308 - Follow low-cost Aakash project proactively: Parl panel to govt - Economic Times

Follow low-cost Aakash project proactively: Parl panel to govt

By PTI | 21 Dec, 2015, 11.20PM IST

Stressing the importance of indigenous low-cost devices, like Aakash, a Parliamentary panel has asked the government to follow the project proactively as it has can help in digital inclusion. 

NEW DELHI: Stressing the importance of indigenous low-cost devices, like Aakash, a Parliamentary panel has asked the government to follow the project proactively as it has can help in digital inclusion. 

The Aakash project, which was the brain child of former Union Minister Kapil Sibal, was sanctioned in January 2009 and was initially a project of Human Resource Development Ministry. 

The project was transferred to IIT Bombay in April 2012, and in mid-2013 it was decided that Department of Electronics and IT would take it forward. 

The vendor neutral technical specifications for 'Aakash IV' were finalised in August 2013 and a tender for the tablets was put out by DGS&D in January 2014. 

However, no vendor was able to meet the specifications and the new specifications have not been finalised by the government. 

The Standing Committee on Information Technology (2015-16), headed by BJP MP Anurag Singh Thakur, in its report said notes furnished by the department reveals that there has been no progress in the matter as new technical specifications have still not been finalised. 

"The committee, while reiterating the importance of low cost devices Aakash IV which has huge utility and potential for digital inclusion, especially in the context of flagship programmes like Digital India, desire the department to follow it up proactively," the report said. 

Read more at:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/50274002.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

307 - DataWind PC 7SC Tablet With Free Internet Access Launched in India at Rs. 2999, Available for Purchase Via Snapdeal

DataWind PC 7SC Tablet With Free Internet Access Launched in India at Rs. 2999, Available for Purchase Via Snapdeal

Sampoorna 19 December,2015

DataWind, the manufacturers of mobile internet devices such as UbiSurfer netbooks, Ubislate tablets and PocketSurfer smartphones has launched a new tablet called Datawind 7SC aka DataWind PC 7SC Tablet Launched in India. The company has launched a new budget tablet in India at an affordable price of Rs. 2,999. Apart from this launch, DataWind offers free Internet access for one year via the UbiSurfer browser as a result of its partnership with Reliance Communications and Telenor Networks this year.

DataWind is the company known for its development of the Aakash tablet computer, which is the world’s cheapest tablet developed for India’s Ministry for Human Resource Development. The DataWind 7SC tablet will be available for purchase through via the giant E-commerce portal, Snapdeal as well as the Snapdeal’s 24 X 7 TV commerce channel.

The tablet also includes the company’s Web-delivery platform which will offer fastest mobile Web experience on regular GPRS/ EDGE based network. The technology is said to be reported by 18 US patents and consumes 10 to 30 times less bandwidth. However, the company made it understandable that the free access to Internet would not include audio/video streaming or local-downloads, which will entail a different data plan.

Specifications

The new tablet sports a 7-inch WVGA display with a pixel resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. The device is powered by a 1.3GHz single-core MediaTek processor which is paired with 512MB RAM. On the Storage front, the device includes inbuilt storage of 4GB which can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD card. It is a dual-SIM tablet that runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat Operating system out-of-the-box. Datawind 7SC supports 2G calling and can deliver 3G connectivity via a dongle.

Other the connectivity front, the device supports Wi-Fi, USB 2.0, and Bluetooth connectivity. The tablet is backed by a 2400mAh battery. The tablet is said to be capable of decreasing bandwidth consumption up to 10 times. This lets users load complex web pages instantly even on 2G networks in just 5 to 10 seconds. The DataWind 7SC tablet comes with a rear camera but, misses out on a front-facing camera. The device is exclusively available in a Black colour variant via the E-commerce portal, Snapdeal.

Suneet Singh Tuli, President and CEO of Datawind said, “We are launching this tablet to address the forgotten billions, who are our largest constituent of digital age today. We are very confident that 7SC will impress everyone with its superior quality and innovation. The growing ambition of people will find the product within their reach, geographically as well as economically.” 

Free Internet browsing is only available on a prepaid GSM SIM card from the aforesaid telecom operators. In the month of June, the company extended the free Internet programme from handsets to all its devices with mobile Internet connectivity.

- See more at: http://allindiaroundup.com/india/datawind-pc-7sc-tablet-with-free-internet-access-launched-in-india-at-rs-2999-available-for-purchase-via-snapdeal/#sthash.dwKq8D9V.dpuf

306 - IIT Bombay working to open-source its $100 netbook - Economic Times

IIT Bombay working to open-source its $100 netbook

By Anirban Sen, ET Bureau | 11 Sep, 2015, 04.00AM IST

BENGALURU: The IIT Bombay team, which earlier this year developed a $100 (Rs 6,647) netbook computer that it claimed could be the world's cheapest, is in talks with several colleges across the country, including Christ University in Bengaluru, to roll out the devices for students and is also working with early-stage open source technology firms to make the project commercially viable in the near term. 

The netbook, which was conceptualised during IIT's work with the low-cost Aakash tablet project and was launched in February, is currently being used by about 90 students at IIT Bombay and plans are underway to get more college students across the country to use the machines, said IIT Bombay professor Kannan Moudgalya. 

The 10-inch machines, which are being loaned out to the students for a year at the cost of Rs 5,000, were built primarily for students from low-income households who cannot afford costlier laptops. 

"I believe that if you're serious about Digital India, we need to give computers to our children," said professor Kannan Moudgalya. 

"Now if IIT students have difficulty in programming without a computer, you can imagine how it is in other colleges... now if college students don't have computers, they don't do programming. They don't do programming, they start mugging up since they have to pass their exams. So, if Digital India has to work, students will need computers." 

The team has now started working with open-source language startups such as Julia Computing and is also using Brazilian chemical process simulator DWSIM as part of this project, said Moudgalya said. 

While the earlier Aakash tablet project, which was commissioned by the HRD ministry, was hamstrung by launch delays and quality issues, the IIT-Bombay team working on this netbook project has gone about its launch in a different, low-key manner. 

While almost 1 lakh devices were commissioned for the Aakash project, only 1,000 machines have been ordered so far for the new netbook project. 

"Unlike Aakash, where we gave lots of machines to everybody to start developing software, here we are seeding it in a very careful manner because we have only 1,000 machines as opposed to 1 lakh," said Moudgalya. 

The idea of creating affordable netbooks was also born out of the realisation that a tablet is merely a "consumption device". 

A tablet is a consumption device, not a creator device," said Moudgalya. 

IIT Bombay has forged a tie-up with Delhibased Basic Comtech, which delivered 1,000 netbooks for the pilot phase. 

Kannan said more orders will be placed once the project starts getting accepted and rolled out in colleges across the country. 

Under the pilot, IIT Bombay has lent these netbooks to first year BTech students at the institute who have to undergo an introductory programming course called CS 101. 

Read more at:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/48906782.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

305 - IIT-B, Nehru Science Centre to bring internet to rural schools across state - Indian Epress

IIT-B, Nehru Science Centre to bring internet to rural schools across state

The initiative is being launched as part of ‘Techfest’, the annual science and technology festival of IIT Bombay.

Written by Mihika Basu | Mumbai | Updated: July 16, 2015 2:16 am

To provide hands-on internet experience to students in rural schools, IIT Bombay is collaborating with the Nehru Science Centre in which volunteers trained by the students and faculty of IIT Bombay will show how content can be accessed with a click. The “internet for all” project, which is being piloted at 26 rural schools in Nashik district and was launched Tuesday, will be a facility incorporated in Nehru Science Centre’s mobile science exhibition bus and will cover a distance of 650 km. The aim is to literally take internet to the doorsteps of students studying in remote parts of the state.

“Conventional education is extremely rigid with little scope for creative thinking. Such outside syllabus exposure is the need of the day to motivate students. We need to tell students, who have no idea about the internet, that there’s something called connectivity and web pages, how the net works, how browser works. Digital divide, in my opinion, could be worse than social divide,” said IIT Bombay Professor D B Phatak.

The initiative is being launched as part of ‘Techfest’, the annual science and technology festival of IIT Bombay, which is scheduled to be held in December this year. Phatak also said that by year-end, an executable plan for scaling up the project will be ready, which can include net capsules in multiple languages. “As connectivity progresses to villages, we should already have children who know how to use the internet,” he added.

According to Professor Phatak, after accessing Marathi sites with interesting content, the latter was downloaded on a single server, which can simulate several servers.

Each bus will have three volunteers, a laptop with Wi-Fi connectivity and five Aakash tablets. “All tablets will be connected to the laptop and students will be able to access meaningful content in Marathi. They will first see the science exhibits on the bus and subsequently experience the internet. Taking a cue from this project, we are planning to scale it up. We can have 20 such buses, 20 laptops, 100 Aakash tablets and internet capsules or content can be created in multiple local languages. The only bottleneck could be selection and training of volunteers for the project,” he said.

The mobile science exhibition is an exhibition on wheels in which 20 theme-based models are mounted on a specially designed bus and was started in 1965. It is the flagship rural outreach science education programme of the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM). Currently, NCSM has a fleet of 20 such buses, attached to various science centres across India.

The exhibition remains on tours for six to seven months in a year in two phases and covers upto 50 sites in each phase. The idea is to enthuse students to take up careers in science and technology and the bus remains in a rural school for two days at each site.

“The bus will travel to rural areas fully equipped with equipments and infrastructure. Besides giving hands-on internet experience, volunteers will be responsible for educating rural school students about the power …continued »

- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/iit-b-nehru-science-centre-to-bring-internet-to-rural-schools-across-state/#sthash.81SxWJFy.dpuf

304 - India's low cost 'Aakash' tablet project closed in March - Hindustan Times

India's low cost 'Aakash' tablet project closed in March

• HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, New Delhi| Updated: Jul 12, 2015 22:40 IST

An RTI query has revealed that India's low cost tablet project 'Aakash' was closed down in March 2015.

“The Aakash project at IIT Bombay was closed on 31st March, 2015, after successfully completing all targets. Specifications for future upgraded version has been submitted to the government. IIT Bombay is not in knowledge of future plans," IIT Bombay said in a reply to the RTI query.

Initially, IIT Rajasthan was entrusted with the project, which it returned to Ministry of Human Resource Development. The project then went to IIT Bombay and since then the institute had been overseeing it.

Other than procuring one lakh devices, the other targets including its sample testing in labs and establishment of over 300 Aakash centres which were engineering colleges across the country were also achieved, it said.

A total of Rs 47.72 crores was approved for the project and this amount has been spent to achieve the targets, the reply said.

303 - Aakash tablet-maker Datawind launches new tablet for Rs 4,999 with one year unlimited free Internet - IBN Live

Aakash tablet-maker Datawind launches new tablet for Rs 4,999 with one year unlimited free Internet

Posted on: 06:31 PM IST Jun 30, 2015

New Delhi: Canadian mobile device company Datawind launched UbiSlate 7C+x tablet for Rs 4,999 in India with one year unlimited free internet in partnership with Reliance Communications.

"Today we have extended unlimited free internet offer on our tablet UbiSlate 7C+x on GSM network of Reliance Communications. We are assembling it at our Amritsar plant. It will have a separate Facebook and email application for convenience of user to access them free under the plan," Datawind President and CEO Suneet Singh Tuli told PTI.

Canadian mobile device company Datawind launched UbiSlate 7C+x tablet for Rs 4,999 in India with one year unlimited free internet in partnership with Reliance Communications.

#android #Datawind #Tablets

The dual-SIM Android tablet comes with a microUSB powered Keyboard. It is available on Naaptol's TV, print and online shopping platforms starting today and will be available with other channels partners of Datawind in a week. The tablet supports voice calling feature and comes with dual core, dual VGA camera both at front and back and 4G internal flash storage which is expandable up to 32 GB.

Customer buying this tablet will be able to access website without incurring any mobile internet charge if they access them through Datawind's patent UbiSurfer browser installed on it. However, they will need to pay data charges if they access it from other browsers.

When asked if it violates net neutrality principles, Tuli said, "It is perfectly net neutral. We are not discriminating among websites. Customers can access any website through our patent UbiSurfer. We are working on an advertisement based revenue model as we now want to be known as company that provides free internet, not just as low cost device maker."

He said UbiSurfer has technology that compresses data consumed while internet surfing and reduces cost of data.

"It is good for web access but experience will not pleasant for video streaming," Tuli added. The company is also ramping up its manufacturing capacity in India following increase of excise duty on mobile phones and tablets.

"We have set up assembly line that have capacity of making 2 lakh units per month. We are also in talks with contract manufacturer for setting up additional facility," Tuli said.

302 - Aakash maker DataWind offering free Internet on all its devices - India Today

Aakash maker DataWind offering free Internet on all its devices

The super cheap Aakash tablet manufacturer DataWind on Tuesday announced that it will provide free unlimited Internet browsing for one year on all its devices.  The free internet browsing offer will however be available on the Reliance Communications GSM network. 

The low cost Internet connectivity and wireless web access products provider has collaborated with Naaptol to launch the UbiSlate 7C+x  which consists of one UbiSlate 7C+: a dual-SIM 7-inch Android tablet and one microUSB powered keyboard with cover. The whole package comes at a price of Rs.4,999 and will be available on Naaptol's TV, print and online shopping platforms starting Tuesday.

"The overwhelming response and the resultant customer feedback from the recent launch of PocketSurfer smartphone helped us take this decision.  Starting today, Internet browsing access if going to be free on our entire range and we will be offering this special value offer with Naaptol as our strategic partners in growth," Suneet Singh Tuli, president and CEO, DataWind said.

The free-access does not include audio and video streaming or local-downloads, which can alternatively be accessed by topping-up using market plans, informed the company.

DataWind is best known for its Aakash tablets that were primarily intended for educational purposes and distributed free of cost to students in government colleges and universities under the Congress-led UPA regime. The project was part of the then government of India's ambitious plan to link 25,000 colleges and 400 universities through an e-learning program.

Sadly, the project did not pick up the kind of steam that the government had initially hoped for, and it was later cancelled. 

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/technology/story/aakash-maker-datawind-offering-free-internet-on-all-its-devices/1/448029.html

301 - Opinion: Government Should Subsidise E-Readers, Not Tabs Like Aakash - Tech Tree

Opinion: Government Should Subsidise E-Readers, Not Tabs Like Aakash

Let the students get something useful at low cost.

Chandrakant 'CK' Isi
28th Apr 2015Follow @AgentISI

Indian government's initiative to distribute low-cost computing Aakash tablets to students seemed like a great idea in 2011. The initial response to this project was overwhelming. Within few weeks, 1.4 million people signed-up for Datawind's Aakash tablets. Forget Indian, even the International media went crazy over it.

Then, as usual, the project met with delays. By the time, Ubislate managed to fulfil the orders, the device was outdated. In 2012, The Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development announced an upgraded second-generation model called Aakash 2. Datawind was supposed to deliver 22 million units to the HRD ministry, which never happened.

It is safe to assume that the project Aakash is now lifeless. And I think that it died for good. Aakash tablet was a flawed idea to begin with. The device tries to do a lot of things, but is good at nothing. Simply because you can load up an e-book app on it, does not make it an essential tool for education.

Give a device with screen to us Indians, and we will find a way to play Bollywood movies on it. That's what mostly happened with the Aakash tablet. Not a single person I know who owns an Aakash tablet uses it for reading. Can't blame them, as the Aakash tablet is not fit for long readings. Even if you try doing that, squinting at the colour LCD screen is discomforting to your vision.

If the government wanted to go digital, a good e-book reader would have done the trick. Take for instance, the Kindle that can hold thousands of books and retain juice for weeks on a single charge. The biggest plus is the glare free screen ideal for reading.

Aakash tablet's commercial version was pegged at Rs 4500 by Datawind. After subsidies, students could buy it for Rs 2263. For a similar price, Indian government can source E-book readers from Kobo or Amazon. The All-New Kindle is priced at around Rs 6000. If that's expensive, the Kobo Touch e-reader retails for Rs 4500 can be a good option. And I'm sure, our Babus can get the price down considering the bulk orders.

Let's hope that instead of announcing another silly tablet, Indian government subsidise e-book readers. And finally, students will get something useful at low cost.

- See more at: http://www.techtree.com/content/features/8888/opinion-government-should-subsidise-e-readers-not-tablets-aakash.html#sthash.Ot6uyv3J.dpuf

300 - After losing the top spot in India's smartphone market, Samsung gets robbed in the tablet category too - BETA News

After losing the top spot in India's smartphone market, Samsung gets robbed in the tablet category too

• By Manish Singh

It’s not only the smartphone market in which Samsung has lost the pole position, but tablets as well. The South Korean media conglomerate is no longer the largest tablet vendor in India, the emerging market for digital devices where the tablet share grew by 3.6 percent quarter-on-quarter, reports IDC.

As per the stats provided by the marketing research firm IDC, Indian OEM iBall captured the maximum market share (15.6 percent) in the country last quarter. Samsung managed 12.9 percent share, and was followed by Datawind with 9.6 percent share, Lenovo with 9.4 percent share, and HP with 8.7 percent market share.

As for the traction of tablets in India -- the country which had witnessed a strong growth in the festive third quarter -- posted shipments of 0.96 million units in Q4 2014. It’s a 3.6 percent growth over the last quarter.

“The market saw a correction post the introduction of BIS regulation in July 2013. Unbranded tablets were wiped off from the market thereby contracting the bubble of growth witnessed in 1H 2013 and hence resulting in year-on-year decline in growth”, says Tanvi Mann, market analyst, client devices, IDC India.

The figure also pinpoints the type of tablets that are faring well among Indians. A vast majority of users are preferring the sub-$150 units. The 3G connectivity was also a big driving factor, prominently featured in more than 60 percent of the total shipments.

Indian OEM iBall has been growing left and right. In within a year -- thanks to a number of tablets the company launched in the period -- it grew from 4.5 percent grab of the market to 15.6 percent.  Galaxy Tab maker Samsung, on the other hand, went from a 17.9 market share to 12.9 percent.

"iBall rapidly climbed its way to the number one spot in this quarter. From a 4.5 percent share in Q4 2013, the brand has more than tripled its share in Q4 2014. Its growth is backed by low cost products targeted at consumers looking to own entry level form factors. The brand is actively engaged in expanding its retail presence as well as geographical reach," says IDC.

Tablets have yet to mature in India. Despite the improving figure, only 0.96 million units were sold in the country last quarter. As per the data provided by IDC, about 76.1 million tablets were shipped worldwide in the same time frame. 

Datawind, which now holds the third largest share in the country, is playing a significant role in making tablets a household commodity. The company has a partnership with the Indian government to produce the Aakash tablet, a dirt cheap Android-powered device for Indian students.

299 - Soon you can buy Smartphone with free Internet for Rs 2000 -

Soon you can buy Smartphone with free Internet for Rs 2000

S.AADEETYA1FEB 9, 2015, 07.28 PM

Low-cost smartphone has been the dream of many, but offering quality phones at low cost value is hard to deliver. Add to that, if you really want to tap into the vast consumer base of India, you need to add more value by complimenting your offering with freebies. The sum total of all this will be a device that is almost impossible to put down. Guess, these issues will soon be things of past as Datawind, more popularly known for the manufacturer of Aakash tablet, is all set to turn this dream into reality.

The devices manufacturer is finally set to unleash its ultra-affordable smartphone in the country with the add-on attraction of free Internet (for 12 months). The phone will be launched under the branding of Pocket Surfer, says Suneet Singh Tuli, founder and CEO at Datawind. "It has been our endeavor to break the price barrier with respect to technology and after building Ubislate (or Aakash) tablets, we'll be doing the same with Pocket Surfer for smartphone.

Asked about the ploy behind offering free Internet access for first 12 months, Tuli reiterated his committement to ' bring down the cost of hardware (devices) and internet', so that everyone can access services of all forms without worrying about high cost.

So, how soon can we expect the Datawind Pocket Surfer in India, we asked Tuli and obliging back, he said, "We are in the process of announcing major deal with a national operator (telecom) and expect to close out the agreement in few weeks time. And from there on, we'll be rolling out the product for end consumer before end of this month i.e. February."

The prospect of free Internet sounds attractive, but the company would end up losing on the monetary front. And for that, they will make sure value-added-services come in handy. "During the free Internet period, users can check mail, surf the web i.e. Facebook, WhatsApp etc. without any added cost. However, for using audio or video services, you will have to pay extra and this is where Datawind is looking to make things even, " Tuli states.

Tuli might be starting off with 12-month free internet offer, but ultimately he wants to give lifetime free Internet plans that let everyone access world-wide-web (www) at zero cost. The company is slated to hold special briefing for its product later this month in the country and we'll be there to give you the latest happening.

298 - We can get 5 lakh jobs if duty structure on mobile phones changes: Aakash tablet maker Datawind CEO - Financial Express

We can get 5 lakh jobs if duty structure on mobile phones changes: Aakash tablet maker Datawind CEO

By: Nandagopal Rajan | February 9, 2015 9:28 am

Datawind CEO Suneet Tuli says the government needs to take some tough decisions for Make in India to be fruitful.

Suneet Singh Tuli, the CEO of Datawind, which gave India the affordable Aakash tablet, was the first to set up a touchscreen manufacturing unit in India a few years back. Now, when the country is talking about Make in India, he has made a presentation to the government suggesting some tough decisions need to be taken for the idea to work.

“We told them that India is going to import 26 crore mobile phones in the coming year. The number of people directly and indirectly employed in creating those phones is five lakh. If we change our duty structure we can get those five lakh jobs,” he said in an interaction.

Tuli is of the opinion that Mexico and Brazil have the best duty regimes. “Mexico created huge barriers for those importing and forced everybody to assemble there. So the duties for parts in Mexico are very low while the duties for finished goods are through the roof,” he said.

India took a different approach, of not penalising the consumer and focusing on industries we want to protect, the DataWind CEO revealed. “They looked at industries like smartphones and tablets in India and since no one made them in India they kept the duties reasonably low. But when they looked at the components, the harmonisation codes they fall under like plastics, glass etc and other industries in India, though not the same. So the duties on those components are high,” he said, giving the example of batteries. “Batteries are charged at 28%, but a mobile phone consisting one is at 6%. “The discretionary decision on this is now with the Customs and that is a messy scenario.”

“The government feels that if they change this regime they will lose revenue. But there is no one doing it locally and the loss in revenue can be offset by the new jobs that are going to be created. The incentive for the government now is not to Make in India, but to balance the budget,” he reasoned. “My proposal was to keep the duty on parts high, but make the rate of manufactured good also high so that there is still an incentive. We have made this proposal publicly, let’s see if the government addresses it or not.”

But isn’t a ecosystem necessary for manufacturing to thrive? Tuli is sure that ultimately parts will also be made in India. “The moment so many phones start being made in India the component suppliers too will come in to offer just in time delivery. This happened in the case of the Nokia plant in Chennai with Chinese suppliers setting up shop nearby. We want the components suppliers to come in first, after which we will think of what to do with manufacturing. That is not going to happen,” he said.

According to Tuli, the present government is in a good spot and not under pressure to get manufacturing work. “My big belief is that at least for the next few months, thanks to the drop in oil prices, the Indian government does not need to worry about what the world market thinks about us. We need to get our manufacturing infrastructure in place. I am a big believer that manufacturing must happen in India, but there are barriers and the government must take tough decisions to remove these barriers,” he explained.

The whole focus on Make in India, he said, is because there is a fear that we have not trained our people to be a service economy. “But that is a short term approach. Education and skills training is very important in the long run and technology has a big role to play in this. We must allow the cost of the devices to come down. Today, I can sell a product cheaper in the US. My product price here is 25% lower there. This is where we are losing out.”

As far as digital India goes, Tuli said that there are four pieces in the puzzle—low-cost devices, free Internet, relevant content and training. “But despite our best efforts, our scale is just a drop in the ocean. The policies have to drive more manufacturers to come into India and create low cost devices.”

297 - A year on, 'Aakash' project still on ground - DNA

A year on, 'Aakash' project still on ground

Monday, 2 February 2015 - 8:05am IST | Place: New Delhi | Agency: dna | From the print edition

Praveena Sharma

Aakash, conceptualised by the HRD ministry during the UPA regime, is a low-cost tablet with a 7-inch touch screen, ARM 11 processor and 256 MB RAM on Android 2.2 operating system. It has two universal serial bus (USB) ports. For applications, the Aakash has access to Getjar, an independent market, rather than the Android market.

It was supposed to change the education system in the country by digitising the course content and promoting e-learning but the low-cost tablet Aakash, which was visualised by HRD ministry in the previous UPA government, is yet to see the light of the day, even after a year since its tender was floated.

A senior government official, who did not want to be named, said the project has been inordinately delayed because of government's inaction in awarding contracts to vendors for production. "The device (Aakash IV) has been designed as per the government's requirement. It is, however, stuck at the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D), through which every government rate contracts go," said the official.

He said order could not be awarded as none of the 13 vendors, including Intel, Dell, Acer, HP, HCL, Microsoft, Mircomax and Datawind, could meet 100% specification laid out by the government. 

According to him, there are many successful tablets in the market which operate on similar specs quoted by some of the vendors who responded to the Aakash IV tender.

"One of the requirement was that the device should have both Android and Linux operating system so that it allows programming tasks by students. This was not met by some. The government was looking at a tablet only as netbook would have been a costlier affair," he said.

Aakash, conceptualised by the HRD ministry during the UPA regime, is a low-cost tablet with a 7-inch touch screen, ARM 11 processor and 256 MB RAM on Android 2.2 operating system. It has two universal serial bus (USB) ports. For applications, the Aakash has access to Getjar, an independent market, rather than the Android market.

This ambitious programme, which is an initiative to link 25,000 colleges and 400 universities through e-learning, has been hit by many launch and quality snags.

The first version of the tablet, which was officially launched in October, 2011, faced quality issues compelling the government to work on an upgraded version that was renamed Aakash IV. 

For this, the government formed a committee for R&D and its timely delivery in December 2011, but despite the completion of its design and the tender process the device is yet to reach its end-customers – students of 25,000 colleges and 400 universities it will link.

296 - Low Cost Netbook of NMEICT

Low Cost Netbook of NMEICT
Kannan M. Moudgalya IIT Bombay
15 January 2014

It is well known that IIT Bombay has been executing a low cost tablet project, funded by NMEICT. Improving its capability is one of the mandates, so as to make the device more useful. In this report, we explain a netbook that has come out as a result of this exercise.

The netbook mentioned above has a 10” screen and a complete keyboard. It is almost a laptop. We have procured 1,000 units of this device at a cost of Rs. 4,990 plus customs and tax, with the total cost coming to less than Rs. 6,000. This device is supplied to us by a Delhi based company called Basic Computers. It is assembled in a state of the art plant in Manesar, Haryana. Our team at IIT Bombay has developed a modified version of the open source operating system (OS) Ubuntu, and named it as FOSSEE, eponymous with the open source promotion project, also funded by NMEICT. This device has the following features:

1. 10” screen, non touch
2. Complete keyboard
3. 1GHz dual core WM8880 ARM v7 Processor 4. 1GB RAM
5. 8GB NAND flash
6. 32GB SD card slot
7. Two USB drives
8. One mini HDMI port
9. Ethernet port (RJ45)
10. 5,000 mAH battery
11. Wifi and blue tooth
12. Light weight (less than 1kg)

As the operating system is a version of Linux, we can pre-load the system with useful software packages and distribute them. A set of close to 100 packages that will be pre- loaded and distributed is given in at this link. Thus, while the hardware is procured from outside, the OS image and the accompanying software bundle is created by us.

This device is yet to be named, and yet to be launched. We present some pictures and screenshots of this Netbook next.

Please click on this link to read full pdf file

295 - Datawind to bring cheap Android smartphones with free Internet - Indian Express

Datawind to bring cheap Android smartphones with free Internet

Written by Nandagopal Rajan | Posted: January 27, 2015 6:47 pm

Datawind, which was behind the affordable Aakash tablets, is now working on launching multiple smartphones priced under Rs 3,000.

IndianExpress.com was the first to report that the company will launch another smartphone with 3G support, 4-inch touchscreen and powered by a 1.2GHz processor running Android KitKat. The cheaper phone will be a 2G device.

Datawind is likely to up the ante by offering free Internet for consumers for at least a year. Free Internet has been a USP of Datawind devices, driven by the company’s prowess in data compression.

Datawind CEO Suneet Singh Tuli says the smartphone price revolution has to happen in the Rs 2,000 range where people still have only feature phone options. He says there is a window of opportunity till the overall price of entry-level smartphones drops to under Rs 3,000. This figure is over Rs 5,000 at the moment.

Around 65 per cent of the phones sold in India are still priced under Rs 4,000 are tend to be mostly feature phones or smart feature phones. “The difficulty of that customer is that he is not going to stretch to buy a Rs 6,000 device as his income is not growing at that pace,” says Tuli. He says the free internet could really drive device adoption at the entry level.

294 - A Smartphone with Free Internet? How Datawind Could Achieve the Extraordinary - International Business Times

A Smartphone with Free Internet? How Datawind Could Achieve the Extraordinary

• By Prarthito Maity January 27, 2015 16:11 IST

Handset maker Datawind, of the low-cost Aakash tablet fame, is planning on bringing out a new handset that will offer free "lifetime" internet. 

Datawind

Although the company had announced last September that it was planning on launching a smartphone with free internet by Diwali last year, the plans never really came into motion. However, this time around, things could fall perfectly is place for the company.

However, it is being said that cost of the smartphone has been raised from ₹2,000 to ₹3,000. Apart from that, unlike last year when the company had promised free "lifetime" internet, this time it has re-done the entire deal by promising only "free basis internet services," that too only for one year.

"We are in talks with a private operator to launch mobile phones with free basic Internet services for one year to start with. It should cost around Rs 3,000 a unit. We have raised CAD 30 million (about Rs 150 crores) through our public offer and all that is earmarked for this project," Datawind founder and chief executive officer Suneet Singh Tuli told PTI.

"We are just waiting for signing of the final deal and am hopeful that it should be done by February as they will also gain from the increase in data usage," Tuli added.

While things with a 'free' tag attached to it are usually treated with more excitement than usual, we are still waiting to see the kind of features that will be embedded into the phone to make use of the promised 'free internet' feature. Until then, the phone remains alongside others in the same price range.?

293 - IIT Bombay unveils ‘world’s cheapest’ netbook - Economic Times

IIT Bombay unveils ‘world’s cheapest’ netbook

Anumeha Chaturvedi, ET Bureau Jan 23, 2015, 04.05AM IST

NEW DELHI: IIT Bombay has developed a 10-inch netbook, which it claims could be the world's cheapest, at around Rs 6,000. The netbook, conceived during the institute's work with the low-cost Akash tablet, will be unveiled in the second week of February. "We wanted a device that would make it easy for people to 'create' information.

The netbook was born out of this desire," says professor Kannan Moudgalya at IIT Bombay. He explains that while a tablet is useful to retrieve information, a netbook can create it, through processes such as programming and data entry.

The IIT Bombay team has worked on designing the netbook's specifications besides creating the OS image and the accompanying software bundle.

"One of the mandates of the lowcost tablet project was to continue to do research and development on affordable access-cum-computing devices," says Moudgalya.

The project's objective was to understand its shortcomings and address them in the next product. In a bid to address the needs of students and to drive information creation, the team at IIT Bombay thought it was important to have a fully functional keyboard as opposed to a virtual keyboard, more battery time, a larger screen size (10 inches as compared to a 7-inch screen on a tablet), greater memory, more storage, a normal USB slot (not a micro USB), while not letting go of the price focus. The netbook also needed to be light-weight for students to carry comfortably.

"We put in a lot of effort to arrive at specifications for the hardware — trying out various machines available in the market, working with different design specifications, and then looking for manufacturers through a tender process," says Moudgalya.

IIT Bombay has tied up with Delhi-based company Basic Computers, which has delivered 1,000 netbooks for the pilot phase.

Under the pilot, IIT Bombay plans to lend these netbooks to all first year B Tech students at the institute who have to undergo an introductory programming course, CS 101.

Out of nearly 450 students who are taking this course in the current semester, close to 100 do not have their own laptops.

The HRD ministry's Akash project, undertaken during the UPA regime, was marred by launch delays and quality issues. "With the new government focusing on virtual classrooms, low-cost computing devices are the need of the hour, but there has to be a focus on quality. Also, the pricing shouldn't hamper functionality," says Rohin Kapoor, senior manager education practice at Deloitte.

Moudgalya says the Akash project has been completed successfully at IIT Bombay's end. One of the objectives of this project, he says, was to explore the viability of such a low-cost tablet. The second objective was to bring down the prices of such devices in the market. "We have achieved both these objectives and it is now with the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals for final procurement," he adds.

292 - Datawind to launch Android phones under Rs.3,000 bracket. - India Today

Datawind to launch Android phones under Rs.3,000 bracket.

Datawind, the brand behind the popular Aakash Tablet initiative, will soon launch its own range of  smart phones costing  below the price bracket of Rs.3,000.

The range will consist of a 3G smartphone which will be slightly expensive than the 2G variant in the same line up.

The 3G smartphone will come with a 4- inch touchscreen and will be powered by a 1.2GHz processor. the make of the chipset has not been confirmed yet. The smartphone is most likely to come with Android KitKat out of the box.

The cheaper variant is most likely to just come with 2G speeds. With 3G network still limited in India the cheaper variant will prove to be a better deal for people looking for ultra cheap smartphones. Datawind will be offering features like free internet for a year to its users to penetrate deep in the market. Thsi feature is possible due to Datawind's exceptional ability to compress data.

The CEO of Datawind Suneet Singh Tuli is targeting the lowest possible price bracket for its devices as according to him providing a cheap alternative to feature phones will revolutionize the reach of smartphones in India.

Tuli further explained that 65 percent of the phones sold in India are under the price bracket of Rs.4,000 and to make an impact on the entry level market the free internet, Android powered phone has to be priced below that amount.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/technology/story/datawind-to-launch-android-phones-under-rs-3000-bracket./1/414117.html

291 - Data Wind CEO Suneet Singh Tuli receives B harat Samman Award and GPS Award

Data Wind CEO Suneet Singh Tuli receives B harat Samman Award and GPS Award

Please Click on Title to Read Article

http://techone3.in/datawind-ceo-suneet-singh-tuli-receives-bharat-samman-award-gps-award-4206/

290 - Incentivise low-cost technology to help achieve ‘Make in India’ - Asian Age

Incentivise low-cost technology to help achieve ‘Make in India’

Jan 15, 2015 | Age Correspondent | Mumbai

The government can incentivise Indian scientific institutions to focus on affordable excellence in the context of the Prime Minister’s various sche-mes like ‘Make in India’ , said Dr R. Mashelkar, National Research Professor, CSIR-National Che-mical Laboratory.

Going forward also, “it is important that the government launches a Digital Inclusive Innovation initiative so that digital India become truly inclusive”, he added.

Speaking to this newspaper from Pune, Dr Mashelkar said, “When he was director general of CSIR, they had instituted the New Millennium Ind-ian Technology Leaders-hip Initiative (NMITLI), which was a public private partnership directed exc-lusively towards affordable excellence that beca-me a game-changer”.

“We need to launch national grand challenges for vaccines to therapeutics to tablets. We did make the $35 Akash tablet, after all,” he added.

Dr Mashelkar who heads the Prime Minister’s Swaach Bharat Technical Expert Committee, said the government can create special drivers for digital inclusive innovation by targeted funding for digital inclusion based R&D (like NMITLI).

It can also suitably design incentivisation (including fiscal) for all stakeholders participating in digital inclusion; give government procurement and price preference on products meeting the inclusive innovation’ mandate like the low cost Aakash tablet; and have a conducive policy frameworks to promote ‘digital inclusive innovation’.

Dr Mashelkar said Indian scientists can harness truly sophisticated science or technology to achieve high quality goods and services that are affordable to many, and not just a privileged few.

Digital India, he said will impact everything as there will be universal mobile access to online government services and basic delivery services.