India launches Aakash, Asia's answer to the iPad

Delhi (AsiaNews/Agencies) – the least expensive tablet in the world: that's how its creators have defined it, in India. The small computer, the Aakash, should cost around 35 U.S. dollars (26 euros). Aakash allows you to surf the web and hold video-conferences, it has a battery that allows for three hours of activity and two USB ports. The hope of officials of the Indian Government is that Aakash will allow students in the country's villages and small towns to connect with the digital world, at an affordable price. The Indian tablet costs much less than its direct predecessor and rival, Apple's iPad, which in India costs about 600 dollars (450 euro).

The presentation of the instrument was held in Delhi, and the Minister for human resources development, Kapil Sibal, delivered 500 Aakash to as many students. Sibal announced that the Government intends to buy 100,000 tablets; and the hope is to distribute 10 million Aakash in schools in the coming years. However, some questions remain about the operating quality of the low-cost tablet. Rajat Agrawal, executive director of BGR, an entity specializing in new technologies, said: "The problem of low-cost tablets is that many of them do not work well. The touch screen is not very good, and generally they are very slow".

Aakash is the result of an agreement between DataWind, which has its base in the United Kingdom, and the Indian Institute of Technology in Rajasthan. It will be assembled in India, in a new production center built in Hyderabad. "Our goal was to break the price barrier for internet access, and for computers," said Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO of DataWind. "We have created a product that will allow to the masses to reach the web". A commercial version of Aakash, called UbiSlate, priced at around 60 dollars (45 euros) will be put on the market in a few months.