Low-cost tablet Aakash receives overwhelming reponse

Aakash, dubbed as the world's cheapest tablet has been seeing massive bookings ever since its online launch. The government's programme to expand education through information technology has received overwhelming response and appreciations.

The official website of Aakash Tablet http://www.akashtablet.com has reported heavy traffic and created ripples all around the world. Its maker Datawind has put up nearly 30,000 tablets online with a price tag of Rs 2,500, with a delivery period of seven days.

The seven-inch touch screen low-cost tablet flaunts of features such as 256 megabytes of RAM, ARM 11 processor with the Android 2.2 operating system, two USB ports and HD-quality video.

Gadgets and Gizmos magazine that reviewed the Aakast tablet says, "You will not rave about the performance of the Ubislate, or Aakash as the Government prefers to call it. Datawind's 7-inch tablet comes with a sticky resistive touch display, a three-hour battery and no 3G connectivity. The company does not even call it a tablet."

At Rs 2,999, the Ubislate (the government-issue Aakash is tagged at $35 or around Rs 1,700) is at least a couple of thousand rupees less than the most basic Android phone. Even without 3G, it affords quick access to the Internet via Wi-Fi and GPRS