Akaash 4 to be in a reality in January

The tablets, which had been written off by critics, will be available in a brand new avatar in January

shivangi-narayan

Shivangi Narayan | December 24, 2013



The advanced version of the low cost tablet, Akaash, is all set to be a reality by January 2014. “The tenders for Akaash 4 have been floated with Directorate General for Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D) and would be finalised in January 2014,” said Kapil Sibal, communications and IT minister.

The minister said that a low cost device for digital knowledge access to every child has been his dream for a long time. A low cost computing device was envisaged by the HRD ministry under the national mission on education through information and communication technology (ICT). “Unfortunately my own government did not help me in realising this dream. However, that will change with Akaash 4,” he said.

Sibal was speaking at the launch of e-inclusion project at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

J Satyanarayana, secretary, department of electronics and IT (DeitY) said that the rate contract with DGS&D would be finalised in January 2014. “Institutions would then be able to place orders for Akaash 4 through DGS&D,” he said.

The earlier versions of the low cost device had come under scathing criticism for its poor quality and features. Akaash 4 has been designed to undo all the criticism and provide a user friendly and affordable tablet for people.

The tablet will be available in Rs 2200-2500 price range.

Akaash 4 will have seven inch capacitive touchscreen, 1Gb RAM, 4Gb internal memory (or more integrated flash), USB port, WiFi, 3 hours battery backup and Bluetooth, among other features.

Comments

 

Other News

Gandhian movement after Gandhi failed: Ram Guha

The Gandhian movement in India, after Gandhi’s death, failed, says Ramachandra Guha, and blames Vinoba Bhave for it. But the movement found new, fertile grounds around the world and succeeded in bringing about a change in South Africa, the US and elsewhere. It is high time it returned home. Of cour

When religion, politics and Bollywood come together

Tavleen Singh, noted journalist and political commentator, has turned to fiction, with her debut novel ‘The Actor’ (HaperCollins India). Set in the near future, it has a superstar, Amit Singh, turning to politics, when the political landscape is dominated by prime minister Guru Gaynendraj

Cabinet approves setting up of Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority

The union cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the setting up of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), called Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA), to strengthen research, planning, appraisal, monitoring and impact assessment within the broad domains of Transp

Why foundational literacy and numeracy is key to school education

Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) are often described as the building blocks of education. Yet, their significance goes well beyond a child’s ability to read a sentence, write a response or solve a basic mathematical problem. These foundational skills shape how children understand the world,

When police data becomes the algorithm

For decades, policing has followed a familiar sequence: a crime occurs, the police respond, an investigation produces records and those records become part of the institutional memory of the criminal justice system. Artificial intelligence is beginning to alter that sequence. Instead of merely recording

Before India voted, the framers worried about the referee

“We are making a Constitution forever and not only for today.” Shibban Lal Saksena said this in the Constituent Assembly on June 15, 1949. He was warning that a ruling party might one day choose a loyalist to run India’s elections. Seventy-seven years later, the Supreme Court is wrestli

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter