India to Distribute 1 Million of the $35 Tablets to Universities
India To Distribute 1 Million Units Of Its $35 Tablet In 2011; Demo - MEDIANAMA

	
	

	
			So it appears that the India’s $35 tablet is for real. Really. In an interview with NDTV 24×7, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal showcased one version of the tablet, running the Android operating system. Sibal said that the Indian government has been told that they need to order 1 million pieces for the price to be $35.  India intends to procure a million of these tablets for distribution to Indian universities in 2011: the Indian government will subsidize 50% of the cost (so the cost to the exchequer will be $17.5 million). Watch the entire video, with a demo of the device, from NDTV, below:


Like OLPC, the Indian government intends this to be a direct deal, since a retail distribution model will lead to an escalation in price. Sibal said that both Google and Microsoft (for Windows CE) are in talks with the Indian government. Remember that OLPC has offered to share its technology with India.
The device also has a USB in, and a video out, and a slot for a SIM card. So can you connect it to your TV, with a key board, and connect to the web? What the demo and the video fails to mention, is the storage space in the device, though it does have a slot for a flash drive.
Also, I wonder if they intend to include biometric features in this, such as a fingerprint authentication, which would be important for Aadhar. It might add to costs, though.
Related: $35 Tablet
– OLPC India Now Targets 1M XOs In 2010; Negroponte Writes About $35 Tablet
– India Government Develops $35 Tablet; What Can It Do? Features, How It Was BuiltAdvertisements
Related: Aadhaar
– Govindraj Ethiraj, Sanjay Swamy, Sanjay Jain Join UIDAI
– #VASAsia: Using Voice For Unique ID / Aadhaar Authentication?
– India’s Unique ID Authority ‘Aadhaar’ Releases Authentication API; Biometric Block?
		

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