The Worlds Cheapest Tablet Computer - AAKASH 2

More than a year and a half ago, admist much hype and anticipation, the The Worlds Cheapest Tablet computer, ÀAKASH was launched by the Government of India. It was priced at around 20 - 25 dollars and was seen as a major break through in the field of tablet computing which would totally revolutionise the use of Tablets around the world.

I still remember the amount of buzz it generated among the youth of the country. Everybody wanted to get their hands on one. When the Pre-booking was launched on Datawind's website, it received an unimaginable response and within 3 days bookings were closed for the first 3 months. It had generated such a hype that inspite of the bookings being closed for the first 3 months, they kept on getting upto 100k bookings, everyday!

But difference in opinion and infighting among the Tablet manufacturers Datawind Technologies and the Indian Government and the blatant inability of Datawind to meet the scheduled deadlines meant that the project was shelved. Only a few thousand tablets were distributed to students. Being named the cheapest tablet had its flaws too. 256Mb RAM, 366 Ghz processor, a resistive touch screen, Android version 2.2 and a flimsy built meant that it was definately not a show stealer.

But now, the GOI and Datawind have brought out the next generation model of the earlier tablet - AAKASH 2. On the ocassion of National Education day, the tablet was launched in New delhi by the honourable President Mr. Pranab Mukherji. It still holds on to the tag of being the cheapest tablet in the world. At a subsidiced price of just Rs.1130 (approx 21 dollars) it boasts of much better specifications than its predecesor. Under the hood it is being powered by a 1Ghz processor with 512 Mb RAM. The tablet has an internal storage capacity of upto 4GB and can be expanded using the MICRO SD slot. It comes with the latest Android 4.0 version and has a Capacitative touch screen. It also boasts of an USB port. Much improved when compared to its predecesor. A successor to the AAKASH 2 with a dual core A8 processor is rumoured to hit the stands soon.
AAKASH 2 is expected to reach the hands of more than 22 crore students, all over India in the next 4-6 years.
In a country where 95% of the population does not have access to any sort of computing device, the Worlds Cheapest Tablet will definately become a major major revolution.