Low-cost Aakash to go high-tech

The Ministry of Human Resource Development has asked the London-based Datawind to build a port in the tablet PC to connect it with internet through cable. The 7-inch touch-screen computing-cum-access device was only Wi-Fi enabled. Taking note of the initial feedback indicating that the resistive touch screen of the device goes unresponsive many times, the ministry has also asked the production company to replace it with capacitive touch-screen in the new devices to be produced, a ministry official told Deccan Herald.

The government has ordered Datawind to produce one lakh pieces of Aakash. About 10,000 pieces of the tablet PC have already been produced.  “After this, all the new device will have capacitive touch-screen, apart from a port built to access internet through cable. The prices will remain the same as announced,” the official said. A capacitive touch-screen panel consists of an insulator such as glass, coated with a transparent conductor such as indium tin oxide. It permits more accurate and flexible operation gives, compared to resistive touch-screen panel.

The Ministry is also exploring ways to increase the speed of the table PC and make it available in the same price as announced.