Aakash, India’s much hyped Android based tablet, has been finally launched by the Indian Government, which has been dubbed as the “world’s cheapest tablet.â€
Aakash has been priced at $35 (Rs.1800) with government subsidies to students and commercial price has been set at $60 (Rs.2999) in stores.
Below are the main features of Aakash:
- It runs on Android 2.2 (Froyo)
- 366MHz Connexant CPU with Graphics accelerator and HD Video processor
- 7-inch resistive touchscreen with 800×480 resolution
- It has got 2 USB ports, has 256MB of RAM and 32GB internal memory, expandable via microSD
- It has 2100mAh battery which can reportedly last for 2-3 hours
- It comes with a 12-month replacement warranty
- It comes with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack.
- For connectivity to internet, it has got a 802.11 a/b/g WiFi chip and a GPRS modem
- It supports formats like DOC, DOCX, PDF and PPTX etc.
- Supported audio formats: MP3, AAC, AC3, WAV, WMA
- Supported video formats: MPEG2, MPEG4, AVI, FLV
- It weighs 350 grams
- Price – $35 (Rs 1800) with govt. subsidies; $60 (Rs 2900) commercially in stores
The government has partnered with DataWind, a small British company which is supplying Aakash tablets (which is actually UBISlate 7) to Indian govt. at Rs. 2250 per tablet. In its pilot run, Indian Government is going to give 100,000 of these to the students for free during the launch period.
The reaction for the first 500 tablets released received a mixed response, as some complained that they are slow. But, what my take on this tablet is that, as we use laptops running on Intel Core i7 processors, iPhone and iPad, we can notice the difference.
Imagine, when this tablet will actually be used by a student in a government school who has never accessed these powerful machines and has either seen computers in magazines or their curriculum books or AT BEST, in a Cyber Cafe, it is a life changing device for them.
I hope this reaches the students in the far fled areas with no connectivity to the digital world and solve the purpose for which it is being launched and is not only lying with the kids of Indian netas 😉
It will be commercially available from November 2011 at the price of Rs 2999.
Read more here: UBISlate 7 | Aakash Android Tablet
What do you think about this tablet? Do you plan to grab one when it becomes available commercially?
i am a college student in oregon and i would like to know if it will run ebooks as well.
and does it run epub or what formats will it run. and how can i get one.
thank you for your time and pateints
P.S. I am a medical student At pioneer pacific college
I am asif khan . I am studying mechanical engineering in kits warangal. I want to know that when this tablet named akash is being released in andhra pradesh. Please reply soon.
i am a college student of bhu sir i want to know how can i get this.nd really it is a very nice project nd it will take a new i.t revolution in india nd due to this revoluton suerly indian student will write a new history in the world
Hi Bala,
Thanks for your comment 🙂
I am sure this is a great product for the Indian students and would help to eradicate the digital divide among the people of India.
You can get this by going to the link I mentioned in the article. Also, if you have liked this, I would appreciate if you would like to recommend this article to your friends via facebook or twitter 🙂
i am a college student of durgapur government college, burdwan, west bengal, B.COM 2nd year.
can i watch and download any kind of videos , softwares, games?
can i make and receive calls and sms and access internet from SIM?
what will it cost me and how can i buy it and when?
reply as soon as possible…
thank you.
I WANT TO BUY IT IN BULK PURCHASES FOR THE SCHOOLS IN MY COUNTRY. I NEED THE ADDRESS OF THE OF THE COMPANY THAT MANUFACTURE AKSAH IPAD. OR AN WHOLES SALE COMPANY OF AKASH IPAD.
Hi Joseph,
Thanks for your comment. You can access the website given in the article and use the contact us section on the Aakash Tablet site to get more details from them. I think they would respond to all your queries. But, as far as I know, the Indian govt. does not plan to export it till its own demand is fulfilled 🙂
This is quite an innovative product. Type of “nano” for the computers. Good thing it offers almost all the features one would look for in a computer.
Hi Sonal,
Yes, it is quite a revolutionary product and we should be proud that it has been achieved in India.. 🙂
hey,plzzz tell me how can i buy ???????
plzzz rplyyyyyyy
Please see the response I have given in the comments 🙂
Hi am a student of pharmacy, how i get a akash tablet with govt subsidy pls pls some body inform me.
Hi Syed,
The only way that is known till now is to go to the link that I have mentioned in the post and pre-order one by filling in the form. You would then have to wait for an email from them once it is available. For the ones subsidised, I think you need to check with your institution for the availability…
I am a diploma mechanical studen how can i get this
Hi Jayen,
You may please go to the link that I have mentioned in the post and pre-order one for yourself by filling in the form.
Nice to see these Tablet Launches in India.
That is true, Deih. This opens a new range of affordable tablet PCs to not only but the world…
Nice to see these Tablet Launches in India.
sir i booked 7″ 2:3 andiroid rs 2999 my booking code pmf 60cbb3b68 when reach me
Hi,
You need to get in touch with the Aakash team using the contact details given on their website…