The suspense is over and India's low cost access device (LCAD), christened Aakash, was finally unveiled today by the Union Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal. Costing Rs. 2,276 (about USD 46), it is about USD10 more than the USD 35 envisaged earlier. This tablet, unlike the one Kapil Sibal unveiled last year, is an Android 2.2 tablet which runs on a 366 MHz processor with special support for HD Video co-processor and a separate graphic accelerator. It also has 256MB RAM and 2GB of internal memory which is expandable up to 32GB via the provided memory card slot. It also has two USB ports for connecting external/portable hardware. The tablet is being manufactured by a Canada-based company Datawind in a plant in India. "The USD 35 price is achievable at higher volume levels. When we supply the product to the government at USD 35, then too it will allow us a margin, albeit at higher volumes," said the Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO of Datawind. Aakash will also be available for a subsidised rate of Rs. 1,200 for students. However, the commercial version of the tablet will be available for Rs. 2,999 (USD 60). It is not the cheapest tablet in the world. However, a quick search on the Internet shows that there are cheaper and better tablets available for as low as USD 39. Visit us at Pulse360 or FastFind
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