Some students in India may get Aakash tablet for free
updated 12:50 pm EST, Wed February 8, 2012
Aakash to be fully subsidized for India students?
India's $35 Aakash Android tablet may be free to some students, if HRD Minister Kapil Sibal is right. Not all students will get the device without paying anything, however, as the respective educational institution would be responsible to subsidize the $35 that the government doesn't. The tablet actually costs $70, but India's government covers the $35.
Which schools will take on the cost isn't known, but it's likely to be a case of each doing so for all students or none at all. Sibal is also pushing for the tablet and its components to be made within India in order to boost production and reduce costs.
The upgraded seven-inch tablet sports Android 2.3 and a 700MHz ARM Cortex A8 processor. Its battery is rated at 3,200mAh, and both Wi-Fi and GPRS are inside. The original target design sported a 366MHz ARM11 chip, Android 2.2, and Wi-Fi. [via Netbook News]
