Datawind’s Sub-$50 Android Tablet Hitting The UK Soon, Next-Gen Device Matches iPad Specs On Paper

aakash

The Datawind Aakash tablet made headlines when it promised to deliver a full-featured Android device for just under $50 a couple of years back, and now the company and the device have shared some new info regarding their progress at Wired’s 2013 London event. Datawind CEO Suneet Tuli revealed that so far, the company has shipped around 1 million low-cost tablets, with plans in the pipeline that could see them increase that number exponentially both in India and in other developing markets around the world.

Part of those plans include introducing its low-cost hardware in the west for the first time, via retail sales to kick off in the UK by the end of the year. Four different models of the Aakash (called the UbiSlate now per official trade dress) will be available to UK buyers, starting at £29.99 for the UbiSlate 7Ci (Aakash2), and ranging up to £99.99 for the UbiSlate 3G7. Tuli told me via email that the company’s upcoming Aakash4, which has a processor and RAM that actually exceeds the current iPad’s on paper (with a 1.5GHz dual-core A9 processor, and 1GB of RAM), will be available as well, and will be branded as the UbiSlate 7CZ.

The Aakash4 represents a major technological leap forward for the Aakash, made possible by continued downward pressure on the pricing of components used in smartphone and tablets, and by Datawind’s ownership of its own LCD panel and touch screen production, when its original supplier unfortunately had to close up shop. Tuli said that, in fact, they found that the margins on manufacturing touchscreens were much better than those on their device business, but rather than switch which business they were in, they used that price advantage to drive down the overall cost of their products.

That’s been to their lasting advantage, and after some initial hiccups (including shipping delays and potential government disinterest in the product, which Tuli previously addressed), the company seems to be on track to starting to make good on its vision of a world where even some of the poorest people in the world can get online with a smart, connected device. Datawind has also been criticized by some for focusing too much on Aakash hardware, but Tuli says the company is more focused on delivering Internet to those that lack it. Accordingly, they’re working on deals that should allow them to ship Aakash tablets with free basic browsing connections by year’s end, which solves the other half of the equation between devices and service for getting those typically unplugged online.

DataWind Ubislate 3G7 mystery tablet visits FCC with HSPA in tow

DataWind Ubislate 3G7 mystery tablet visits FCC with HSPA in tow

DataWind‘s no stranger to making inexpensive tablets (India’s Aakash immediately comes to mind) but to date its products (including the iconic PocketSurfer) have only featured 2G connectivity — in addition to WiFi, of course. This appears to be changing with the Ubislate 3G7, an unannounced 7-inch, 3G-enabled tablet that recently sauntered through the FCC. According to the test reports, it supports quadband GPRS and tri-band HSPA (2100 / 1900 / 850MHz), making it compatible with AT&T “4G” in the US. Little else is known about this mystery device beyond what’s outlined in the FCC documents. From what we’ve been able to gather, it features WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0, a microSD card slot plus front and rear (2 MP) cameras. Follow the source link below to check it out for yourself.

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Source: FCC

Aakash 3 Tablet In The Pipeline?

aakash2 Aakash 3 Tablet In The Pipeline?The second most populous country in the world, India, has been going through some rather tumultuous times recently, but here is some bit of good news on the technology front – just a couple of months after the student-friendly Aakash 2 tablet (seen above) rolled out in India, educators in that part of the world cannot wait for the Aakash 3 to roll out. Aakash is actually a low-cost tablet program in India that intends to make tablets available to students throughout the country, hoping that it will give them a leg up in getting online while enjoying educational apps. The devices are not high end tablets, but they pack enough firepower to fulfill their purpose for sure.

The Times of India claims that Aakash 3 could very well be designed to run on either the Google Android platform, or on a different kind of Linux-based operating system. It might even come with a SIM card slot, letting you hook it up to other mobile broadband networks for that added touch of connectivity. It seems that the legacy of budget-oriented and yet functional Aakash tablets look set to have a healthy and long future.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Asus VivoTab Smart Tablet Launched, Survey Shows That iPad Still Accounts For 87% Of Tablet Web Traffic,

Aakash 2 Android tablet materializes, costs around $21 for Indian students

Aakash 2 Android tablet materializes, costs around $35 for Indian students

It’s a few months late, but at least it’s hitting the streets for a few less dollars than expected. The Datawind-built Aakash 2 is finally a reality, launching in India on the nation’s National Education Day. It’s the second iteration of what amounts to a barebones, affordable Android slate, packing a 7-inch touch panel, 1GHz Cortex-A8 processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of Flash storage, Android 4.0.3, built-in WiFi and a front-facing VGA camera. Reportedly, this one’s going to be shipped to Indian students for Rs 1,130 (around $21), while outsiders will be able to snag one for closer to $80. Of course, the difference now is that these kinds of projects aren’t quite as novel. Indeed, Chinese megashops are hawking low-rate Android tablets right now for around the same amount, setting a new (low) bar when it comes to pricing on ho hum slates. Still, we’re all for getting technology into the hands of students, and you can learn a bit more about what those very students can expect from VentureBeat‘s hands-on just below.

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Aakash 2 Android tablet materializes, costs around $21 for Indian students originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Nov 2012 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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India’s Aakash 2 Tablet

India Aakash 2 Tablet

India’s Aakash 2 tablet will be launched very soon. Priced at just $35 each, the gadget is powered by an ARM Cortex-A8 processor, a 7-inch touchscreen display, a 512MB of RAM, a front-facing camera and a 4GB of storage space. The Aakash 2 runs on the Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system. It has a SIM slot for phone capabilities, as well as a microSD card slot for storage expansion. [Android Community]

India’s $35 Aakash 2 tablet going on sale next month

Bleeding edge consumers may not appreciate the Aakash 2′s meagre specs, but India is betting the concept of the uber-cheap tablet is one that could legitimately change the world. Currently, the government-subsidized Android Gingerbread slate is being supplied to students for free, but it now has a launch date . It goes on sale on October 5th in India for only $35, which is a price point that makes modern computing accessible to a whole group of people who can’t afford an iPad. The Aakash 2 is the second version of the tablet, and it includes a ARM Cortex-A8 processor, 512MB of RAM, a front-facing camera, and 4GB of internal storage. Most importantly, it features a capacitive screen, which makes multitouch gestures possible, which is a huge deal at this price point. Perhaps the biggest issue will be keeping up with demand: at this price, they’ll fly off the shelves and the first generation Aakash tablet had trouble keeping up with demand. Datawind–the manufactuer of the tablet–claims they’ve already produced 5.5 million of the device, but that’s a mere fraction of the 220 million units they’re shooting for. There’s no word on availability outside of India–although some American school systems are eying the device–but at a fraction of the price of the Nexus 7, many Western buyers wouldn’t mind a buy-one-give-one-free deal like the XO Laptop.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Aakash tablet delayed, Datawind ditches supplier, Datawind to deliver Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for Aakash 2 tablet?,

Lexibook kids-tablet coming to the US, makes fifth-graders dream of an Aakash

Lexibook

French educational tech maker Lexibook is bringing its eponymous kiddy-tablet to the US from next month. It’s not talking specs or price, but we’re expecting it to be close to the Lexibook First currently available in Europe. The seven-inch slate packs a 600MHz processor, 256MB RAM, 4GB storage (expandable to 16GB with an microSD card), parental controls and 802.11 b/g WiFi. The FroYo-running device retails for £150 ($237) over the pond, but if the company tries something similar over here, we suspect people might plump for something a little more powerful, or less expensive, or both.

Continue reading Lexibook kids-tablet coming to the US, makes fifth-graders dream of an Aakash

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Lexibook kids-tablet coming to the US, makes fifth-graders dream of an Aakash originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 23:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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