Remember the $10 laptop? Vaporware. The same people now promise a $35 touch-screen tablet:
Aimed at students, the tablet supports web browsing, video conferencing and word processing, say developers.
Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said a manufacturer was being sought for the gadget, which was developed by India’s top IT colleges.
An earlier cheap laptop plan by the same ministry came to nothing.
The device unveiled on Thursday has no hard disk, using a memory card instead, like a mobile phone, and can run on solar power, according to reports.
There’s actually a fair amount of evidence to suggest that this one will see the light of day, although one has to wonder if $35 is reasonable outside of India where government subsidies could keep costs down. Given rapidly falling equipment costs, though, $35-50 isn’t outlandish, particularly with recent advances from Pixel Qi and potential ODM interest in Taiwan to manufacture these devices at scale.
Via.
You can find me @jwindish, at my Public Notebook, or email me at joe-AT-joewindish-DOT-com.