Forget iPad, Cheapest tablet computer to cost $35 in India

In 2011 Indian government expects to produce a touchscreen tablet costing $35.
The Linux based computer can do word processing, web browsing and video-conferencing.

It can also be made more environment friendly by installing a solar power option at an additional cost.

While unveiling the device on July 22, India’s Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said, “This is our answer to MIT’s $100 computer.” Sibal hopes to get the cost down to $10 eventually.

In 2005, co-founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, Nicholas Negroponte, unveiled a $100 laptop for children in the developing countries. India had rejected that laptop as too expensive and started an effort to develop a cheaper option of its own. The laptop ended up costing $200 and is being launched in various devolping countries.

Mamta Varma, a ministry spokeswoman, said several global manufacturers have shown interest in manufacturing the low-cost device.