$20 Tablet from India

SteveEisenberg · 11-12-2012, 09:15 PM

http://qz.com/26244/how-a-20-tablet-...as-we-know-it/

Quote:

He believes that the $40 price of the tablet could drop to $25 within a year. “I showed a Google executive [this] tablet. He suddenly realized that his $99 tablet isn’t going to stand up to the $25 tablet from India.” . . .

The Aakash 2, for example, is currently assembled in Amritsar, a city in the far north of India, near the border with Pakistan. But, says Tuli, “We don’t rule out assembly done in the US. Labor is not a big component to this, so if it costs me $1.50 extra and I can put a ‘made in USA’ label on it, then it’s something we will seriously consider.”

Nexutix · 11-12-2012, 09:34 PM

I've tried it at a showcasing event. Battery life is aweful. 2 hrs. Wifi strength isn't that great. But if you are looking for cheap Raspberry Pi alternative, it can work as standalone plugged in device.

It will surely be popular amongst students, but not as consumer tablet.

teh603 · 11-12-2012, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nexutix

I've tried it at a showcasing event. Battery life is aweful. 2 hrs. Wifi strength isn't that great. But if you are looking for cheap Raspberry Pi alternative, it can work as standalone plugged in device.

Two hours used to be pretty good for a standard laptop, and there was mention of a dockable keyboard like the Asus tablets. I wouldn't be surprised if they hid extra batteries in the keyboard.

kevinp · 11-12-2012, 10:09 PM

I tried one of the links to a review and couldn't find the screen resolution anywhere. I'm assuming it wasn't worth mentioning.

Nexutix · 11-12-2012, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevinp

I tried one of the links to a review and couldn't find the screen resolution anywhere. I'm assuming it wasn't worth mentioning.

800 x 480 as mentioned here.

Also, http://www.ubislate.com, the homepage of Aakash doesn't utter a word about resolution.

kevinp · 11-12-2012, 11:12 PM

Just as I thought - it wasn't worth mentioning. This is something maybe I would get for my 7 year-old.

dakini · 11-12-2012, 11:59 PM

makes me want to jump in my tata nano and buy one right now.

teh603 · 11-13-2012, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nexutix

800 x 480 as mentioned here.

Again, not too horrible. Or am I the only one who hasn't conveniently forgotten that 15" monitors used to be 640x480? If the pixels are large enough, it could work.

jbcohen · 11-13-2012, 07:49 AM

I have always looked to the Chinese to offer low cost knock offs of american electronics at a fraction of the cost. I have not found Indian companies as good at the process of reverse engineering any product, copying it then selling the knock off at a fraction of the original's price. The Chinese are masters at this process however the Indians have bit had as much success. Guess I will go look for a Chinese knock off of the major ebook readers.

murraypaul · 11-13-2012, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teh603

Again, not too horrible. Or am I the only one who hasn't conveniently forgotten that 15" monitors used to be 640x480?

More than a decade ago maybe.
Things have moved on a little since then.
SVGA was standard since the late 90s.

sabredog · 11-13-2012, 08:28 AM

Just remember that most of the Indian population earn a fraction of what we earn. So $25 USD is going to be about as much as an iPad to us in comparison.

If this tablet, knock-off or not, allows wider tablet ownership in India to become an actuality, then more power to it.

Nexutix · 11-13-2012, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabredog

If this tablet, knock-off or not, allows wider tablet ownership in India to become an actuality, then more power to it.

Usage statistics will tell how useful it has been. Also, not to be pessimistic but, we are overestimating the effect of technology in our lives. (Related)

kevinp · 11-13-2012, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teh603

Again, not too horrible. Or am I the only one who hasn't conveniently forgotten that 15" monitors used to be 640x480? If the pixels are large enough, it could work.

Sure, I remember everybody getting headaches from looking at the screen all day at work. Hardware companies coming up with all kinds of "glare filters" to make it more tolerable.

SteveEisenberg · 11-13-2012, 07:45 PM

My takeaway from the OP article is that monochrome eReaders are probably doomed because, in 3-5 years, maybe sooner, stable color tablets will be cheaper. Then, I thought that coming in.

What if the price of manufacturing for eInk Pearl goes down just as quickly as for color LCD tablets? I'm afraid that won't matter, just as when black and white film processing became more expensive than color because the high volume low price outfits didn't even offer black and white any more.

Now, most (not all) eInk readers are repairable, so there should be a lot of used eInk units around for decades -- maybe centuries! But I can only use them on a regular basis so long as the infrastructure such as Overdrive, and the calibre Fetch News feature, continues to support it. If the infrastructure is there, I will have no problem with an antique.

It's also always possible that something will come along so that I will actually want a tablet. If it wasn't for the internet, our Apple IIGS, now in the basement, might still be in use.

kevinp · 11-13-2012, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

If it wasn't for the internet, our Apple IIGS, now in the basement, might still be in use.

I miss my Atari 800XL.

11-13-2012, 07:49 AM	#9
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 2,360 Karma: 3046348 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Palanthas Device: Kindle 5 Paperwhite and a Nook Simple Touch	I have always looked to the Chinese to offer low cost knock offs of american electronics at a fraction of the cost. I have not found Indian companies as good at the process of reverse engineering any product, copying it then selling the knock off at a fraction of the original's price. The Chinese are masters at this process however the Indians have bit had as much success. Guess I will go look for a Chinese knock off of the major ebook readers. __________________

11-13-2012, 08:28 AM	#11
sabredog Geographically Restricted Posts: 2,549 Karma: 14516829 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Device: Sony PRS-300/650/T1, iPad2, K3(wife's)	Just remember that most of the Indian population earn a fraction of what we earn. So $25 USD is going to be about as much as an iPad to us in comparison. If this tablet, knock-off or not, allows wider tablet ownership in India to become an actuality, then more power to it. __________________

11-13-2012, 07:45 PM	#14
SteveEisenberg Wizard Posts: 1,167 Karma: 8883320 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Philadelphia USA Device: Kindle Keyboard 3G	My takeaway from the OP article is that monochrome eReaders are probably doomed because, in 3-5 years, maybe sooner, stable color tablets will be cheaper. Then, I thought that coming in. What if the price of manufacturing for eInk Pearl goes down just as quickly as for color LCD tablets? I'm afraid that won't matter, just as when black and white film processing became more expensive than color because the high volume low price outfits didn't even offer black and white any more. Now, most (not all) eInk readers are repairable, so there should be a lot of used eInk units around for decades -- maybe centuries! But I can only use them on a regular basis so long as the infrastructure such as Overdrive, and the calibre Fetch News feature, continues to support it. If the infrastructure is there, I will have no problem with an antique. It's also always possible that something will come along so that I will actually want a tablet. If it wasn't for the internet, our Apple IIGS, now in the basement, might still be in use. __________________ https://sites.google.com/site/kincleaner/

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11-12-2012, 09:34 PM	#2
Nexutix with TBR of 500+ !!! Posts: 578 Karma: 8250074 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Infibeam Pi, iPod Touch 4G	I've tried it at a showcasing event. Battery life is aweful. 2 hrs. Wifi strength isn't that great. But if you are looking for cheap Raspberry Pi alternative, it can work as standalone plugged in device. It will surely be popular amongst students, but not as consumer tablet.

11-12-2012, 10:09 PM	#4
kevinp Evangelist Posts: 416 Karma: 3394968 Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Orlando Device: Nook HD+; Nook Tablet; Kindle 3; Kindle for Android on HTC EVO	I tried one of the links to a review and couldn't find the screen resolution anywhere. I'm assuming it wasn't worth mentioning.

11-12-2012, 11:12 PM	#6
kevinp Evangelist Posts: 416 Karma: 3394968 Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Orlando Device: Nook HD+; Nook Tablet; Kindle 3; Kindle for Android on HTC EVO	Just as I thought - it wasn't worth mentioning. This is something maybe I would get for my 7 year-old.

11-12-2012, 11:59 PM	#7
dakini not "it" Posts: 136 Karma: 1100168 Join Date: Aug 2012 Device: kobo touch	makes me want to jump in my tata nano and buy one right now.


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