Review of World’s Cheapest Tablet: Aakash

Aakash, the world’s cheapest Tablet PC, has been launched finally. It will be available for purchase in markets till November 20, 2011 at a price of Rs. 2,999 ($66.88). It is expected that the price may come down when its bulk production starts. Initially, a hundred thousand pieces are planned to be distributed among the students in 416 Universities and 20,000 colleges at a subsidized rate of Rs. 1,300 ($28.99). Even 500 Aakash Tablets were distributed by Govt. of India to the students who attended the launch event at October 5.

In this post, we are looking into Aakash Tablet features, specifications, pros and cons, and more different aspects regarding this tablet.

Aakash Tablet: Review, Pros, Cons

Although Aakash is the cheapest of all Tablet PCs available till date, however it can’t satisfy technocrats and advance users, in fact, it is not built for them. Multitasking, good design, GPS, Camera and a number of inbuilt features are missing in this cheapest Tablet device. So, the people who are using / have used the top Tablets like iPad, Samsung, Blackberry Playbook already, have nothing to discover with it. On the other hand, the first experience users who are looking to enjoy Tablet PC in a low price should go for it.

Configuration, Features and Specifications

Feature Summary

Have a quick look at the main features of Aakash Tablet PC:

1. Works as a phone when SIM card and headphone are inserted
2. GPRS and Wi-Fi enabled
3. Can also work as 3G Tab by enabling dongle
4. Supports USB Connectivity
5. Supports Document Rendering with several supported formats
6. PDF viewer, Text editor
7. Supports Multimedia (Audio/Video/Image Display)
8. Web Standards Compliance
9. Provide separate application to view YouTube videos
10. Safety and other standards compliance
11. CE / RoHS certification

Pros:

• Easily affordable due to low cost
• Provides GSM as well as Wi-Fi connectivity

Cons:

• Tablet is not Multitasking powered due to a weak Processor.
• Android upgrades will not be available for such a low configuration Tablet.

World’s Cheapest Tablet Aakash Price and Availability

Price:

• Subsidized Rate for Students: Rs. 1,300 (US$ 28.99)
• Total Govt. Cost: Rs. 2,250 (US$ 50.18)
• Maximum Retail Price: Rs 2,999 (US$ 66.88)

Availability:

The Tablet will be available in markets till November 20, 2011. As Govt. of India is offering the Tablet to the students of different university and institutions at a subsidiary price all over the country, you can avail this opportunity if you are a student. You should contact the concerned department of your college / institute about the programme and get an Aakash Tablet before its availability for masses in the market.

Also see our Tablet PC buying guide and Aakash Tablet Video Review.

Update: After receiving many complaints about defects and problems in Aakash, the Central Govt. of India has announced the next version of Aakash to be launched till April this year. The demand of this cheapest Tablet is very high, and people haven’t received their booked quotes due to the limited stock. The manufacturer Datawind has supplied only 30,000 Tablets till now in place of the actual quotation of 100,000.

BSNL Tablets emerged as another cheapest alternatives to Aakash, but as of now, I recommend you to go for Lava E-tab Xtron which serves the best value for money.