We have been waiting for Aakash Tablets for months and its roll out is being delayed on one pretext or other. Whether the HRD ministry shall be able to deliver it one day, it is any body’s guess. But BSNL, one of the state enterprises, has shown smartness and launched three tablets including two 7 inch resistive screen based tablets with Android 2.3 operating system while the third tablet comes with an 8 inch capacitive touchscreen.
These tablets have been manufactured by Pantel, which is Noida based company. These tablets will be sold with discounted data plans from BSNL. The three tablets are priced at Rs 3,250, Rs 10,999 and Rs 13,500.
The cheapest tablet is Panta Tpad IS 701r which is priced at Rs 3,250. Aakash tablet is priced at just Rs 2500, but there are question mark about its successful debut. However, Tpad has better specification than the Datawind’s low cost tablet- Aakash.
Panta Tpad is a WiFi only tablet with Android 2.3 operating system and has following specifications:
- 1 GHz processor (ARM11 IMAP210) clubbed with 256 MB RAM
- HDMI port through which it can be connected to a TV
- 7″ inch resistive touch screen with 800×600 resolution
- 3000 mAh battery
- 2 GB internal memory which can be expanded through micro SD card
- VGA front facing camera for video calling
The second tablet is named ‘Panta Tpad_ws704c’. It has the same specification as its cheapest cousin (701r) but offers added 3G connectivity which supports both CDMA/EVDO and GSM, inbuilt A-GPS, Accelerometer and Bluetooth. It also comes with a 2 megapixel rear camera and also has bigger 512 MB RAM for faster performance.
The costliest amongst the three is the Tpad WS802C which has an 8 inch capacitive screen. It comes with a faster 1.2 GHz processor and 512 MB RAM. The internal memory is also bigger at 4 GB. Rest of the features like GPS, camera and Bluetooth are same as the 704C.
Our HRD Minister had promised cheapest tablet – Aakash amid great fanfare and has not lost any opportunity to vouch for its success but despite his unrealistic claims, he has not been able to deliver the world’s most economic tablet. But another department under his another ministry has atleast launched three tablets, which are not very expensive. It would be advisable for him to buy the tablets from BSNL for his dream project. Good luck to BSNL!
