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Tablet PCs get affordable in India

Last updated on: August 26, 2010 14:49 IST

It's raining tablets. Not only globally but also in India.

Interestingly, these tablets come at price points that most Indians will find affordable. What's more costs are likely to fall further if the fire catches on and more and more Indians start demanding better and cheaper tablets.

Here's a look at four tablets in India that are priced under Rs 25,000.

Wink XTS

Bangalore-based EC Media International has finally announced the release of its e-reader tablet starting at Rs 11,490 for the WiFi only device (Wink XTS).

The e-reader will get a running start with more than 200,000 titles from inked content deals with publishing houses such as Harper Collins, Oxford University Press, Penguin, Permanent Black, and Roli. The Wink 3G will cost Rs 14,990.

The e-reader supports up to 15 modern Indian languages, and has a 6-inch 16-level grayscale e-ink display at 800x600 resolution, 400MHz ARM9 processor, 2GB onboard memory (expandable up to 16GB), WiFi, microSIM card slot, GPRS, 3.5mm audio jack, USB 2.0, audio/video playback support, and a 10-hour battery life (10,000 pages and 10 hours music).

Upcoming models include a 5-inch device named the Wink XTR, and a 9-inch touchscreen device called Wink 3G+.

Shipping starts September 1, 2010.

Click Next to read about Allgo Stamp that can cost you as low as US $40

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Allgo Stamp

Last updated on: August 26, 2010 14:49 IST

Out to make technology affordable, India's got another low-cost Android tablet up its sleeve, made by Allgo, who've been showing off their technology for a while.

The Allgo Stamp tablet is supposedly full-featured device, sporting a 7-inch display with an 800x480 resolution, and a resistive touchscreen that's built for stylus action, perfect for the classroom.

It apparently costs US $50 to manufacture, and can also be priced at the level with a minimum of 10,000 units ordered, which if you think about it, is more resourcefully made than the US $35 government-subsidised one million units minimum tablet.

Accordingly, expect the specs to be less impressive than the amply-proportioned US $35 tablet. At one million units ordered though, the Stamp can cost as low as $40.

Click NEXT to read about the US $ 35 Androi tablet from the Indian government

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India's $35 tablet PC

Last updated on: August 26, 2010 14:49 IST

Showcased recently by India's human resource development minsiter Kapil Sibal this US $35 tablet revealed specifications that certainly are juicy: 2GB RAM, 3G and WiFi connectivity, SIM card slot, microSD expandable storage, video out, microUSB, webcam, and as is evident, the Android 2.1 OS.

The minister said it is only expected to release by mid-2011, looking to put one million units in the hands of students and educational institutions by government order, subsidised to around US $35 each.

While the total cost of production is still not known, the value of all the parts is estimated to be around US $50. So while the US $35 dream may never come to pass, at least on the retail side, the effort and even a US $100 price tag are very commendable.

To make it energy efficient, the whole unit is powered by a two-watt power supply, suitable for even the rural areas of India. It is expected to be available in three screen size variants: 5-inch, 7-inch, and 9-inch.

Tech enthusiasts are already calling it a "fairly impressive package" that runs the Android OS smoothly, while noting that the touchscreen is not very responsive.

Click NEXT to read about OlivePad, a 3G Android tablet that costs Rs 25,000

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OlivePad

Last updated on: August 26, 2010 14:49 IST

Olive Telecom has unveiled the OlivePad, an Android 2.1 3G tablet that's also a quad-band 2G phone.

The 7-inch smartphone/tablet is priced at Rs 25,000 and was released in the third week of August in India. The company also announced the capacitive multi-touch tablet will be upgradeable to Android 2.2, FroYo, around October.

Calling the OlivePad VT-100 a 'window to the world in your [largish] pocket', Olive Telecommunication has shown a will to compete with Apple in the handheld space. The company made several references to the iPad and the fruity computer giant as their chief competitors.

ThinkDigit had a chance to play around with the 7-inch OlivePad, and got the impression that this is no empty boast, rather that the surprisingly sturdy and well-built OlivePad might be a serious Android contender in the tablet space, even supporting video calling over its 7.2Mbps HSUPA 3G connectivity, and access to more than 'one million free apps' in the Android Market (no paid apps until an Indian payment solution is agreed upon, much to everyone's happiness).

Powered by an ARM11 600MHz processor, the OlivePad is based on the new Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset, and features 512MB RAM, 512MB inbuilt flash memory, and microSD expandability up to 32GB, aside from a CMOS 3MP camera and webcam.

It also has full Flash support, as well as WiFi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR), and microUSB connectivity.

Supporting 720p video playback, the OlivePad has a 3.5-mm jack and offers good media features, playing the following formats: 3GP, MP4 AVI, and MP3.

Weighing in a substantial 410 grams, the 7-inch tablet has dimensions of 110x11.5x179.4mm, and a 3240mAh Li-polymer battery that gives 16 hours of standby time, and 7 hours of talk time.

With inbuilt GPS, the OlivePad offers Google Maps and MapMyIndia navigation, and also has a gravity and ambient light sensor, apart from a compass and full-fledged internet browser with full Flash support.

OlivePad's multi-touch screen seemed very responsive and snappy, and access to the numerous free apps on the Android Market is a major plus point.

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