Indian Aakash ~ World's Cheapest Tablet in the United Nations

India, which assumed this month�s rotating Presidency of the Security Council, will showcase its low-cost Aakash tablet at the United Nations, highlighting the country�s innovation involved in the �most competitively priced� tablet computer.

India�s Permanent Representative to the U.N. Hardeep Singh Puri said a presentation on the tablet will be held on November 28 at the world body�s headquarters here to which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will be invited.

Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO of Canada-based Datawind, which had won the Indian government�s tender for making and supplying the tablets, will also be present on the occasion.

The First Indian Tablet

Aakash has been �described as the most competitively priced tablet computer by an Indian-origin entrepreneur,� Mr. Puri said at a news conference on Friday to outline the Council�s monthly agenda under India�s presidency.

The supercheap Aakash tablet computer, manufactured by DataWind. 

He said while the tablet would be called �frugal innovation� in UN terminology, it is a �competitively priced innovation.�

Later talking to PTI, Mr. Puri said the Indian mission to the UN took the initiative to showcase the tablet at the world body and other UN member states as well as media persons will be invited to the event.

Mr. Tuli would make a presentation to the UN audience on Aakash, which was launched in October last year by the Indian government to make available computing devices to students at subsidised rates.

The Indian mission intends to distribute a limited number of Aakash tablets to some member states.

Datawind had won the tender in 2010 to supply one lakh Aakash tablets for a price of around $49 per unit. The project had run into controversy following the Indian Institute of Technology at Rajasthan rejecting the devices manufactured by Datawind.

Features of Aakash

A new version of the tablet PC, featuring one Ghz processor, four-hour battery time, capacitive screen and Android 4.0 operating system, is expected to be launched in India on November 11.

The Indian mission will also organise a cultural event at the UN on November 26 featuring the Shahi qawwals, who will be flying in from Ajmer for a Sufi music concert at UN on occasion of India�s presidency.

Courtesy: Press Trust of India

Regards,

Pankaj Goyal

Mail us for queries at pankajgoyal46@gmail.com

Apple iPad Mini's Biggest Competitors

The iPad Mini has yet to be officially announced, but it's kind of the worst-kept secret in tech right now. There's a very good chance it'll be revealed later this month (although what its final name will be remains to be seen) and even if you've no plans to purchase it, you'll likely want to know what it has to offer anyway.

The Mini is rumored to sport a 7.85-inch screen at a price of at least $299. But when and if it debuts, it will not enter a vacuous 7-inch tablet market. Its opponents will compete on price, ecosystem, performance, and features. Each offers something unique and Apple's new tablet will have to be an amazing piece of kit to answer the challenge.

Without further lollygagging, let's get to the list.

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The most expensive tablet on the list is the only device to include dual cameras, an IR blaster, and microSD storage expansion.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET )

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0
The most expensive tablet on the list also includes the most physical features. Given its IR blaster, dual cameras, and microSD expansion, $249 doesn't look so bad. In performance it's probably the weakest of the five, however. 

The newly upgraded Kindle Fire gets the Fire HD's software features and a price slash to $159.

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET )

Kindle Fire (2012)
The 2012 update to 2011's Kindle Fire sports an identical design, but gets a few internal upgrades: twice the RAM, a faster processor, and an update to the latest version of the Kindle Fire OS. It may not seem like much compared with others on the list, until its $159 price smacks you across the face, waking you from your apathetic stupor. 

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The Nook HD will sport a higher ppi than either the Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD when it debuts in late October or early November.

(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET )

Barnes & Noble Nook HD
It won't be available until later this month, but I got some hands-on time with the new 7-inch Nook HD a few weeks back and was impressed by its redesigned interface, extremely light weight, microSD storage expansion, 1,140x900-pixel-resolution screen, and the inclusion of the fastest processor yet in a 7-inch tablet, the 1.3GHz OMAP 4470. At $199, the Nook HD will clearly make its case. Too small? The 9-inch Nook HD+ debuts at the same time for only $269.

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Amazon Prime members and media-consumption hogs need look no further than the beer-reflecting Kindle Fire HD!

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET )

Kindle Fire HD
If you're an Amazon Prime member with a penchant for watching books, movies, TV shows, and music, the Fire HD should definitely be in your crosshairs. At only $199, the Fire HD sports an amazing-looking screen, a 720p front camera, Bluetooth, and the best speakers you've ever heard on any tablet. If you like what you hear, but still feel 7 inches is too small, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 (in Wi-Fi and 4G LTE versions) launches on November 20.

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The Nexus 7 is currently the ultimate 7-inch power in the universe.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET )

Google Nexus 7
The current king of 7-inch tablets wins its crown by offering Tegra 3-induced performance, NFC communication, and the latest version of the Android OS, Jelly Bean. Not to mention its extremely comfortable design and $199 price. The iPad Mini will need to offer a very good features-to-price ratio if it hopes to become the best 7-inch tablet yet.

VIA