‘AAKASH’ the much hyped lowest computing and Internet device has been finally launched in India after it was announced in 2010 by Kapil Sibal, Minister of Human Resource and Development. It was announced that a device named SAKSHAT will be launched within a year and would cost around $35. The Tablet has been designed, developed and manufactured by Datawind Ltd. in partnership with IIT Rajasthan under the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT). Kapil Sibal speaking on the occasion said, “It is a historic moment, with this every children in every corner of this country will have access to technology that defines 21st century. It will enable children of the world to access information; I salute the team, their efforts that have made this dream possible. Aakash will ensure that digital illiteracy will be vanquished in far less time and create an opportunity for every child to compete with their counterparts anywhere in the world.”
Aakash will be available at 50 percent discount at the cost of Rs 1100 to post secondary students and initially the government will buy 100,000 pieces at Rs. 2250 to distribute to students in government colleges in centrally run institutions.
The tablet has Android 2.2 Operating system with a 7” screen with HD video co-processor for high quality multimedia experience and can work on WiFi as well as 3G and GPRS which are optional and is coming with 256 MB RAM.
It can be used as an Ebook reader and online course material as well as research could be accessed using it. Aakash is being looked as the third leg of NMEICT project of the MHRD after connecting 1000 institutions across the country with hi-definition bandwidth network and web enabling masses of course-content for free.
“This is the beginning of the journey and we need constant feedback from the students to improve it. Government wants to empower every school going child of this country of class 9 to class 12 in the 12th plan and I would like to send this message to every child of this country that aim for the sky and go on, there is nothing that can hold you back because you have Aakash in your hand,” Kapil Sibal added further.
It was the commitment of the people involved in this project that the dream has become a reality today.
The company which has developed this product is also planning to launch the commercial version of the product with name UbiSlate from November 2011 and will be available through reputed electronic and mobile retailers across India at the cost of Rs. 3000.
