India, it seems, is intent on stealing China’s crown as the world leader in producing cheap tech products. With the launch of theTata Nanoat Rs. 1,40,000 ($3,000) in March 2009, it became theproducer of the world’s cheapest car.
The country then attempted to snatch the title of the world’s cheapest notebook fromOLPC’s $100 offeringwhen itannounced plans to release its ownfor just Rs. 500 ($11), but that product never saw the light of day. This was followed up bythe announcement of a $35 tablet, which is set to be released later this year.
With the enormous consumer and media attention being paid to the tablet wars, both internationally and within India, it was only a matter of time before Indian tech companies joined the fray. The past few weeks have seen the launch of three tablets from Indian makers, all running Android and trying to snatch the iPad’s crown by being priced at a fraction of what Apple’s iPad 2 costs.
Reliance Communications wasthe first one out the gatewith its3G Tab, a 7-inch touchscreen device running the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS and priced at just Rs. 12,999 ($285). It ships with 512MB of onboard RAM, a back-facing 2-megapixel camera, and a 4GB Micro SD card. And, as the name suggests, the tablet includes a SIM card slot and is 3G-capable. It is currently available in Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai at Reliance Mobile and Reliance World stores and will soon be trickling to other parts of the country.
Not to be outdone by its competitor in the telecom space, Bharti Enterprisescame out with its own tabletunder its hardware division Beetel, undercutting the Reliance tablet on price by offering theBeetel Magiqat Rs. 9,999 ($220). The tablet runs Android 2.2 Froyo, has a processor speed of 1GHz, a 7-inch WVGA screen, a 2-megapixel camera on each side, and 3G capabilities. It is available in Airtel stores throughout the country.
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Finally, if you thought $220 was as low as it could get for an Anrdoid-based tablet with a 7-inch screen, Bangalore-based Lakshmi Access Communications Systems (LACS) isdelighted to prove you wrong. The company unveiled a series of tablets on Friday, starting with a 7-incher priced at $99, all running Android and coming in a variety of screen sizes. With names likePepper, Paprika, Tamarind, and Mirchi, you wouldn’t be caught dead telling someone which tablet you own, but the company hopes the low prices will be enough to sway the purchase decision in its favor.
Whether it be $35 or $285, what these tablets have in common is that they cost only a fraction of what theApple iPad 2($650) and theSamsung Galaxy Tab($570) cost in the country. With all these tablet makers presenting their products as full-fledged replacements for the traditional notebook, however, one has to wonder how successful they’ll be. We’ll just have to wait to find out.
Story byAayush Arya
Aayush is the India Editor & Apps Co-Editor at The Next Web. When not writing, he enjoys spending his time bungling about on Twitter or(show all)Aayush is the India Editor & Apps Co-Editor at The Next Web. When not writing, he enjoys spending his time bungling about onTwitterorGoogle+, and answeringemail.
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