New
Delhi:
The
much awaited and talked about Tablet of the nation, “Aakash 2” was launched on
the occasion of National Education Day at Vigyan Bhawan.
The
Aakash 2 Tablet has been designed, developed and manufactured by DataWind for
supply to IIT Bombay under the Human Resources & Development ministry’s
National Mission on Education through Information & Communication
Technology (NME-ICT).
The
launch was part of a two-day workshop conducted by IIT Bombay for teaching
faculties in engineering colleges using remote training applications developed
at IIT Bombay’s Open Source development lab. Over the last many months,
IIT Bombay has developed unique and compelling applications for engineering
students on the Aakash2 platform, which include 3D-modelling, C++ programming,
remote and collaborative training applications, robotic control and live
assessment tools. IIT Bombay has partnered with the Center for
Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), to assist with the hardware testing
and logistics.
The
Subrao Nilekani Chair Professor at IIT Bombay, Deepak B Phatak, heads the
project at IIT Bombay with the support of C-DAC. Professor Phatak stated
“I'm not only confident, but sure
that Aakash 2.0 is here to stay.” In the first phase, DataWind is to
supply 100,000 units of Aakash 2 to IIT Bombay, which intends to distribute
them to Engineering University and College students. NME-ICT Director,
N.K.Sinha said, “We envision all 220 million students across India to be
enabled by low cost Aakash devices in the coming years.”
The
commercial version of the Aakash2 unit is branded as UbiSlate 7Ci, and is
available for purchase on DataWind’s website. Reviews on the unit have been
very strong. Feedback from samples distributed to Indian Federal Union
Ministers and State Chief Ministers has been “Very Good”, according to
officials at the HRD ministry. Washington Post columnist and highly
respected commentator Vivek Wadhwa said, “It has the potential of revolutionising India, putting
millions of Indians on the Net instantly.” Christopher Peri, the highly influential writer for Venture Beat
concluded upon his review: “I want this device”. Forbes magazine’s technology
contributor Alice Truong ended her review of the device with: “World
changing indeed.”
Speaking
on the launch of Aakash 2, DataWind CEO, Suneet Singh Tuli said, “We wish to
use technology to fight poverty with a passion. Access to computers and
internet will help deliver a better quality education and level the playing
field for all Indians”. Forbes Magazine recently recognized Suneet Singh Tuli
in its annual Impact 15 list of Social Entrepreneurs whose disruptive
technologies is expected to be globally impactful.
“We’re not done yet. We will
continue to drive pricing down and make internet devices and access affordable
for all tiers of society”, said DataWind Co-Chairman and Chief Technology
Officer, Raja Singh Tuli. A globally recognized inventor, Raja Singh Tuli
has received over 50 patents across various technologies.
At
Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, the President and the HRD Minister addressed the
huge audience present and launched the most prestigious project of the Govt of
India with a live demonstration of the Aakash 2 Tablet, while interacting with
teachers in 240 colleges and universities across India.
Aakash 2 Specifications:
|
Feature
|
Specifications
|
|
Model
|
Aakash2
(Commercially: UbiSlate 7Ci)
|
|
Screen
|
7 inches
800x480 pixel
resolution
Multi-touch
4-point projective capacitive
|
|
Network
|
WiFi (b/g/n)
|
|
Operating
System
|
Android 4.0
|
|
Processor
|
Cortex A8 – 1
Ghz
|
|
RAM
|
512MB
|
|
Memory
|
4 GB
|
|
Ports
|
Micro-SD
(Upto 32 GB) and Micro-USB
|
|
Included
Accessories
|
Wall Charger
USB Adapter
USB Cable
USB Hub (4
port)
|
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