- Go cordless with a solar-powered laptop, all for $35. Photo from Crestock Stock Photography
There’s the $500 iPad, then there’s the $35 solar-powered tablet PC. Designed in India, it was developed by top talent from the local Institute of Technology. Its creator, Kapil Sibal, is currently seeking a manufacturer for the prototype.
Though a few sacrifices were made in the way of storage space (data will most likely have to be stored on memory cards and other similar portable devices), the intent was never to create a laptop that could rival today’s newest machines. Instead, it blends the netbook and a palm-held tablet to bring information from around the world to its ultimate target market: low-income students. “This is part of the national initiative to take forward inclusive education,” says Sibal.
This solar laptop stands as a huge success over the U.S.’s similar “$100 dollar laptop” project, which consistently blew its budget. Using trendy touch-screen technology, the tablet laptop incorporates solar power options to bring an affordable PC to students in the developing world. In a country plagued with illiteracy and poor education systems, the Indian government aims to provide internet access to all, even the most remote, colleges. Additionally, they are willing to subsidize any purchases of the solar laptops by students.
At a set price of a paltry 1,500 rupees ($35 USD), the Indian government hopes to lower that figure to $20, and eventually $10, and have it hit markets for 2011. For $35, India’s solar-powered tablet PC has some surprising features which make it a very workable computer. Check out the specs below and see for yourself!
- Linux operating system
- 2Gb of RAM,
- USB port
- Built-in Wi-Fi connectivity.
- PDF reader
- Multimedia player
- Video conferencing
- Web browser
- Word processor
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