253 - Aakash 4 will be ready by next year: HRD ministry - ZEE News

Aakash 4 will be ready by next year: HRD ministry

Last Updated: Sunday, October 27, 2013, 20:12

New Delhi: After much deliberation, the Union HRD ministry has given the go ahead to its ambitious Aakash 4 project, and a cabinet note seeking permission for the production of the low-cost tablet is expected soon.

Under this proposal, HRD plans to procure over 22 lakh tablets at a cost of Rs 330 crore through Directorate General of Supplies (DGS&D), ministry sources said.

In the first phase of the scheme, Aakash 4 tablets will be given to engineering institutes which will be directly bought from vendors empanelled by the DGS&D.

The tablet, estimated at USD 35 per piece, will be provided to students at a subsidised rate.

Sources at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology have said the new tablet will be out by January next year.

The CAG in September had slammed the HRD Ministry for the shortcomings in the Aakash tablet project, raising questions over "arbitrary" selection of IIT-Rajasthan to launch the scheme.

The public auditor had observed that the ministry decided to launch Aakash through the IIT-Rajasthan without ascertaining their capacity to undertake the work which adversely affected the project delivery.

The development of the tablet has since been shifted from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jodhpur, to IIT Bombay.

The new version of the tablet will allow students to read and compose in Hindi, Kannad, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Malayalam, Manipur etc along with audio-video chat facility. 

PTI

First Published: Sunday, October 27, 2013, 20:12

248 - After Aakash, DataWind launches low cost phablets - Zee News

After Aakash, DataWind launches low cost phablets

Last Updated: Wednesday, October 09, 2013, 21:17 

New Delhi: Low-priced Aakash tablet maker DataWind Wednesday launched affordable phablets or tablets with voice call facility at prices starting from Rs 3,999.

The 'UbiSlate 7Cx' is the company's cheapest 7-inch tablet with cellular connectivity, allowing internet access with a regular SIM, Datawind said.

In addition, the UK-based company has launched 9-inch tablet UbiSlate 9Ci at Rs 4,999 and its first 3G device UbiSlate 3G7 at Rs 6,999.

"Despite the recent drop in value of the Indian rupee, we have held strong and not increased pricing of our products, and instead, now are introducing new products with breakthrough pricing," DataWind President & CEO Suneet Singh Tuli said in a statement.

In addition to regular voice calling feature, UbiSlate phablets incorporate web-delivery platform which would allow devices to deliver the fastest mobile web experience on regular GSM-EDGE based networks, the company claimed.

"All of the new models are in-stock and available for immediate delivery," it said.

The UbiSlate 7Cx and the UbiSlate 9Ci run on Andriod Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.4 OS, while UbiSlate 3G7 runs on Andriod 4.1 system.

Ubislate7Cx has internal memory of 2GB, 512 RAM and 1 Ghz Cortex A8 processor. The rest two have internal memory of 4GB, front VGA camera and support Wi-Fi networks.

DataWind had bagged a contract from IT department for supplying 1 lakh low-priced tablets, named Aakash, which was billed as the world's cheapest tablet PC. 

PTI

First Published: Wednesday, October 09, 2013, 21:17