India has come up with the world’s cheapest “tablet”, a touchscreen computing device for $35. This super-cheap tablet computer was devised as a method to impart higher-quality education to students around the country.
Resembling the Apple iPad, the Linux based computer features a web browser, multimedia player, PDF reader, Wi-Fi, and video conferencing facility. It can even function on solar power, making it truly futuristic. “This is our answer to M.I.T.’s $100 computer.” Kapil Sibal, India’s human-resource development minister told the Economic Times.
The device was developed by student teams from India’s premier technological institutes, the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Science. The basic idea was to develop a computer that can be used by students of developing nations to better their educational quality.
The tablet is expected to drop its price to as low as $20 or even $10 with the Government subsidy on education. However, the other side of the story includes a few hitches. “This is just a prototype. We need to find people who will be able to manufacture these devices at these price points and continue to develop them going forward.” Zubin Malhotra, educational expert comments. So, the feasibility of the project is still in the dark.
At all, the tablet is a part of the larger initiative aimed at improving educational system through technology. Kapil Sibal’s words “We have reached a (developmental) stage that today, the motherboard, its chip, the processing, connectivity, all of them cumulatively cost around $35, including memory, display, everything,” is a new ray of hope for every child in the developing nations.
