Indian government offers Aakash 2.0, subsidized tablet will cost $40
Remember the original Aakash tablet? The experiment in government subsidized electronics was successful enough to warrant a followup, which was debuted by president Shri Pranab Mukherjee as part of National Education Day celebrations. The 7-inch slate will be made available to Indian citizens for 2,236 INR, the equivalent of about $40. For students the cost will be even lower, with subsidies bringing the tablet to a price of 1,132 INR, or $20.
The Aakash 2.0 continues the original programs goal of providing a low-cost entryway into current technology, which the Indian government hopes will provide new avenues for education through custom-built applications that will serve to connect the most remote areas of the country with the classroom. Manufactured by Datawind, the tablet features a 1GHz Cortex A8 CPU, 512MB RAM, a 3,000mAh battery, and 4GB of internal storage with microSD expandability. The Aakash 2.0 will launch with Android 4.0.
We had a chance to check out the original and came away disappointed despite its price tag. But that’s the opinion of those of us spoiled with easy access to the latest and greatest Android has to offer. For some folks living in the more remote areas of India the Aakash tablet provides something they otherwise might not have access to. With improvements (including a capacitive touchscreen), the Aakash 2.0 will likely be equally welcomed.
[via New York Daily News]