With limited apps, no 3G, a weak battery and a mini-USB port, Aakash2 could turn out to be little more than a costly notebook
The Aakash initiative of the Indian government is an attempt to bolster the academic experience of students in the country by equipping them with purpose-built tablets at subsidised rates.
The Aakash 2 tablet was unveiled on November 11, 2012. It is the third iteration of a product first unveiled in October 2011, and is designed and licensed by a British-Canadian-Indian company named DataWind, headed by chief executive Suneet Singh Tuli.
On November 29, the tablet received an endorsement from the United Nations, where it was presented to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon by India’s ambassador to the United Nations, Hardeep Singh Puri, and Tuli.
DataWind will sell Aakash 2 to the government at Rs.2,263, which will then be subsidised to students at Rs.1,130. However, the question is this: is it value for money even at this low price?
Version 1.0 to 2.0
When it first entered the market, Aakash was censured for being underpowered, underperforming, and just generally cheap.
Version one was a flop. The subsequently upgraded successor, released April 2012, was released commercially before it was remodelled into the Aakash 2 to suit the government’s subsidised rate. As a result, some critical features were substituted with some others whose benefits are either redundant or unnecessary.
Aakash 2 is more durable and slimmer than Aakash, even though both weigh 350 grams. If the tablet is going to act as a substitute for textbooks, that would be a load off children’s schoolbags.
Drawbacks
But the Ministry of Human Resource Development is yet to reveal if digitised textbooks in local languages or any rich, interactive content have been developed to be served specifically through Aakash 2. The 2 GB of storage space, if not expanded to a possible 32 GB, is likely to restrict the quantity of content further, whereas the quality will be restrained by the low 512 MB of RAM.
The new look has been achieved by substituting two USB ports that the first Aakash had for one mini-USB port. This means no internet dongles.
That is a big drawback, considering Aakash 2 can access only Wi-Fi networks. It does support tethering capability that lets it act as a local Wi-Fi hot spot. But not being able to access cellular networks like 3G, such as in rural areas where mobile phone penetration is miles ahead of internet penetration, will place the onus on local governments to lay internet-cables, bring down broadband prices, etc.
If the device is being envisaged mainly as one on which students may take notes, then Aakash 2 could pass muster. But even here, the mini-USB port rules out plugging in an external keyboard for ease of typing.
Next, Aakash 2’s battery life is a meagre four hours, which is well short of a full college day, and prevents serious student use. Videoconferencing, with a front-facing low-resolution camera, will only drain the battery faster. Compensatory ancillary infrastructure can only render the experience more cumbersome.
In terms of software, after the operating system was recently upgraded in Aakash 2, the device is almost twice as fast and multi-tasks without overheating. But DataWind has quoted “insufficient processing power” as the reason the tablet will not have access to Android’s digital marketplace. Perhaps in an attempt to not entirely short-change students, access to the much less prolific GetJar apps directory is being provided.
Effectively, with limited apps, no 3G, a weak battery and a mini-USB port, the success of the tablet and its contribution to Indian education seems to be hinged solely on its low price.
South American programme
As always, a problem of scale could exacerbate Aakash 2’s deficiencies. Consider the South American initiative of the One Laptop Per Child program instituted in 2005. Peru, in particular, distributed 8.5 lakh laptops at a cost of $225 million in order to enhance its dismal education system.
No appreciable gains in terms of test scores were recorded, however. Only 13 per cent of 12-year olds were at the required level in mathematics and 30 per cent at the required reading level, the country’s education ministry reported in March 2012.
However, Uruguay, its smaller continent-mate, saw rapid transformations after it equipped every primary-school student in the country with a laptop with access to the internet.
The difference, as Sandro Marcone, a Peruvian ministry official, conceded, lay in Uruguayan students using laptops to access interactive content from the web to become faster learners than their teachers, and forming closely knit learning communities that then expanded.
Therefore, what India shouldn’t do is subsidise a tablet that could turn out to be a very costly notebook. Yes, the price is low, but given the goal of ultimately unifying 58.6 lakh students across 25,000 colleges and 400 universities, Aakash 2 could be revised to better leverage existing infrastructure instead of necessitating more.
vasudevan.m@thehindu.co.in
Keywords: Aakash tablet
1. This article seems to be too optimistic in its expectation from the
Gadget and too pessimistic in the results it can bring.
2. India are still in its initial phase of development in terms using
techn in education and with all these so called 'drawbacks', its still
a big leap in what the Govt can provide to improve education.
3. It took the Techie prime Apple 4 versions before it can bring in
tethering as a feature in iPhone.
4. With a rate of Rs.850 over a Kg of Badam sweets in India, Getting a
gadget at Rs.1300 is more than a dream come true for a normal middle
class student. So Price is more than just cheap its awesome.
5. Comparison with south american countries? completely out of context
as our countries are widely different in terms of population density,
its literacy rate(Br @ 91% and India at 74).
Why would we complaint about a notebook that is intended to improve
efficiency in some possible ways. Thanks to the Idea of Aakash! I
request 'The Hindu' to review this article.
This article present a biased picture of a commendable govt initiative.
Most of the concerns can be addressed as under-
- mini usb port only: if eliminating standard usb gives a margin of cost, space, efficiency then
it is welcome. Moreover, if you are hell bent to use it (who uses a keyboard on tablet), a
simple usb convertor (costing Rs 5/-) would do the job.
- 3g compatiblity versions across all tablets are costlier by Rs 4000-5000. While such price
hike is acceptable for others costing >30000, it would be absurd for Aakash.
- To deliver any substantial results, any scheme needs time. Comparison with 1 laptop per
child scheme is wrong as Indian scheme currently has not as much penetration.
However, Datawind must look into upgrading tech specifications to let Aakash access
Android appstore. Govt must also arrange for specific e-content for students to give direction
to desired change.
Dear Vasudev , please compare the product with price which they are
delivering . As Apps developers ( 2tionplus ) we used to check various
Tablets. Aakash-2 is better than another tablets currently available in
market. We tested with higher end graphic games where most tablets
failed but this one performed well , great touch response and very
compact. But battery backup is very poor ..
Datawind has also degraded it's moral. I have been asking them to refund
my money since the last 3 months but have never responded to my plea
except at the time of cancellation of my order that the money will be
refunded within 2 weeks.
This is great product and project. People behind this project must be
big visionaries. If your goal is to criticize then you took wrong
target. There is no shortage of problem and issues in India if you want
to criticize something..go please pick something else.
hi get your facts right Vasudev
1. Akash 2 has a sim slot.
2. Mini usb can be converted to full usb with Rs.10/- rs converter
wire
3. Lots of books are already available and there are lots of
volunteers that are writings free ebooks for poor, its just a matter
of time. It will be a real boon if supplied @ around 1000 bucks
I am using Micromax funbook with same specs and find it very fulfilling....Akash 2 is every way better then it.
I am not a fan of akash2, nor our government.. but this article lacks meaning (mostly in terms of technology).. please get some basic tech-knowledge before you review a tech gadget (if you want to review without any bias).. Atleast this is not what is expected in THE HINDU.
For example,
1. "The 2 GB of storage space, if not expanded to a possible 32 GB, is likely to restrict the quantity of content further," 2 GB here is just internal storage and is very much sufficient for large amount of text and images of text book quality (70000 pages). if internet is available, this storage is just used as temporary storage.
2. "That is a big drawback, considering Aakash 2 can access only Wi-Fi networks." you just dont know how easy it is to setup a wifi hotspot using 3G in schools and wifi consumes less battery.. wifi is cheaper technology compared to 3g - more internet speed in less cost..
will the government ever stop joking around this tablet ? with this, medias around the globe are making fun of this Indian 'invention'. Shame.
Happened to analyse the spec of Aakash-2.It was a complete let-down.
Kudos to you for pointing it out -no 3G is poor ,512 MB RAM is outdated
and add to that the mini USB - you get a product which the students will
most probably buy and watch movies and cartoons.It is a overhyped media
device - good enough for music and video playing.
But -won't loose heart though !! I am sure that the concerned would take
this with a pinch of salt and come back with a bang .
Appreciate the initiative though!!
how many schools in India has electricity ? .
All students has to charge their tablet at least once from school.
Majority of Indian schools don't have this recharging facility ....
Another project going astray, predictably! After spending few crores on this and a scam thereafter to hit us, Mr. Sibal is there to give astute theorem of zero loss. He is best fit to be in a scam studded UPA2 parivar running country to ransom!
A tablet can never replace a text book. This will only worsen the situation if we try to do so. Not only power consumption, it can even affect eyes. Research has to be done well before we switch into new methodologies rather than solving the after effects.
I was admitted into MCA in the year 2006 and about one third of my classmates were seeing the computer for the first time. That one third was always wary about using the computer lest something should go wrong and they be fined. One big problem with our education system is that the majority of the population get substandard education. Usage of these tablets may not increase the performance but it will definately increase the know how. Please stop gauging the students based on "Marks" alone. If we are unable to educate the student using the technology, it is our duty at least to let him know that such advanced technology exists so that he is in line with what is happening around him.
We can follow Uruguay strategy of a laptop with internet connection and meanwhile enhance and modify Akash to something more efficient and viable option in future, this proposition will not just give us a wonderful tablet(in future) but also will make us learn from our mistakes. Relinquishing Akash now will do no good to us. We have already invested in this, lets make it better, Rome was not build a day and neither was Apple,Google or Facebook.
As of now it would be better to go with laptop with internet connection so that students do not suffer.
The drawbacks listed here are common to all tablets of this category and are acceptable considering the overall cost of the machine. No tablet, other than, Samsung, Huawei, iPad, and a few others have cellular feature; and they are very costly. For the money this product is really worth. But, what the students are going to do with this? Its not going to serve any purpose. Mere waste of money and the country will only be accumulating lot of e-wastes.
Another Government plan of an ill-thought out design and performance! Predictable, to say the least. Don't they ever consult with experienced people on matters such as battery life and practical use in a student's life? You only need a computer savvy kid to tell these people what would be the basic requirements for a student's computer. Wasting other people's money without any regard.Disappointing for all but the company who make this 'underachiever'!
I have been reading about Aakash tablet for long time now, still, some things are very much unclear to me.
1. Why is it that government needs to develop something technical in LPG era? (even though via private company, where is element of competition?)
2. Most of the articles I read, have focused on technical aspects of Aakash, I never come across detailed plan like government's physical targets, modes to reach the target, associated infra development model etc.
3. Has the feasibility of such project been really checked? Are there any debates in Parliament on Aakash policy?
People are not passive entities. They are ready to grasp things which matter to them & help them. If there is broadband facility available to the remotest villages and better income facility, they will themselves chose for ICT based education for their children.
Such initiatives cannot be enforced from outside, they need to be intrinsic in enabling environment.
Correct me if I am wrong.
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