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Aakash II Will Be Out Soon: Sibal
The ultra-low cost Aakash tablet will “soon” have its second revision released, confirmed HRD Minister Kapil Sibal. He was addressing the first convocation of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Hyderabad.
The education specific tablet had caught the attention of the world & many have dismissed it as mere vaporware. However, Kapil Sibal’s efforts finally paid off with Aakash launching last year. Though the pre-orders for Aakash destroyed any doubts about its commercial success, the technical specifications left a lot to be desired. In fact IIT Rajasthan refused to certify it fit for use. Owing to some differences of opinion, the two continued to clash & ultimately, the students did not get a taste of tablet computing or mobile education. Well, it was difficult to disagree with IIT Rajasthan. With a 7” Resistive Screen, visibility & operability was very poor. With a low battery capacity & even poor processor, Aakash only managed to meet the pricing expectations.
Source: thehindu.com
Realizing the public sentiments, the manufacturer of original Aakash, Datawind, decided to improve upon the hardware while still maintaining the earlier price-point. Out of this, was born Aakash II. With double the processor & battery & a multi-touch capacitive touch-screen Aakash II does have the innards to compete against the rivals. Competition to Aakash is truly heating up. Companies like KloudPad, ClassPad etc., have slightly better technical specifications, but none can match the price point set by Aakash.
With a further 50% subsidy from the Government, the tablet holds the potential to truly revolutionize education. The manufacturers, though, have put in only WiFi Connectivity. In a country experiencing rapid expansion of the 3G network & 4G about to change the mobile broadband sphere, we feel a inbuilt 3G SIM card slot was necessary. Using existing mobile internet, the government could very easily update the content. Aakash II on the other hand will have to approach a WiFi hotspot to absorb new updates or users will have to purchase a 3G Dongle separately.
Aakash II had been sent to IIT Bombay for developing the content & other software. Accordingly, the team recently handed-over a final version to Mr. Sibal. Since the process of large-scale distribution has already begun, we will have to wait & see how the world’s cheapest tablet performs in real life.
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2012-08-16 08:12:52
Source: http://www.watblog.com/2012/08/13/aakash-ii-will-be-out-soon-sibal/
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