<p>In the early 2000s, when the government-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) co-developed ‘Simputer’, a simple handheld computer with a projected half-price of a standard desktop, it seemed that India was on the cusp of a computer revolution.</p>.<p>The device, which was produced jointly with PicoPeta Simputers Private Limited, was conceived as a low-cost alternative to desktop systems, which could bring the internet to small towns and villages. Launched at a time India was growing curious by the day about the World Wide Web, the product had a lot going for it. </p>.<p>The objective was to sell 50,000 units. However, by 2005, when PicoPeta had been bought out by a larger company, only 4,000 had been sold. By the following year, BEL had ceased marketing the device — a development which media pundits claimed was the final nail in the coffin for the product.</p>.<p>Now, 13 years later, BEL is all geared up to have another crack at the tablet market with an advanced new “secure” Android-Linux tablet for the defence and civilian market; a spiritual successor to the ‘Simputer’, which it hopes to roll out in a few months.</p>.<p>M V Gowtama, Chief Managing Director, BEL, said the company’s work on the ‘Simputer’ and a successive second-generation low-cost tablet in 2012-2013 had given BEL the requisite skills to develop a home-grown System on Chip (SoC). SoC is an integrated circuit commonly found on smartphones which integrates all components of a computer.</p>.<p>“Six lakhs of our second-generation tablet were provided to the Ministry of Rural Development,” said Gowtama. </p>.<p>V Mahesh, BEL’s chief of Research and Development, said the “secure” tablet may be ready within two months.</p>.<p>“We see a big market for this in defence as well as commercial applications. Because we have our own SoC, we will be able to bring down the costs,” he said.</p>.<p>“The ‘Simputer’ may not have taken off, but every technology that BEL develops is used in some way in future applications,” Mahesh added.</p>
<p>In the early 2000s, when the government-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) co-developed ‘Simputer’, a simple handheld computer with a projected half-price of a standard desktop, it seemed that India was on the cusp of a computer revolution.</p>.<p>The device, which was produced jointly with PicoPeta Simputers Private Limited, was conceived as a low-cost alternative to desktop systems, which could bring the internet to small towns and villages. Launched at a time India was growing curious by the day about the World Wide Web, the product had a lot going for it. </p>.<p>The objective was to sell 50,000 units. However, by 2005, when PicoPeta had been bought out by a larger company, only 4,000 had been sold. By the following year, BEL had ceased marketing the device — a development which media pundits claimed was the final nail in the coffin for the product.</p>.<p>Now, 13 years later, BEL is all geared up to have another crack at the tablet market with an advanced new “secure” Android-Linux tablet for the defence and civilian market; a spiritual successor to the ‘Simputer’, which it hopes to roll out in a few months.</p>.<p>M V Gowtama, Chief Managing Director, BEL, said the company’s work on the ‘Simputer’ and a successive second-generation low-cost tablet in 2012-2013 had given BEL the requisite skills to develop a home-grown System on Chip (SoC). SoC is an integrated circuit commonly found on smartphones which integrates all components of a computer.</p>.<p>“Six lakhs of our second-generation tablet were provided to the Ministry of Rural Development,” said Gowtama. </p>.<p>V Mahesh, BEL’s chief of Research and Development, said the “secure” tablet may be ready within two months.</p>.<p>“We see a big market for this in defence as well as commercial applications. Because we have our own SoC, we will be able to bring down the costs,” he said.</p>.<p>“The ‘Simputer’ may not have taken off, but every technology that BEL develops is used in some way in future applications,” Mahesh added.</p>
