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Aakash 2
DeveloperDataWind
ManufacturerVMC Systems, Hyderabad[1]
TypeTablet computer
GenerationSecond
Operating systemAndroid 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich[2]
CPUAllwinner A13[3] (ARM Cortex A8 @ 1 GHz processor [4])
Memory512 MB RAM[5]
StorageFlash memory
Internal: 4 GB flash
External: 2 to 32 GB microSD slot[5]
Display800 × 480 px
7 in (18 cm) diagonal[5]
SoundBuilt in microphone; stereo earphones; 3.5 mm jack
InputMulti-touch Capacitive Touch screen
CameraFront VGA [6]
TouchpadCapacitive
ConnectivityMini-USB
Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n)
Power3000 mAh li-po battery[2]
PredecessorAakash
RelatedUbiSlate 7C
Websitehttp://www.akashtablet.com/

The Aakash 2 (also sold as the Ubislate 7Ci)[6] is an Android-based tablet computer produced by British company DataWind.[7] In an announcement in March 2012, the Telecom Minister, Mr. Kapil Sibal, who was also in charge of Ministry of Human Resources and Development had announced that DoT (Department of Telecom) had cleared the proposal to distribute 50 lakh (5 million) units of tablet PCs to students.[8] It is the follow-up to the Aakash tablet.

The Minister had also announced that C-DAC [1] and IIT-Mumbai would together be responsible for the specification, quality, and testing of Aakash 2.[8] An updated version was launched on November 11, 2012.[9]

Retail(start) price of Datawind UbiSlate 7Ci as of the end of 2013, is about 30 GBP in UK(Europe), about 150 PLN.[10]

Subsidised by the Indian government

It was made available to students in India at roughly a quarter of its full price, in a scheme subsidized by the Indian government.[11][12] Many school textbooks were made available accessible in PDF form from the respective education board websites.[13]

Android applications are sold via the rupee-priced Google Play app store.[14][15][16]

Hardware

The hardware is fixed,[17] and the product has been described as a stable and usable commercial product.[12] The 7” screen is capacitive multi-touch (800x480), with pinch and zoom support. The tablet's boot-up time is 46 seconds.[18] Battery life is up to 3 hours on the 3000 mAh battery.[18]

Ubislate 7C+

Ubislate 7C+ (also regarded as Aakash 3) was released in November 2012 with SIM functionality, providing GPRS and EDGE service,[6] along with Wi-Fi. It runs on Android OS 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich and has a front-facing VGA Camera. It has a 512 MB RAM and ARM Cortex A8 processor, clocked at 1.5 GHz.[4][6]

Made in China controversies

Newspapers have accused DataWind of reselling a product which was designed and manufactured in China,[19] purchased off-the-shelf and then sold in India.[20] DataWind in its response to the accusation, said that they sourced the kits from China and assembled and programmed them in India at its facilities in Amritsar, Punjab, and Delhi, and then supplied the same to the Indian Government HRD.[21] Chinese manufacturers have said that they sold "ready-to-use" tablets to Datawind.[19][22]

References

  1. ^ Harsimran Julka; ET Bureau (Jun 2, 2012). "Aakash 2, the cheapest tablet PC, misses May-end deadline". The Economic Times. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Datawind | Aakash | Aakash-2 | Aakash-3 | Ubislate". Aakashtablet.com. 2012-09-20. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  3. ^ "Aakash 2 Made in China? Datawind's Response". pkr.in. 24 November 2012. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Android based Tablet is available in India with 3g sim card, wifi, gprs". Ubislate.com. 2012-09-20. Archived from the original on 2013-08-05. Retrieved 2013-07-02.
  5. ^ a b c Dieter Bohn (2011-12-24). "Ubislate 7 to be India's next low-cost Android tablet, shipping in January". The Verge. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  6. ^ a b c d "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-05-02. Retrieved 2013-05-01.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ "Aakash 2 will be available to students for $21 | News & Video Reviews of Gadgets at BGR India". Bgr.in. 2012-08-03. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  8. ^ a b Joshi, Sandeep (March 9, 2012). "DoT clears distribution of 50 lakh tablet PCs in schools, colleges". The Hindu. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  9. ^ "Products | Datawind". Ubislate.com. 2012-09-20. Archived from the original on 2013-01-20. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  10. ^ "Najtańszy na świecie tablet debiutuje w Europie". 17 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  11. ^ "President launches low-cost Aakash-2 tablet". The Times of India. 2012-11-11. Archived from the original on 2013-12-19. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  12. ^ a b "Aakash 2: The Hardware's fixed. Now to Deliver..." CIOL. 2012-11-12. Archived from the original on 2012-12-16. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  13. ^ Murph, Darren (2012-11-11). "Aakash 2 Android tablet materializes, costs around $21 for Indian students". Engadget.com. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  14. ^ Cyber India Online Ltd. "PCQuest : Hardware Reviews : Datawind UbiSlate 7Ci (Aakash 2)". Myciol.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  15. ^ "Supply of Aakash - 2 to IIT Bombay has started; launch in October: Datawind - Economic Times". Articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com. 2012-09-23. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  16. ^ "President launches low-cost Aakash-2 tablet". The Times of India. 2012-11-11. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  17. ^ Roy, Prasanto K (12 November 2012). "Aakash 2: The Hardware's fixed. Now to Deliver..." www.ciol.com. Archived from the original on 16 December 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  18. ^ a b Cyber India Online Ltd. "PCQuest : Hardware Reviews : Datawind UbiSlate 7Ci (Aakash 2)". Pcquest.ciol.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-17. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  19. ^ a b "India's 'Aakash,' Now Made in China". New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  20. ^ "Conned: Aakash 2 made in China". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  21. ^ Arlene Chang (27 November 2012). "Govt paid for specs, not Chinese parts in Aakash 2 -Datawind". Firstpost.com. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  22. ^ "Aakash 2 India's cheapest android tablet pc for students". MyPhoneFactor.in. Retrieved 14 December 2012.

External links

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