India's alleged $35 tablet has been met with yet another production delay, leading some to doubt the entire project. Despite the repeated setbacks, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal now claims the device will be launched next month. "This is not just a dream, it is a reality," he said at an event, according to quotes posted by The Times of India.
India's struggling $35 Sakshat tablet may have finally reached a shipping state, though not at as low a price as it hoped. About 10,000 of the seven-inch Android devices are now due to ship to their first institution, IIT-Rajasthan, by the end of June. The design has seen a price hike and will cost the equivalent of $49 when another 90,000 ship, but the government would cover half the price and drop it to $25.
India's $35 tablet has suffered a delay, according to a report from New Delhi. The initial government-issued tender has been cancelled, as the vendor who won it failed to get a bank guarantee. The device, called Sakshat or "before your eyes," was expected to come out on January 15.
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The $35 tablet introduced in India this morning may run on the Android operating system and not just a straightforward version of Linux. The indication comes in the form of an Android notification bar on the device's screen in a video. Dubbed Sakshat, the device is meant as an educational device, much like the OLPC XO-1 netbook.
The Indian government today showed prototypes of what could be the least expensive tablet to date. The Sakshat hardware is targeted at education across the country and costs just $35 for a device with Wi-Fi, Ethernet and 2GB of internal storage. Costs are kept low by using Linux and a processor that, along with the screen, uses just 2W of power.
The $10 Sakshat laptop from India turned out to be neither at its official introduction, as it is now said to cost $30 and is little more than a computing device and not a full-function notebook as previously expected and advertised, according to a Wednesday report. The device, sized at 10 by 5 inches, is reportedly capable of nothing more than storing data accessed by connecting it to an actual computer.
The Indian government's $10 PC has been given early details that include its real name and initial specifications. Now called the Sakshat, or "before your eyes," the computer will have 2GB of RAM and some level of wireless access. Its operating system isn't mentioned but is more likely to use Linux than Windows, which requires a license.
