokeswoman for the ministry reportedly said the low price would be made possible by falling hardware costs. She also said several manufacturers are interested in making the tablet, but did not namedrop and reportedly said no deals have yet been reached.
The tablet is one part of the Indian government's ambitious plan to ensure all of India's 25,000 colleges and 500 universities have broadband access.
However, commentators in India are wary of the minister's claims as a previous laptop plan by Sibal came to nothing. Last year, another minister heralded the arrival of a $10 laptop, yet the prototype handheld device called ‘Sakshat' failed to make materialise.
An Indian newspaper, The Economic Times, said: "You don't launch products until you have a product to launch. Else it's vapourware. The Indian government is building up a good track record of vapourware, from $10 laptops upward."
It criticised the government's move to show the prototype minus running applications, a clear spec and a explicit business plan to get the device to market, branding it a ‘dream project'.
The $35 tablet is not the first shoe-string device to be planned. Nicholas Negroponte of MIT's Media Lab reportedly vowed to develop a tablet for $99 in May, using his charitable association, One Laptop per Child.
