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aakash

India's $35 tablet project hits snag

Indian authorities are revising their ambitions over the country's Aakash budget tablet project, after the pilot run missed expectations. The government plans to launch a new tender and is also considering raising the price from $35 to $50.

In a report today, Indian Express said the country's Union Human Resource Development Ministry was looking at upgrading specifications for the tablet, including a "capacitive" touch-screen display.

The news daily cited a "highly placed official" who revealed that the ministry had so far been insisting on a $35 price tag, but now plans to revise the … Read more

Android tablet to debut at less than $40

Thought the $99 HP TouchPad was a bargain? Think again. India will sell a subsidized Android tablet at prices as low as $22, according to a Bloomberg report.

The Indian government will buy 100,000 tablets for 2,250 rupees (about $49) and then resell them to schools at prices as low as 1,100 rupees, about $22, according to Bloomberg. (Note: a Wall Street Journal report says it will be sold to students for 1,750 rupees or about $35.)

The tablets, branded "Aakash," will be purchased from U.K.-based DataWind and then sold at the subsidized price, Bloomberg said, citing statements from Kapil Sibal, India's telecommunications minister, at a news conference on October 5. The Indian government plans to buy 10 million tablets over the next five years, the report said. … Read more