India's $10 Laptop Isn't A Laptop... And Nobody's Sure Exactly What It Is

from the land-of-confusion dept

Thu, Feb 5th 2009 7:57am — Carlo Longino

Earlier in the week, I posted that a new cheap laptop initiative from the Indian government was following the OLPC project's strategy of forging ahead on its own, instead of collaborating with market players and taking advantage of the benefits such collaboration could offer. Some more details about the project have emerged, and I'm glad to report they weren't doing what I predicted, in that they didn't launch a new student-focused netbook; instead, they launched... well, this thing that isn't a laptop. The problem is it's not very clear at all what, exactly, the device is. The Times of India calls it "a damp squib," and a storage device that could lead to the development of a $60 laptop. Photos aren't a lot of help, nor is the description that it "helps e-learners access the Web easily." Even the most detailed list of specs doesn't help. As far as we can tell, it's some sort of glorified 2GB thumb drive, in a 10-inch by 5-inch case, that may or may not include some networking technology. It's somehow related to a project to put textbook information online so it can more easily be accessed in remote parts of the country. So, congrats to the Indian government for not going down the laptop path, but if they could better explain just what they hell they have made, everybody would be grateful.

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Filed Under: $10 pc, india

15 Comments

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Kirk, 5 Feb 2009 @ 7:53am

A Guess
The 10” long and 5” wide hand-held device, resembling a palmtop or a modem, helps e-learners access the Web easily. Priced versions of e-content available on the Net can be accessed through this device.

Priced content. Could it be somekind of decryption module, with each unit using a unique key? If so, it's a pity. Some are still focused on locking up content. Here's hoping that's a silly guess.
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Jeff (profile), 5 Feb 2009 @ 9:01am

What it sounds like to me is a content cache device that would allow access of Internet content in locations where Internet access is not an option for one reason or another.

Problem is that with so much of the internet being data driven, the flexibility is limited to sites whose content is static. Good for research or teaching material, if presented correctly.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Feb 2009 @ 9:10am

Okay, seriously, anybody that thinks there could ever be a $10 laptop that could run any sort of modern application (or even OS, for that matter) is seriously delusional. I mean come on, $10 may get you a decent flash drive these days, but nothing like a full computer. Even the $100 OLPC never materialized, because there's a limit on how much you can cheapen down a machine. Netbooks are pretty much the low end limit for basic computers right now, and those are generally around the ballpark of $300-400. Even if a $10 laptop were available, I would never waste the money on it, because it would be so weak, it would be completely useless.

If anything, this looks like a more modern version of the old internet appliances that just never really took off, machines running some proprietary stripped-down OS that let you access basic email and websites, and nothing else. If it really is sub-$100, I'm guessing that's all it's really going to be capable of doing.
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laughter, 5 Feb 2009 @ 9:12am

Biggest joke sponsored by Indian Gov.
There're lots of people in the world living on government-backed projects. And lots of those project are way too expensive. They normally are purely for propaganda purpose and mostly will not go anywhere at the end (if there is an end). However, they do bring a high quality of life to those people are able to get those projects.

So what I'm thinking is that this is just another joke sponsored by the Indian government.
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Chronno S. Trigger, 5 Feb 2009 @ 9:13am

A Question
If this device was created to get online and access textbooks, why can't they create something like the Kindle with a wireless card? They already do? It's called the Kindle? Than why don't they start there and figure out how to cut the price by 2/3rds?

In this $10( or $20 or $100 or whatever the true translation is) computer, douse it include the monitor keyboard and mouse?
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Feb 2009 @ 9:57am

There're lots of people in the world living on government-backed projects.

Yes they are called the Military and Congressmen.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Feb 2009 @ 10:08am

populist research...
In 2000-2002, a very similar device was created and drummed up by the Indian politicians. It was called a "simputer", a simple palmtop kind of device that cost less that $200 (cost of similar devices was at least $400-500 at that time). It was a decent device (probably the first open source mobile device), but ultimately didn't had any impact whatsoever. See the wikipedia article for more detail.

Indian research institutes do have decent labs and creative people. But usually the funding process is not as open as in europe or US. Ultimately professors have to pimp their research to politicians and only such populist, but utterly useless inventions get the media coverage and funding.
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Mojo Bone, 5 Feb 2009 @ 12:37pm

@ #3: A five dollar calculator was a pipe dream not so long ago; yours could go down in history with some other famous last words like, "...everything's already been invented." I'm already seeing 3 inch TFT displays on keychains for $19.99, how long do you think it'll take?
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TW Burger, 5 Feb 2009 @ 12:43pm

damp squib indeed
The Times of India calling it "a damp squib" is being generous and kind. This smells of a typical con job to get government funding followed by the products failure and no retribution due to official embarrassment. Politicians mean well but few understand technology. This would be amusing if it was not wasting the taxpayers money.

I hope that after the shock of the IT outsourcing giant Satyam's $1 billion fraud the government will be cautious.
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ash, 5 Feb 2009 @ 8:58pm

what a bullshit stuff
this device is a pen drive which we cant even carry in pockets.. the govt is just trying to publicise itself with a stupid device like this.. totally hopeless...
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mars, 5 Feb 2009 @ 10:19pm

It is a desktop NOT a LAPTOP
desktop without keyboard, monitor, using an OS which runs on a flash drive (no hard drive/no optical drive). something like a net-top box but probably using an ARM processor found in mobile phones and MP3 players. It has both wi-fi(wireless) and lan(wired) capabilities built in.
This is an interesting initiative. I am sure x86 processor companies are not going to like this.
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Joe, 6 Feb 2009 @ 5:27am

i read that it runs openoffice - i think its more than what the reports are reporting - I would disregard their emotional reactions (based on their disappointment)
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byron, 9 Feb 2009 @ 5:36am

Calling this device a "laptop" seems intentionally deceptive since it has no input(key board) output(screen) function of its own. It sounds like a stripped down version of the mac mini.

Why not just add a screen and keyboard and market it as a cheap desktop, for something like ~$50 (I'm guessing), it's no laptop, but a step in the right direction to close the digital divide.
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Orlando Fernandes, 13 Feb 2009 @ 4:57am

prob a pda...
When I was first reported in local newspapers my first impression was that it was a scam to sipon off government funds. The project appears to be a hacked up pda using a strongarm processor nothing more. Surely not a laptop!
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Betty, 10 Sep 2009 @ 7:54am

palmtop
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Betty

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