The next version of world’s cheapest tablet PC Aakash 4 will start in January and the price of the devices are expected to further come down by Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 ($17-$26) in a year, telecom minister Kapil Sibal said.
“Aakash 4 now has been tendered for manufacturing. From January 2014, Aakash 4 which is like any other modern tablets in the country, is going to be manufactured by several players. (As many as) 18 people have actually participated in the tender,”
he cost of that (Aakash tablet) at the moment we say is Rs 2,500($52) but it’s going to come down to Rs 1,500. Aakash 4 will have 7 inch capacitive touch screen which will be also scratch resistant.The tablet will support wifi, 2G, 3G and 4G connectivity, come with 4GB of internal storage, external memory card slot with storage capacity of up to 32 GB, Bluetooth and front camera.
While the original concept and design was conceived by Datawind, it now appears that the Indian government has taken over the Aakash series and is pursuing further development on its own accord. Previous iterations faced delays and shortages, and as such, the Indian government wants to get the program back on track in order to provide the Aakash tablet to students across India.
