Top 5 Android mobile phones under Rs 10,000

LG Optimus Net P690 - Rs 9,999

Successor to the popular Optimus One, the new Optimus Net P690 has instantly been accepted as a budget friendly smartphone, mostly because the phone is a feature rich package. Optimus Net P690 has a 3.2 inch touchscreen display with 320 x 480 pixel resolution and runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system.

Under the slim chassis, Optimus Net houses an 800 MHz mobile processor along with 512 MB of RAM, which is a good enough combination to run Android 2.3 Gingerbread smoothly. If third party developers get interested in this device then perhaps a custom ROM with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich might be supported on it.

Supporting 3G networks, Optimus Net offers wireless connectivity via WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0 as well. LG has used a 3.15 megapixel camera at its rear for decent quality photos to be uploaded and shared on social networks.

Finally, a mobile phone with a seemingly fast processor, decent camera and capacitive touchscreen should be your best bet if you plan to spend under five figures.

Samsung Galaxy Y S5360 - Rs 7,500

Packing a 3 inch capacitive touchscreen, the new Galaxy Y is quite popular amongst users of all ages and occupations etc. It's one of those mobile phones that come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread pre-loaded and with a flavour of TouchWiz user interface layered on it. Galaxy Y GT-S5360 mobile phone houses an 832 MHz processor to run the mobile operating system smoothly with 290 MB of RAM.

The compact candy-bar form factor makes it quite enjoyable and easy to hold. The Galaxy Y also comes in a special package - Galaxy Y Color Plus, which packs four additional inter-changeable backpanel covers, just like the Samsung Corby series phones. The Galaxy Y is kind of disappointing with a mere 2 megapixel camera at the back without any secondary camera in front.

Galaxy Y also features WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0 support. Of course, it comes with FM radio that works with an RDS and location services chip with A-GPS. Not counting the camera, this handset offers the best budget friendly Gingerbread experience.

Sony Ericsson W8 - Rs 9,300

Sony Ericsson's Walkman series mobile phones come with the special Walkman software and audio profiles loaded in them. The new Sony Ericsson W8 features a nice 3 inch capacitive touchscreen display and Walkman branding targeted at music lovers. By default the mobile phone bundles a 4 GB microSD card for music files.

Unfortunately, Sony Ericsson's Android phone buyers have to wait for weeks to get the latest update and enjoy a smooth OS experience. W8 comes with the age old Android 2.1 Éclair operating system that is powered with a 600 MHz mobile processor and a mere 168 MB of RAM. However, this mobile does not have enough hardware muscle to run even Android 2.3 Gingerbread smoothly, let along the upcoming Android Ice Cream Sandwich

Sony Ericsson has added custom Walkman styling with the TimeScape interface, bringing a W shortcut to the top right corner of the homescreen. This smartphone supports 3G networks and also offers WiFi support for wireless internet connectivity. It is a good phone which does appear slightly over priced. If you wish for a good music experience with your favourite pair of earphones and a fancy looking mobile, W8 should be the apt choice.

Motorola Fire XT311 - Rs 8,950

Android is indeed cumbersome to use with a Qwerty smartphone in candybar form, but if there's a capacitive touchscreen involved, the task is a wee bit easier. Motorola Fire XT311 is a Qwerty candybar phone with 2.8 inch capacitive touchscreen display supporting 240 x 320 pixel resolution.

Fire is one of the good entry level Motorola devices with Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread operating system for those who wish for the fastest and best features. Under the hood, Fire XT311 houses a 600 MHz mobile processor that might appear a bit slow, but is decent enough to run the operating system with a 256 MB RAM and 512 MB ROM.

The Fire XT311 is one heck of a good looking Android smartphone. It is very different from the dual-SIM EX119 that has a minimalist design. This mobile phone promises talk time of 7 hours on 2G networks and 5 hours on 3G. Considering the healthy talk time and physical Qwerty keypad, Fire XT311 is indeed worth a try

 

Micromax Superfone Lite A75 - Rs 8,900

Micromax launched the iPhone 4-mocking Superfone with a bang and quietly slipped in the Superfone Lite, which is a stepped down version of the former model. Superfone Lite A75 comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Micromax offers a 3.75 inch capacitive touchscreen display to enjoy Gingerbread goodness to the maximum without spending more.

Under the hood, it packs a 650 MHz mobile processor and offers dual GSM SIM support with dual-standby mode. 3G and WiFi enabled, this mobile phone is expected to eat up loads of battery life and that's why the company has packed a 1300 mAh battery, which is pretty decent for a budget phone. Then again, Superfone Lite comes with just 256 MB of RAM and there would be performance as well as battery issues on dual-SIM mode.

All the above mobile phones are available in Indian markets at different rates in different regions because of the variable taxes, octroi and other charges.
source-in.news.yahoo.com

 

 

 

Samsung’s Note - a Hybrid of Tablet-Smartphone

Benefit:

• Large & immersive screen with smartphone
  portability
• Full screen utilization for fast and effective tasking
• Free capturing and creation
• Powerful performance
• 5.3" large screen + Light & thin design
  The 5.3" display is the largest screen size with smartphone portability which allows you to see more and do more, while on the go.

• The 1st HD Super AMOLED display
  The world's first 5.3" HD Super AMOLED display, provides you with an expansive high-resolution screen for an immersive viewing experience.

• Minimum screen scrolling & transition
  By fully taking advantage of the 5.3" screen, you will be able view more in one glance with minimum scrolling and screen transitions
• Smart & Intuitive scheduler
  The S Planner, provides you the tools to manage complicated schedules in an easy and intuitive way.
• The best multi-input experience on the go
  The GALAXY Note provides you with the ability to freely capture and create ideas anywhere and everywhere. The S Pen is combined with the full touch screen to create a best-in-class mobile input experience. It is the most advanced pen input technology featuring an array of functions including pressure sensitivity, preciseness, speed and more. With the S Pen, you can easily sketch drawings or write notes with increased accuracy and ease. Also, the S Pen functionality is deeply integrated into the GALAXY Note's native applications to provide a richer interactive experience.
• S Pen optimized advanced memo
  The S Memo lets you record all forms of ideas instantly and freely. A quick memo can be taken from any screen to capture your ideas before they float away. Those ideas along with pictures, voice recordings, typed text, handwritten notes or drawings can be captured into S Memo, to be edited, annotated and shared as desired.
• Instantly Capture and Annotate Any Screen
  Any screen can be instantly captured and annotated in detail. In addition, captured screens can be freely cropped in any shape or form using the precision S pen.
• Expressive personalization of photos and videos
  You can easily personalize photos and videos using the advanced S Pen. You can scribble in personalized notes and drawings on your memories
  of precious moments such as family outings, a baby's first walk and
  many more.
• Rich communication of ideas and emotions
  Communication is no longer limited to just text. You can draw and send your ideas, emotions and more via text messages, emails and Samsung's ChatON communication service.
• Advanced 8MP camera
  With the powerful camera feature, you capture the world's every moment in deep detail. Also, using the vivid and large display, you can easily review photos and show them to your friends.
• A 2500mAh battery
  The strong battery prolongs your GALAXY Note experience, letting you enjoy all the features that it has to provide
• HSPA+ 21Mbps or 4G LTE - 1.4GHz dual core processor
  Experience the unrivaled web & application powered by lightning fast network speed (HSPA+ up to 21Mbps or 4G LTE) and 1.4GHz dual core processor
• Comprehensive security capabilities
  - MDM (Sybase Afaria)     - H/W encryption (Samsung ODE)
  Business users can access to enterprise assets securely. Samsung Security solutions cover all data such as contact names and numbers as well as e-mail, email attachments. Also, it provides security capabilities to ensure that mobile workers enjoy an up-to-date and reliable experience on the device.
• Flexible and reliable messaging
  - Messaging (Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync)
  Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync offers optimized secure access to enterprise resources. It allows for real-time communication with employee phones to remotely configure settings, monitor compliance with policies, guarantee synchronized data safety and wipe or lock managed With Galaxy Note.
• Professional mobile meeting
  - UCC (Cisco WebEx)
  Business users can stay connected for important meetings on the go. Cisco WebEx brings web conferencing, instant messaging, telephony, and fixed mobile communication capabilities to a mobile workforce. Users can view shared desktops, browsers, applications and documents.
• Uncompromised secure access
  - VPN(Cisco AnyConnect, Juniper Junos Pulse, F5 Networks
    BIG-IP Edge Gateway)
  The GALAXY Note enables mobile access from anywhere. VPN solution provides reliable and easy-to-deploy encrypted network connectivity. Business users can open and review documents, update reports, approve expenses and join webinars using virtualization solutions.
• Multi-input business experience
  - S Pen
  The GALAXY Note provides business users with the ability to freely capture and create ideas anywhere. With the S Pen, users can easily sketch drawings or write task notes. Also, the S Pen functionality is deeply integrated into the GALAXY Note's native applications to provide a richer business experience
• Efficient real time record to planner & memo
  - S Planner, S memo
  With Galaxy Note, business users can manage complicated schedules in an easy way using S Planner. Also, S memo lets users record all forms of ideas instantly. Various Data can be captured into S Memo and users can edit or share the memo

source-samsung.com

HTC smartphone with a ST Ericsson Nova A9500 application processor chip

The chip runs augmented reality applications such as the demonstration showing the contents in the box which can be seen in the background. source-in.news.yahoo.com

New Gadgets 2012

Wi-Spi video surveillance helicopter sends live video signals and can be controlled by a smartphone. Cost -$119.99. source-in.news.yahoo.com

New Gadgets 2012 - Gametel wireless controller

A Gametel wireless controller by Fructel is used to play a video game on a smartphone.The device can turn most Android or iOS smartphones or tablets into portable gaming consoles. source-in.news.yahoo.com

 

Electronics Innovations

Televisions

Samsung Super Oled

Samsung showcased its new upcoming flagship TV - a 55-inch, super OLED 3D TV. It has a super-thin 4mm bezel and is amazingly just 7.6mm thick. While OLED provides for superb colors and sharpness, it is also a Smart TV & now comes with a 1.5Ghz dual core processor inside - providing better performance for apps.

Panasonic 4K Panels

Panasonic showcased a range of 3D LCD & plasma TVs with Wi-Fi & 4K (ultra HD, 4096 x 2160 pixels) TVs but the highlight was the 4K, 20.4-inch LCD IPS-Pro panel monitor that packs a huge 8 million pixels into a 3.5mm thin frame.

LG Oled TVs

Not only did LG show off their own 55-inch OLED TV (above), they also gave CES visitors a sneak peek at their upcoming Google TV, 4k ultra high definition TV, the first Wi-Di certified TV and glasses free 3D TV in sizes from 55-inch and above. Their Magic Motion remote control has been upgraded to support gestures.

Sony Crystal LED TV

While the competition is looking towards OLED as the future, Sony has discontinued it. Instead they announced 'Crystal LED' display technology. Sony claims that the new tech offers three times the contrast, 10 times faster performance and overall better color accuracy as compared to regular LED TVs.

Cameras

Canon GX1

Canon's newest pro-class compact (part of the popular G-series) is the G1 X. The camera features a large 14MP CMOS sensor, Digic 5 processor and the HS (high sensitivity) system. It may offer only a 4X optical zoom but it makes up with full manual control, RAW shooting & a stainless steel chassis.

Fujifilm X-PRO1

Fuji's mirrorless X-Pro1 offers delectable retro style and uses a magnesium alloy chassis. The shutter speed and exposure control dial are milled from solid metal and it has a 16MP DSLRsize CMOS sensor. Fuji also launched 18mm, 35mm and 60mm lenses for the camera.

Samsung WiFi Range

Samsung's new camera range features built in Wi-Fi for remote upload of photos/videos and remote control. Many different options with different zoom lenses and resolution are available. The DualView DV300F (pictured) has a 16MP sensor, 5x optical zoom & 1.5-inch front LCD - good for self-portraits.

 

Smartphones

Nokia Lumia 900

Nokia has taken the wraps off its 4G-ready Windows Phone device with a 4.3-inch amoled touch screen. Most features (hardware, single piece polycarbonate construction, storage, OS, rear camera and even the button placement) are the same as the Lumia 800. The 900 however, adds a front camera and gets a bigger 1,800mAh battery.

Huawei Ascend P1 S

The P1 is the new slimmest phone in the world at just 6.7mm thick. It runs Google's Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) on a 1.5Ghz dual core processor with 1GB RAM, 4GB storage and 8MP rear camera. It also has a 4.3-inch super amoled display and a large 1670 mAh battery.

Sony Xperia S & ION

The new Ion & Xperia S (not pictured) have a heady mix of style and substance. Both have 1.5Ghz dual core processors with 1GB RAM and 16/32Gb. Both have Android 2.3 & a 12MP camera that does 1080p video. The Xperia S features a 4.3-inch display while Ion has a 4.6-inch display.

Laptops/Ultrabooks

Acer Aspire S5

Acer's second ultrabook, the Aspire S5 is even slimmer at just 15mm and comes with a cool brushed metal finish and magnesium-alloy shell. While the specifications meet Intel's 'Ultrabook' requirements, Acer has included its own 'Instant On' technology for faster boot and resume from sleep (just 1.5 seconds).

Lenovo Ideapad Yoga

Lenovo's business-class Ultrabook (the Think-Pad T430u, with dedicated graphics and 1TB storage) is impressive, but they've also pushed the bar higher with the Yoga. It's a Windows 8 Ultrabook/tablet hybrid with a 13.3-inch touchscreen. It bends a complete 360 degrees to form a tablet and includes GPS, a gyroscope and accelerometer.

HP Envy 14 Spectre

HP's Envy Spectre Ultrabook has a 14-inch display (1600 x 900 pixels) in the chassis of a 13.3-inch laptop. It stands out from the crowd by offering glass panels, built in NFC and a wireless audio feature (streaming music to up to four nearby devices).

Samsung Series 5

Samsung showcased the new Series 5(13 and 14-inch) and Series 9 (13 and 15-inch) Ultrabooks, with the Series 9 claiming to be the slimmest in the world at just 12.7mm. They have 1600 x 900 pixel displays and both series can be configured with either speedy SSDs or regular (lower cost) HDDs for storage. source-economictimes.indiatimes.com

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 + in India now

Korean giant Samsung has quietly refreshed its tablet line-up in India with the launch of a 7-inch Android Honeycomb tablet, Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus aka GT-P6200.

Measuring 193.65 x 122.37 x 9.96mm, Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus weighs 345 grams. Powered by 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, the tablet features a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen (1024x600 pixels resolution), 3 megapixel camera with 720p video recording, 2 megapixel front facing camera, 1GB RAM and 16GB built-in storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD card.

For connectivity, the tablet supports Wi-Fi, EDGE, accelerometer, gyroscopic sensor, GPS and 3G. The Galaxy Tab 7.0 also features Samsung's TouchWiz UI (user interface) and comes with Samsung apps like Social Hub, Music Hub and Readers Hub. The tablet's battery promises up to 20 hours of talktime and 41 hours of standby time.

Mumbai-based retailer Mahesh Telecom and online shopping site flipkart.com are selling the tablet for Rs 26,499.

Last year in November, Samsung launched Galaxy Note in India, a hybrid between a smartphone and a tablet. With Galaxy Note, Samsung aims to target users who want both a smartphone and a tablet but do not want to invest in both.

Samsung Galaxy Note runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, sports a 5.3-inch Super AMOLED screen and comes with a capacitive stylus called S Pen. It is powered by a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor. There's an 8 megapixel rear and 2 megapixel front camera. The smartphone comprises 16GB internal memory, expandable upto 32 GB with a microSD card slot.  source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 + in India now

Korean giant Samsung has quietly refreshed its tablet line-up in India with the launch of a 7-inch Android Honeycomb tablet, Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus aka GT-P6200.

Measuring 193.65 x 122.37 x 9.96mm, Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus weighs 345 grams. Powered by 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, the tablet features a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen (1024x600 pixels resolution), 3 megapixel camera with 720p video recording, 2 megapixel front facing camera, 1GB RAM and 16GB built-in storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD card.

For connectivity, the tablet supports Wi-Fi, EDGE, accelerometer, gyroscopic sensor, GPS and 3G. The Galaxy Tab 7.0 also features Samsung's TouchWiz UI (user interface) and comes with Samsung apps like Social Hub, Music Hub and Readers Hub. The tablet's battery promises up to 20 hours of talktime and 41 hours of standby time.

Mumbai-based retailer Mahesh Telecom and online shopping site flipkart.com are selling the tablet for Rs 26,499.

Last year in November, Samsung launched Galaxy Note in India, a hybrid between a smartphone and a tablet. With Galaxy Note, Samsung aims to target users who want both a smartphone and a tablet but do not want to invest in both.

Samsung Galaxy Note runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, sports a 5.3-inch Super AMOLED screen and comes with a capacitive stylus called S Pen. It is powered by a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor. There's an 8 megapixel rear and 2 megapixel front camera. The smartphone comprises 16GB internal memory, expandable upto 32 GB with a microSD card slot.  source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Hercules eCAFÉ Slim HD Netbook

The Hercules eCAFÉ Slim HD Netbook is built around the ARM Cortex-A8 based 800 MHz Freescale i.MX515 processor and offers over 13 hours of battery life in normal use. The eCAFÉ Slim HD weighs just 2.4 lbs, is only 1.1 inches thick and the screen folds into the body to provide greater protection for the device. It features a 10.1 inch screen and up to 72GB flash storage together with Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB connectivity.  

Features:

• 10.1 inch LED screen
• 720p HD video playback
• Application download center
• Storage: 8Gb Flash (iNAND), extensible up to 72Gb + additional 50GB available online
• ARM Cortex-A8 Freescale i.MX515 @ 800 MHz processor
• Comfortable "chiclet" keyboard with flat, separate keys - 88% of a standard keyboard
• Connections: 3x USB, 1x Headset, 1x Microphone, 1x LAN RJ45, 1x DC-in 12V, 1x External card reader: SD/MMC/SDHC, 1x Internal card reader: SD/SDHC
• DIP Switch  

ARM Processor Family: Cortex-A
ARM Processor: Cortex-A8
Silicon Supplier: Freescale i.MX515
Operating System: Hercules eCafe Netbook OS (Linux)
Source: ARM.com

Olivetti OliPad 100

Olivetti has taken the wraps off of Italy's first tablet, the ARM Powered OliPad, designed for both consumer and business use. The tablet offers access to a broad range of applications, some which are already installed and others that can be downloaded from the Olivetti Application Warehouse.  

Features:

• 10-inch touchscreen display
• 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• 1 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core Cortex-A9
• Android OS
• USB/SD card
• HDMI ports
• Optional docking station
• 1.3 megapixel webcam  

ARM Processor Family: Cortex-A
ARM Processor: Cortex-A9
Silicon Supplier: NVIDIA Tegra 2
Operating System: Android 2.2 (Froyo)
Source: ARM.com

Blackberry Playbook a review

Blackberry Playbook features dual-core processing, seamless multi-tasking with QNX technology, uncompromised web browsing, crisp HD multimedia and wireless connectivity to your BlackBerry smartphone.  

Features:

• 7" LCD display, 1024 x 600 screen resolution
• Multi-touch capacitive screen
• Full Adobe® Flash® 10.1 enabled
• Built-in support for HTML 5
• 3G/4G, WiFi, Bluetooth
• 3 MP high-definition forward-facing camera
• 5 MP high-definition rear-facing camera
• Codec support for superior media playback, creation and video calling
• 1080p HD video
• Micro USB and Micro HDMI ports  
• 1 GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4 processor

ARM Processor Family: Cortex-A
ARM Processor: Cortex-A9 
Silicon Supplier: Texas Instruments OMAP 4430
Operating System: QNX Software Systems

source-ARM.com

G'Five mobile handset became cheaper by 10-30%

Mobile handset maker G'Five today said it has slashed product prices between 10-30 per cent across the board against the current trend of hiking rates by competitors due to depreciating rupee.

"G'Five is one of the biggest manufacture of mobile handsets in China. Unlike other companies, we don't need to buy from a third party. Though depreciating value of rupee has certainly impacted our margin but by slashing prices we are looking at large volume business," Managing Director of Kingtech Electronics, a G'Five group company, Arshit Pathak told the news agency.

He said that company has reduced prices on each model and the lowest price model is below Rs 1,000 and high end model from company is in range of Rs 4,500.

"Our low end phone have camera, 1.8 inch screen, music player and other feature phones. There prices have gone down below Rs 1,000. Our high end phone is a projector phone which was earlier prices over Rs 6,000 and now we are selling it for Rs 4,500," Pathak said.

He said that first was option was to pass on the burden on to consumers but brands that have done so are not in good shape.

Explaining rationale behind the reduction in price, Pathak said that the company has adopted view that it should decrease prices when other companies are increasing their handset prices to increase the price gap with them.

Also, the company does not see new consumers adding to mobile subscriber base in the country

"The new subscriber addition has fallen drastically. This means all addressable market is connected but we all know first time buyers are not coming for certain reason. Low end market is impacted by lot of economic condition. We want to make phone affordable for them to connect," Pathak said.

He added that sales of handset reflects addition of new subscribers and in India where teledensity is still low acquisition of new customer can only drive business growth. source-economictimes.indiatimes.com

After Aakash Tablet, Now Classpad a better Cheap Tablet

An IIT-Delhi and IIM-Calcutta graduate, he has worked on creating a personalised education tablet,

The tablet facilitates personalised and interactive learning in the classroom. The software enables testing students problem-solving, creativity and application of language skills. It is for students from class II onwards.

With a touch screen, seven-hour battery life, 1.3 Ghz processing speed, a built-in memory of 4 GB expandable up to 8 GB, the classpad is available in two models trolley model for multiple-student usage in the classroom and one tablet per child (OTPC) model, which students can carry home.

Launching the tablet on December 29, 2011, Pande said, When we started out we wanted to focus on webbased education, which eventually failed. After working on various interactive learning programmes in the last two years, we finally came out with our innovation classpad.

With the launch, 22 schools across the country have tiedup for the installation of the device, including Fr Agnel School, Delhi, SSB Bangalore, and Centre Point School, Nagpur.

The tablet is available in three sizes seven, eight and 10 inches and costs between Rs 7,500 and 14,000. However, the tablet is not available for retail sale yet, it is available only for schools.

Setting up his own venture as CEO of Classteacher Learning Systems in 2000, Pande along with Sameer Buti, his former classmate at IIT, decided on taking education to a different level through designing programmes for personalised education.

Since our education system does not differentiate students according to their learning capabilities, the tablet will enable teachers to categorise students as fast learners, average learners and slow learners, concludes Pande. source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Aakash tablets

NEW DELHI: The new year may be a year of low-cost computing in India. Sales bookings for the world's cheapest tablet, Aakash, have soared to 14 lakh units just two weeks after it was put up for sale online for Rs 2,500 a piece.

To cater to the 'unexpected' demand, UK-based vendor Datawind, the maker of the $35 tablet, has decided to establish three new factories - in Cochin, Noida and Hyderabad - in the first half of 2012 to assemble the tablet. Datawind currently has only one factory in Hyderabad, with its vendor Quad, which makes the LCD panel for the tablet.

"We never expected such a high response from both corporate and individual buyers. We plan to supply 70,000-75,000 units per day once the factories are in place by April," Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO, Datawind told ET from Panama, where he was invited to advise its government on its low-cost computing project.

"Around two weeks ago, we received a call from India's computer emergency response team that our website was probably suffering from a large cyber attack. We had to inform them we had just opened sale through our website," Tuli said. Datawind, which put out a limited 30,000 tablets for sale online with e-commerce provider Ncarry.com, has already exhausted the first lot.

A spokesman for Ncarry.com, said that the website is catering to orders across India, with delivery in 5-7 working days. Ncarry is a subsidiary of Netherlands-based Nimbuzz, which makes instant messaging applications. The Nimbuzz IM comes pre-installed on Aakash.

Pre-sales bookings for the Aakash tablet (about 400,000 in October) had surpassed the Indian tablet market which grossed about 250,000-300,000 tablets till last year.

Even with a resistive touch and slow processor, Aakash has received about 1 lakh orders a day since online launch last month. In comparison, Apple sold about 10 lakh iPads in 28 days and 30 lakh in 80 days of its launch in April 2010. Currently, the cheapest model of iPad at Rs 29,500, is about 12 times costlier than Aakash.

Aakash's maker Datawind is, however, strangulated with supply constraints, compared to Apple which managed smooth deliveries of the iPad. "We are not accepting cash for bookings currently, as we want to sort out supply issues," Tuli added.

Datawind plans to put on sale online the next version of Aakash - Ubislate 7, priced at Rs 2999, by mid-January. The newer version will come with a slot for insertion of a SIM card, for access of internet by GPRS or 2G connection. The current version of the tablet can access internet via Wi-Fi access.

Besides, the newer version will be twice as fast with a 700 Mhz processor compared to a 366 Mhz processor in the current tablet. In another development, the government has extended the letter of credit to Datawind to supply the next lot of 90,000 tablets, even though IIT Rajasthan is yet to provide the test specifications for the next version, which it wants to procure for supply to students. The delay from the government's end is likely to land Aakash in the hands of commercial buyers before students for whom the low-cost tablet was meant for in the first place.  source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com