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Topic: Tablets

A $35 Android tablet becomes reality

Summary: A $10 Android tablet also in the works.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

By for Hardware 2.0 |

How cheap can an Android tablet go? How about $35.

Introducing Aakash, an Android tablet build by UK company DataWind, that the Indian government is buying for Rs 2250 ($35). There will be an initial 100,000 run of these tablets which will be given to students.

So, what do you get for $35? Quite a lot:

  • Android 2.2 (Froyo)
  • 7-inch resistive touch screen with 800x480 resolution
  • 256 MB of RAM
  • 32 GB storage
  • Expandable memory slot
  • 2x USB ports
  • Weighs 350 gram
  • 12 month warranty
  • 2100mAh battery giving 2 - 3 hours of usage

The $35 deal is for students ... if you're not a student then this tablet will set you back $60. Still a darn cheap tablet.

Think a $35 tablet is impressive? DataWind has plans for a $10 tablet:

"We need to have more local components. And with the production expansion that we plan, we believe that Indian component manufacturers would soon see the opportunity, thus reducing our prices."

Impressive.

You're not going to be able to get your hands on a $35 Android tablet, or a $10 tablet, and chances are that you wouldn't want it (I've seen cheap Android tablet that come from China that sell for under $99 that are absolutely appalling), but it does lead the way to cheaper hardware for the rest of us.

Topics: Tablets, Android, Hardware, Laptops, Mobility

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36 comments
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  • RE: A $35 Android tablet becomes reality

    I think the old adage still holds true here: You get what you pay for.
    The one and only, Cylon Centurion
    Reply Vote

    • RE: A $35 Android tablet becomes reality

      @Cylon Centurion

      True, but in developing countries this could be a godsend.
      Michael Kelly
      Reply Vote

      • RE: A $35 Android tablet becomes reality

        Both of you are right!
        Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
        Reply Vote

      • RE: A $35 Android tablet becomes reality

        @Michael Kelly

        Also, true, but take a look at what you're getting:

        ???Android 2.2 (Froyo)
        ???7-inch resistive touch screen with 800??480 resolution
        ???256 MB of RAM
        ???32 GB storage
        ???Expandable memory slot
        ???2x USB ports
        ???Weighs 350 gram
        ???12 month warranty
        ???2100mAh battery giving 2 - 3 hours of usage


        That battery life is killer. 2-3 hours? Also, how is the build quality? Can this thing take a punch, or will it fall apart the instant it is mis-handled?

        $35 would be a nice price for a tablet, but at the same time, we're faaaaaaar off from that, if even. Not even cell phones have dropped to that price.
        The one and only, Cylon Centurion
        Reply Vote

  • Android is such a mess

    Why does this not come with the tablet version of Android?

    The Android ecosystem is a total mess.
    toddybottom
    Reply Vote

    • RE: A $35 Android tablet becomes reality

      @toddybottom I think the Honeycomb version of Android has higher system requirements.
      Jeremy-UK
      Reply Vote

      • RE: A $35 Android tablet becomes reality

        @Jeremy-UK
        Agreed. Love Android, understand the expectation of allowing forking, etc. However Unix did not compete effectively with Windows to the masses when Sun, HP, SCO and others were all pulling the wagon in different directions - it took Linux to make it a viable alternative.
        nigebj
        Reply Vote

    • RE: A $35 Android tablet becomes reality

      @toddybottom Your face is a total mess.
      Droid101
      Reply Vote

      • RE: A $35 Android tablet becomes reality

        @Droid101

        He <i>is</i> right. The Android ecosystem is a total disaster compared to the WP7 and iOS ecosystems. Add on top of that total fragmentation.
        The one and only, Cylon Centurion
        Reply Vote

      • RE: A $35 Android tablet becomes reality

        @cylon,<br>sure parts of it could use cleaning up, but alot needs to be left out there with all the various versions of the OS along with the manufacturers that tweak it. But that doesnt change the fact that WP7 and iOS cant touch the android software for total useablilty, expandability, compatibility, ease of use, etc. I could go on. Everyone has their downsides, atleast with android I can make those decisions for how I want my phone to work for me
        asb2106
        Reply Vote

      • RE: A $35 Android tablet becomes reality

        @Droid101 Really, that is the best you could come up with? While not agreeing with TB/NZ, that was a truly pathetic comeback.
        non-biased
        Reply Vote

    • Economics my friend...

      @toddybottom

      It could go over budget.. say $45. Plenty folk in these columns think thats way too much profit for any one company :-)
      johnmckay
      Reply Vote

    • Re: Android is such a mess

      @toddybottom Microsoft has mess envy today.
      ldo17
      Reply Vote

  • What kind of processor is in this?

    ARM11?
    Joe_Raby
    Reply Vote

    • Don't know brand/model

      @Joe_Raby

      According to wikipedia, though (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aakash_tablet), it's a 366*MHz* processor with onboard GPU & HD video processor.

      The only problem I see with that? Their kernel better be *extremely streamlined), because the listed stats (2GB storage, expandable to 32GB; 256MB RAM) put the processing power more in line with the AMD K6-based desktop I bought back in *1998*.

      Granted, it's a tablet, & a lot of the older models of tablets had approximately the same storage/processing/RAM capabilities. I think that's the key, though: they're looking at it as a way to get computers to the parts of the Indian population that wouldn't otherwise have access. Hence, using lower-capacity hardware & a government subsidy to keep the price down.
      spdragoo@...
      Reply Vote

  • RE: A $35 Android tablet becomes reality

    Capacitive touchscreen, please! Oh, and I'd rather have a nice GPU in it, so a $60 tablet isn't for me.
    Grayson Peddie
    Reply Vote

  • RE: A $35 Android tablet becomes reality

    BTW: it's 2GB of storage, not 32
    dsf3g
    Reply Vote

  • RE: A $35 Android tablet becomes reality

    The price is not $35. The final price of the launched product is $50. It is still the world's cheapest tablet. For a detailed and more extensive coverage on this tablet log on to www.ndtvgadgets.com
    soniabhaskar
    Reply Vote

  • RE: A $35 Android tablet becomes reality

    Have you visited the Datawind website? Just awful. The Flash drives by faster than a shooter in South Chicago.

    And then where to you buy this stuff? Links don't work. Contact us...links don't work. About US...links don't work.

    Finally you find a link to buy. One takes you to a sketchy site in where? And another in Russia.

    The tablet may be a reality. But these folks do not have it together.
    snowman2795
    Reply Vote

  • RE: A $35 Android tablet becomes reality

    now you can sit around like captin pecard with a stack of pads with diffrent data no each
    sarai1313@...
    Reply Vote
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