Aakash 2 Android tablet launched in India

The Aakash 2 Android tablet is finally here. After getting delayed for over a month, the Indian government has finally launched the next-generation Aakash tablet that is manufactured by Datawind, a British manufacturing company based in Canada. At Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi, Indian president Pranab Mukherjee announced the Aakash 2 tablet. The Aakash 2 sports a 7-inch capacitive display and a front VGA camera. It’s powered by a 1GHz Cortex A8 processor and is supported by a 512MB RAM and 4GB of storage.

It also has a microSD card slot, a USB port, and a 3,000 mAh battery. Running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the Aakash 2 tablet will sell for roughly $40 in the market. But since the Indian government has granted a subsidy for its students, the Aakash 2 will be sold to students at a subsidized price of around $20. The Indian government plans to bring around 100,000 Aakash 2 tablets to engineering colleges and universities across the country. Additionally, the government is also launching a program called “Aakash in Education” that aims to setup remote centers in 244 engineering colleges in India.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: VINCI Curriculum Named as CES Innovations 2013 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree , Google exec thinks that carriers should customize their Android phones,

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.

Filed under:

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.

Permalink AndroidOS  |  sourceVentureBeat, Deccan Chronicle, Yahoo  | Email this | Comments

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

Filed under:

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.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments