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BSNL launches three Android tablets, starting Rs. 3,250
BSNL has announced it will be launching three Android tablets on March
1, with special data plans. Manufactured by Pantel, BSNL’s three tablets
run on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and aim to cater to both the low-end and
mid-range segments of the markets, with prices ranging from Rs. 3,250 to
Rs. 13,500. Pantel will also be looking to launch the tablets via MTNL in its markets.
The budget tablet
BSNL Penta TPAD IS 701R - bears a 7-inch resistive touchscreen with a 800x480 pixel
resolution, a 1GHz processor, 256MB of RAM, 2GB of built-in storage with
microSD expandability up to 32GB, Wi-Fi connectivity with 3G Dongle
support, a 0.3MP camera, an HDMI port, and a 3000 mAh battery. It will
be interesting to see the competition between the Aakash and this device.
Next up, is the BSNL Penta TPAD WS704C, priced at RS. 10,999. It runs on
1GHz processor with 512MB of RAM. Other specs include a 7-inch capacitive 800x480 pixel touchscreen, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity with SIM
card slot, has 4GB of built-in storage expandable via microSD up to
32GB, a 2MP rear camera, a 0.3MP front camera, Bluetooth connectivity,
A-GPS support, an HDMI port and 1080p HD playback support.
The leader of the pack, the BSNL Penta TPAD WS802C, will be priced at
Rs. 13,500. It will bear an 8-inch capacitive touchscreen, and run on a
1.2 GHz processor with 512MB of RAM. Other specs include 4GB of built-in
storage with microSD expandability up to 32GB, a 2MP rear camera, a
0.3MP front camera, Bluetooth and A-GPS connectivity, as well as an HDMI port and support for 1080p HD playback.
All three tablets will come with one year warranty. BSNL’s data plans
for these tablets are 5GB of 3G data usage for Rs. 750, and 7.5GB of 2GB
data usage for Rs. 250. |
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World's cheapest tablet computer Aakash
India unwraps the world's cheapest tablet computer on
Wednesday, the 5th October 2011 to be sold to students at the subsidised price of $35 to expand digital access in connectivity.
The device called Aakash will initially be available in a pilot run of 100,000 units before being
rolled out to millions of students over the next few months.
"Soon, a $35 computer will be made available to every child in school.
The tablet shall help enhance the quality of learning of children,"
Telecoms and Education Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters last week.
The tablet launched by the minister and DataWind, the small British-based company that developed
it. The expected price tag is 1,750 rupees.
India trails fellow BRIC nations Brazil, Russia and China in the drive to get its 1.2 billion population connected
to technologies such as the Internet and mobile phones, a report by risk
analysis firm Maplecroft said this year. The number of Internet users grew 15-fold between 2000 and 2010,
according to another recent report. Still, just 8 percent of Indians
have access. That compares with nearly 40 percent in China.
This tablet will be called Aakash Low Cost Access Device (LCAD) and will
be available to students for just INR1200 after subsidies. The tablet, will run on Google's Android platform, with WiFi
connectivity for internet access and cloud storage. It will have 256 MB
of RAM, a 2GB SD memory card, a 32 GB expandable memory slot and two USB
ports. The new version $35 tablet is being manufactured by a Canadian company Datawind in a Noida plant
A Canadian of Indian descent, Suneet Singh Tuli, the chief executive of
the company making the device, declined to disclose its retail price,
but said it will cost as much as "a vegetarian meal for two at a five-star hotel in Delhi".
Tuli is the founder of Datawind, a UK-based company which also makes the
PocketSurfer, a handheld device to surf the web. "We wanted to show the world when China can break price points, India
can do it better," Tuli said.
The cheapest tablets available globally are at about $99 for an HP
TouchPad and $199 for Amazon's Kindle Fire. In India, tablets currently
start from $99 for Pepper, a tablet launched last month by Devraj group
of companies. The Wespro ePad is available at Rs 7,000. HCL Pad based on Android sells for about 10,000. Bharti Airtel and
Reliance have also launched tablets priced about 10,000 and 13,000,
respectively.
The $60 tablet Aakash for retail sales has an inbuilt cellular modem and SIM to
access internet, which will be absent in the $35 device, supplied to the government. |
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Samsung Tablets
Samsung is readying a slew of slates to unveil at Mobile World Congress,
including successors to its original Galaxy Tab. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, 10.1-inch model
.This Mobile World Congress brings not only a 7-inch version of the Tab 2, but an update to today's 10.1-inch
model Both tablet sizes will feature Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a 1GHz
dual-core processor, and two cameras, in addition to the usual scoop of
Samsung's apps and hubs. While 3G-capable, there will also be Wi-Fi-only versions.
Samsung will launch the Galaxy Tab 2 series in March, beginning with the
UK. We don't have U.S. pricing or release date information yet, but our
team on the ground will get plenty of hands-on time with the device once
Mobile World Congress officially begins on Monday.
We're also looking forward to trying our hand with the Samsung Galaxy
Note 10.1 a tablet that includes the S-Pen stylus and stylus SDK of the smaller
Samsung Galaxy Note a jumbo-size smart phone with a 5.3-inch screen that some people are
calling a "phablet." says Samsung officials |
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