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World's cheapest Laptop;
just Rs 1,500
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NEW DELHI: You may not
be able to buy Apple's iPad, but you may easily get a made in India 'Sakshat'
computing device at a throwaway rate. The Union Human Resource Development
Minister Kapil Sibal unveiled a low cost computing-cum-access device yesterday,
touted as the world's cheapest laptop.
The low-cost computer
for students has all the elementary features, including Internet browsing.
The indigenously made computer is expected to be available to the students
by next year.
Bring it down
HRD Minister Kapil Sibal,
unveiling the device, said the ultimate objective would be to bring down
the price to Rs 470 ($10). Several teams comprising experts, students and
professors from IITs and IIS Bangalore were working with the HRD Ministry
to bring out the low-cost computing device. |
"We have come out with the
device at Rs 1,500 ($35) and now we invite individuals, entrepreneurs,
firms and industries to produce the device at cheaper rates than this,"
he said. Sibal said the manufacturer as well as the distribution pattern
has not been finalised as yet but the price tag of Rs 1,500 ($35) has been
computed after taking all aspects into consideration.
The low-cost computer
fulfils a key mandate of the government, to provide high quality E-content
free of cost to all learners in the country under the National Mission
on Education through Information and Communication Technology. The computing
device will support functionalities like video web conferencing facility,
and multimedia content viewing.
Ingenious
The ministry started
its efforts, subsequent to the lukewarm response from corporates, by holding
discussions on the concept with a group of professors of IIT Bangalore.
The B Tech and M Tech students were guided to produce the motherboard for
such low cost device with ample flexibility to change the components.
The minister said that
one motherboard design was generated by a students of VIT Vellore under
his B Tech project which had worked out to Rs 2,209 ($47). The motherboard
was fabricated at IIT Kanpur. Thereafter, through various processes of
customisation as per the needs of the learners, it was possible to reduce
the price of the computing device. |
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