This is may sound completely insane to all of us in the Western World, but imagine for a second the impact of such a product and what it does for people in rural India who, as it is today, seem like they are stuck in the agricultural revolution. The social implications and economic ramifications are profound in my opinion. India is already a nation that is on the rise and competing intensely with China. And this product is certainly an example of that.
While it's not designed to compete directly with the iPad like the Kindle fire it clearly supports the mantra of "one tablet per child" that many social entrepreneurs support. These devices while partially subsidized by the Indian government are being deployed to support educational initiatives. Functional with only basic capabilities like email, social networking and browsing still can be accomplish more than on mobile devices. It's definitely not hardware equipped to compete with an iPad or similar horsepower tablet. But it can certainly bring knowledge and communication to the poor. Here's an excerpt...
Today we reach to the sky and demonstrate what is possible," said Kapil Sibal, India's information technology and human resource development minister. "Let me send a message, not just to our children but the children of the world: This is for all those who are marginalized."
The 13-ounce touch-screen device can handle basic computing, including email, social networking, surfing, online banking, instant messaging and multimedia. The stripped-down system uses Google's Android 2.2 operating system and comes with headphones, Wi-Fi access, two USB slots, 256 megabytes of internal memory and a 7-inch screen. It is not considered on the same level of the more advanced tablets available to consumers.
"This will allow basic computing beyond the mobile phone," said Vishal Tripathi, an analyst with Gartner, a high-tech research firm.
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