Sakshat
Encyclopedia
The Aakash is an Android tablet computer
jointly developed by the London
-based company DataWind
with the Indian Institute of Technology Rajasthan and manufactured by the India-based company Quad, at a new production centre in Hyderabad — under a trial run of 100,000 units. The tablet was officially launched as the Aakash in New Delhi on Oct 5, 2011. A substantially revised second generation model is projected for manufacture beginning in early 2012.
The seven-inch touch screen tablet features 256 megabytes of RAM, uses an ARM 11 processor with the Android 2.2 operating system, has two USB port and delivers HD-quality video. For applications, the Aakash will have access to Getjar
, a proprietary market, rather than the Android Market
.
As a multi-media platform, the Aakash project, beset by delays and setbacks, has been developed as part of the country's aim to link 25,000 colleges and 400 universities in an e-learning program. Original projected as a "$35 laptop", the device will be sold to the Government of India at $50 and will be distributed at a government subsidized price of $35. A commercial version will be marketed as the UbiSlate 7 at a projected price of $60.
The name Aakash derives from the Hindi word for sky.
" that did not go into production. Four years later, Kapil Sibal (by then the Minister for Human Resource Development MHRD (the Indian Education Minister)) announced an anticipated low-cost computing device to compete with the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) — though intended for urban college students rather than the OLPC's rural, underprivileged students.
The device was projected to be designed by the students of Indian Institute of Technology Rajasthan – at the time uncredentialed in research or product development. The announced computer had been purchased off the shelf. The project remained dormant for about a year.
A year later, the MHRD announced that the low cost computer would be launched in 6 weeks. Nine weeks later the MHRD showcased a tablet named "Aaakash", not nearly what had been projected and at $60 rather than the projected $35. Arguably its greatest champion, India's TV channel "NDTV
" said that the new low cost tablet was not a patch that was shown as a prototype and was going to cost about twice as much.
While it was once projected as a laptop computer, the design has evolved into a tablet computer
. At the inauguration of the national Mission on Education Programme organized by the Union HRD Ministry in 2009, joint secretary N. K. Sinha had said that the computing device is 10 inches (which is around 25.5 cm) long and 5 inches (12.5 cm) wide and priced at around $30.
India's Human Resource Development Minister
, Kapil Sibal
unveiled a prototype on 22 July 2010. The price of the device exhibited was projected at $35, eventually to drop to $20 and ultimately to $10. After the device was unveiled, OLPC Chairman Nicholas Negroponte
offered full access to OLPC technology at no cost to the Indian team.
Doubts about the tablet were dismissed in a television program "Gadget Guru" aired on NDTV
in August 2010, when it was shown to have 256 MB RAM
and 2 GB of internal flash-memory storage and demonstrated running the Android operating system featuring video playback, internal Wi-Fi
and cellular data via an external 3G modem.
The processor is 366 MHz with Graphics Accelerator and HD Video Co-processor and the tablet features 256 MB RAM, a Micros SD slot with a 2GB Micro SD card (expandable to 32GB), two full-size USB ports, a 2100mAh battery, Wi-fi capability, a browser developed by Datawind, an internal cellular and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) modem, using a power consumption of 2 watts with a solar charging option. The device features 3.5mm audio output and input jack.
The Aakash is designed to support various document (DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, ODT, ODP,PDF), image (PNG, JPG, BMP and GIF), audio (MP3, AAC, AC3, WAV, WMA) and video (MPEG2, MPEG4, AVI, FLV) formats and includes an application for access to YouTube video content.
has stated that a million devices would be made available to students in 2011. The devices will be manufactured at a cost of 1500 (€23 Euro) each, half of which will be paid by the government and half by the institutions that would use it.
In January 2011, the company initially chosen to build the Sakshat, HCL Infosystems, failed to provide evidence that they had at least 600 million (60 crore) ($12.2 million) in bank guaranteed funds, as required by the Indian government, which has allocated $6.5 million to the project. As a result, the government has put the project out for bidding again.
In June 2011,the HRD announced that it received a few samples from the production process which are under testing. Also it mentions that each state in India
provided 3000 samples for testing on their functionality, utility and durability in field conditions.
The Government of India announced that 10,000 (Sakshat) tablet will be delivered to IIT Rajasthan in late June and over the next four months 90,000 more would be made available at a price of 5,000 device.
Government will subsidize the cost by 50%, so a student would have to pay only 2,500 for the device.
35% of hardware components were sourced from South Korea, 25% from China, 16% from the USA, 16% from India and 8% from other countries http://www.hindustantimes.com/Akash-tablet-s-commercial-variant-in-November/Article1-754092.aspx.
Software Development
Datawind, the maker of Aakash, has announced a contest for students wherein their best applications will be embedded in the Ubislate(Aakash Tablet). Top 5 application winners will be awarded Rs. 1 Lakh each.http://www.aakashstore.in/2011/11/worlds-cheapest-tablet-aakash-can-turn.html
Nasscom Foundation has partnered with Datawind and announced a contest wherein 10 NGOs will have an opportunity to win 20 tablets each, mainly to improve their operations and programme implementation.
, frequent system freeze, poor sound quality, absence of support for all formats and inability to install free software available online were also cited by users. Technical commentator Prasanto Roy criticized issues such as a low battery life, an insufficient 7" screen and absence of training and support infrastructure, especially in rural areas. Aakash-2 will be released by 2012.IIT Rajasthan has finalised the improvements of Aakash-1.
After receiving feedback of the early release model from over 500 users IITs and other institutions, Datawind announced the next iteration will have a new microprocessor of 800 megahertz as compared to the present 366 megahertz processor. This will improve the speed of the tablet and solve the existing problems of quick overheating, frequent system freeze, poor sound quality, absence of support for all formats and inability to install free online software.
A built in camera and a 1GB RAM are the highlights of Aakash-2 which were missing in Aakash-1.It will also enable users to download videos from YouTube
Datawind has scheduled the next model for February 2012, projecting that specifications will include a revised screen, a front-facing camera and improved RAM.
Tablet computer
A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...
jointly developed by the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based company DataWind
DataWind
DataWind is a company manufacturing and marketing wireless web access products, originally founded in Montreal in 2001 by brothers Suneet and Raja Tuli from the Indian state of Punjab...
with the Indian Institute of Technology Rajasthan and manufactured by the India-based company Quad, at a new production centre in Hyderabad — under a trial run of 100,000 units. The tablet was officially launched as the Aakash in New Delhi on Oct 5, 2011. A substantially revised second generation model is projected for manufacture beginning in early 2012.
The seven-inch touch screen tablet features 256 megabytes of RAM, uses an ARM 11 processor with the Android 2.2 operating system, has two USB port and delivers HD-quality video. For applications, the Aakash will have access to Getjar
GetJar
GetJar is an independent mobile phone application store founded in Lithuania in 2004, with offices in Vilnius, Lithuania and San Mateo, California....
, a proprietary market, rather than the Android Market
Android Market
Android Market is an online software store developed by Google for Android OS devices. Its gateway is an application program called "Market", preinstalled on most Android devices, allows users to browse and download mobile apps published by third-party developers...
.
As a multi-media platform, the Aakash project, beset by delays and setbacks, has been developed as part of the country's aim to link 25,000 colleges and 400 universities in an e-learning program. Original projected as a "$35 laptop", the device will be sold to the Government of India at $50 and will be distributed at a government subsidized price of $35. A commercial version will be marketed as the UbiSlate 7 at a projected price of $60.
The name Aakash derives from the Hindi word for sky.
History
Aspiration to create a "made in India" computer was first reflected in a prototype "SimputerSimputer
The Simputer is a self-contained, open hardware Linux-based handheld computer, first released in 2002. Developed in, and primarily distributed within India, the product was envisioned as a low-cost alternative to personal computers...
" that did not go into production. Four years later, Kapil Sibal (by then the Minister for Human Resource Development MHRD (the Indian Education Minister)) announced an anticipated low-cost computing device to compete with the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) — though intended for urban college students rather than the OLPC's rural, underprivileged students.
The device was projected to be designed by the students of Indian Institute of Technology Rajasthan – at the time uncredentialed in research or product development. The announced computer had been purchased off the shelf. The project remained dormant for about a year.
A year later, the MHRD announced that the low cost computer would be launched in 6 weeks. Nine weeks later the MHRD showcased a tablet named "Aaakash", not nearly what had been projected and at $60 rather than the projected $35. Arguably its greatest champion, India's TV channel "NDTV
NDTV
NDTV is an Indian commercial broadcasting television network founded in 1988. It was founded by Prannoy Roy, an eminent journalist and current chairman and director of NDTV Group. NDTV currently has more than 1,000 employees producing news from over twenty locations in India...
" said that the new low cost tablet was not a patch that was shown as a prototype and was going to cost about twice as much.
While it was once projected as a laptop computer, the design has evolved into a tablet computer
Tablet computer
A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...
. At the inauguration of the national Mission on Education Programme organized by the Union HRD Ministry in 2009, joint secretary N. K. Sinha had said that the computing device is 10 inches (which is around 25.5 cm) long and 5 inches (12.5 cm) wide and priced at around $30.
India's Human Resource Development Minister
Ministry of Human Resource Development (India)
The Ministry of Human Resource Development is an Indian government ministry, responsible for the development of human resources...
, Kapil Sibal
Kapil Sibal
Kapil Sibal is an Indian politician and lawyer. He is currently the Minister of Communications and Information Technology. He also held the two ministries Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences in the First Manmohan Singh Cabinet...
unveiled a prototype on 22 July 2010. The price of the device exhibited was projected at $35, eventually to drop to $20 and ultimately to $10. After the device was unveiled, OLPC Chairman Nicholas Negroponte
Nicholas Negroponte
Nicholas Negroponte is an American architect best known as the founder and Chairman Emeritus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab, and also known as the founder of the One Laptop per Child Association ....
offered full access to OLPC technology at no cost to the Indian team.
Doubts about the tablet were dismissed in a television program "Gadget Guru" aired on NDTV
NDTV
NDTV is an Indian commercial broadcasting television network founded in 1988. It was founded by Prannoy Roy, an eminent journalist and current chairman and director of NDTV Group. NDTV currently has more than 1,000 employees producing news from over twenty locations in India...
in August 2010, when it was shown to have 256 MB RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
and 2 GB of internal flash-memory storage and demonstrated running the Android operating system featuring video playback, internal Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
and cellular data via an external 3G modem.
Specifications
As released on 5 October 2011, the Aakash features an overall size of 190.5 x 118.5 x 15.7mm with a 7” resistive screen, a weight of 350gms and using the Android 2.2 operating system with access to the proprietary marketplace Getjar (not the Android marketplace), developed by Datawind.The processor is 366 MHz with Graphics Accelerator and HD Video Co-processor and the tablet features 256 MB RAM, a Micros SD slot with a 2GB Micro SD card (expandable to 32GB), two full-size USB ports, a 2100mAh battery, Wi-fi capability, a browser developed by Datawind, an internal cellular and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) modem, using a power consumption of 2 watts with a solar charging option. The device features 3.5mm audio output and input jack.
The Aakash is designed to support various document (DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, ODT, ODP,PDF), image (PNG, JPG, BMP and GIF), audio (MP3, AAC, AC3, WAV, WMA) and video (MPEG2, MPEG4, AVI, FLV) formats and includes an application for access to YouTube video content.
Development and testing
Kapil SibalKapil Sibal
Kapil Sibal is an Indian politician and lawyer. He is currently the Minister of Communications and Information Technology. He also held the two ministries Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences in the First Manmohan Singh Cabinet...
has stated that a million devices would be made available to students in 2011. The devices will be manufactured at a cost of 1500 (€23 Euro) each, half of which will be paid by the government and half by the institutions that would use it.
In January 2011, the company initially chosen to build the Sakshat, HCL Infosystems, failed to provide evidence that they had at least 600 million (60 crore) ($12.2 million) in bank guaranteed funds, as required by the Indian government, which has allocated $6.5 million to the project. As a result, the government has put the project out for bidding again.
In June 2011,the HRD announced that it received a few samples from the production process which are under testing. Also it mentions that each state in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
provided 3000 samples for testing on their functionality, utility and durability in field conditions.
The Government of India announced that 10,000 (Sakshat) tablet will be delivered to IIT Rajasthan in late June and over the next four months 90,000 more would be made available at a price of 5,000 device.
Government will subsidize the cost by 50%, so a student would have to pay only 2,500 for the device.
35% of hardware components were sourced from South Korea, 25% from China, 16% from the USA, 16% from India and 8% from other countries http://www.hindustantimes.com/Akash-tablet-s-commercial-variant-in-November/Article1-754092.aspx.
Software Development
Datawind, the maker of Aakash, has announced a contest for students wherein their best applications will be embedded in the Ubislate(Aakash Tablet). Top 5 application winners will be awarded Rs. 1 Lakh each.http://www.aakashstore.in/2011/11/worlds-cheapest-tablet-aakash-can-turn.html
Nasscom Foundation has partnered with Datawind and announced a contest wherein 10 NGOs will have an opportunity to win 20 tablets each, mainly to improve their operations and programme implementation.
Reception
The Aakash-I tablet received mixed reviews upon launch. Initial user-testing by students from the Indian Institute of Technology Rajasthan revealed the prototype would heat up after 30 minutes. Problems such as low RAMRam
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
, frequent system freeze, poor sound quality, absence of support for all formats and inability to install free software available online were also cited by users. Technical commentator Prasanto Roy criticized issues such as a low battery life, an insufficient 7" screen and absence of training and support infrastructure, especially in rural areas. Aakash-2 will be released by 2012.IIT Rajasthan has finalised the improvements of Aakash-1.
After receiving feedback of the early release model from over 500 users IITs and other institutions, Datawind announced the next iteration will have a new microprocessor of 800 megahertz as compared to the present 366 megahertz processor. This will improve the speed of the tablet and solve the existing problems of quick overheating, frequent system freeze, poor sound quality, absence of support for all formats and inability to install free online software.
A built in camera and a 1GB RAM are the highlights of Aakash-2 which were missing in Aakash-1.It will also enable users to download videos from YouTube
Datawind has scheduled the next model for February 2012, projecting that specifications will include a revised screen, a front-facing camera and improved RAM.