$50 Tablet Prototype Promises Low-Cost Computing in India

In July, the Indian government showed off what it claimed would be a $35 tablet for students in the country. Now, a company is showing a $50 prototype device using Android operating system that could take the low cost tablet dream one step closer to reality.

AllGo Embedded Systems, a Bangalore-based company, has created a tablet that runs on Android 1.6 ‘Donut’ version of the operating system.

As the video above shows, the tablet is built on a reference platform called ‘Stamp’ and has a 7-inch, 800 x 480 pixels resistive touchscreen display–so no iPad like smooth display. The device includes Wi-Fi, USB and ethernet port. Of course all this is in a pretty early stage, so there’s no hardware case or buttons to get a sense of how the device will actually look in consumer hands.

The device is estimated to cost $50 at a volume of about 10,000 units, says the Liliputing site.

Allgo is not the only company hoping to satisfy the desire for low cost computing in India. The One Laptop Per Child project and its founder Nicholas Negroponte have also offered to collaborate with the Indian government to create a tablet for the masses. OLPC has already partnered with Marvell in the U.S. to explore a $75 tablet based on a reference design provided by Marvell.

Indian officials have earlier said they want to offer a Linux-based tablet that will support video conferencing and have open source software on it including Open Office. The device will also have a solar-power option, they said. The Indian government hopes to bring that tablet into production in 2011.

Now clearly, the OS choice seems to have shifted to favor Android. Earlier this month, a prototype Android tablet made an appearance on Indian TV as the low cost tablet. It is not clear who built that system.

Promising as Allgo’s tablet prototype seems for now, it is still in very early stages. Much will depend on the final industrial design–if it is too heavy, students might find it uncomfortable to use. But it is an ambitious attempt and it will be one to watch.

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