Source: wikipedia
 UbiSlate 7+, the commercial version of Aakash | |
| Developer | DataWind, IIT |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | DataWind |
| Type | Tablet computer |
| Introductory price |  2999 |
| Operating system | Android 2.3 |
| Power | 3200 mAh li-po battery, 2-3 hr life |
| CPU | Cortex A8-700 MHz processor |
| Storage capacity | Flash memory Internal: 2 GB flash External: 2 to 32 GB microSD slot |
| Memory | 256 MB RAM |
| Display | 800 × 480 px 7 in (18 cm) diagonal |
| Sound | Built in microphone; stereo earphones; 3.5mm jack |
| Input | Multi-touch resistive touchscreen,headset controls |
| Camera | None |
| Connectivity | GPRS, Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n) |
| Online services | Android Market |
| Dimensions | 190.5 mm (7.50 in) H 118.5 mm (4.67 in) W 15.7 mm (0.62 in) D |
| Weight | 350 g (12 oz) |
| Website | www.ubislate.com www.akashtablet.com |
The Aakash is an Android tablet computer jointly developed by the London-based company DataWind with the Indian Institute of Technology Rajasthan. It is manufactured by the India-based company Quad, at a new production centre in Hyderabad, with a trial run of 100,000 units.[3] The tablet was officially launched as the Aakash in New Delhi on October 5, 2011. A substantially upgraded second-generation model called UbiSlate 7+ is projected for manufacture starting in early 2012.
The 7-inch touch screen tablet has an ARM 11 processor and 256 MB RAM running under the Android 2.2 operating system. It has two universal serial bus (USB) ports and delivers high definition (HD) quality video.For applications, the Aakash will have access to Getjar, an independent market, rather than the Android Market.
As a multi-media platform, the Aakash project was beset by delays and setbacks. The device was developed as part of the country's aim to link 25,000 colleges and 400 universities in an e-learning program. Originally projected as a "$35 laptop" the device will be sold to the Government of India at US$50and will be distributed at a government subsidized price of $35. A commercial version of Aakash is currently marketed as UbiSlate 7+ at a price of $60.
By January 3, 2012 1.4 million online orders for the Aakash had been received.
History
Aspiration to create a "Made in India" computer was first reflected in a prototype "Simputer" that went into production in a small way. Bangalore based CPSU, Bharat Electronics Ltd manufactured around 5,000 Simputers to Indian Customers during 2002-07. In 2011, Kapil Sibal announced an anticipated low-cost computing device to compete with the One Laptop per Child (OLPC), though intended for urban college students rather than the OLPC's rural, underprivileged students.
The device was projected to be designed by the students of Indian Institute of Technology Rajasthan – at the time uncredentialed in research or product development. The announced computer had been purchased off the shelf. The project remained dormant for about a year.
A year later, the MHRD announced that the low cost computer would be launched in 6 weeks. Nine weeks later the MHRD showcased a tablet named "Aakash", not nearly what had been projected and at US$60 rather than the projected $35. "NDTV" reported that the new low cost tablet was not a patch that was shown as a prototype and was going to cost about twice as much.
While it was once projected as a laptop computer, the design has evolved into a tablet computer. At the inauguration of the national Mission on Education Programme organized by the Union HRD Ministry in 2009, joint secretary N. K. Sinha had said that the computing device is 10 inches (which is around 25.5 cm) long and 5 inches (12.5 cm) wide and priced at around $30.
India's Human Resource Development Minister, Kapil Sibal unveiled a prototype on 22 July 2010. The price of the device exhibited was projected at $35, eventually to drop to $20 and ultimately to $10. After the device was unveiled, OLPC Chairman Nicholas Negroponte offered full access to OLPC technology at no cost to the Indian team.
Doubts about the tablet were dismissed in a television program "Gadget Guru" aired on NDTV in August 2010,when it was shown to have 256 MBRAM and 2 GB of internal flash-memory storage and demonstrated running the Android operating system featuring video playback, internal Wi-Fi and cellular data via an external 3G modem.
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