Well Tech media company VentureBeat has gotten hands on with the Aakash Tablet and have reviewed the product. Here's a bit of what they had to say!
"The Indian government thinks the $35 Aakash Android tablet has the power to change the world. After testing one out, we’d tend to agree."
Screen Quality
"The screen is pressure sensitive (also called resistive touch) and responds somewhat slowly to gestures. It’s definitely not as dazzling as the high-end tablets familiar to Western audiences, such as the capacitive touchscreen iPad, or even the HP TouchPad!"
Browsing Speed
"The Aakash is running Android 2.2, Froyo, with the UniSurfer browser installed. Made by DataWind, UniSurfer is supposed to make webpages process faster, probably to compensate for the slower processor and connection speeds. However, while browsing the Internet and testing out apps, we couldn’t help but notice that the reaction time seemed very slow. Scrolling, for example, is a swipe-and-wait affair. However, the speed is going to be quite sufficient for someone who has never in his or her life had a smartphone or computer. It’s all relative after all. Compared with the iPhone 4s, the iPhone 3G is a “slow” smartphone, only because speedier alternatives are available. Even in a context where the market is full of smart devices, like in the U.S., speed helps us make decisions incrementally faster, but rarely are these issues of genuine consequence."
Streaming Video
"Watching videos on the device was incredibly impressive. We used YouTube to watch a clip from a Bollywood film, and the video came through fast and clear, with no hiccups."
Battery Power
"The Aakash has both GPRS and Wi-Fi capabilities. Its battery power is limited to 180 minutes of use on a full charge, but it comes with an AC adapter. What’s important isn’t that the tablet can run off of the battery for long periods of time, but that it will still be able to work and surf the net when the power goes out."
USB Support
"Why does it have two USB ports? So you can plug in a keyboard, of course, and still have a free slot for an external hard drive, or some other device."
The Screen Protector
"What about that screen cover that seems like it’s made from laminating material? If the tablet is meant for educational use, it’s probably going to have to contend with some pretty rough handling, dirt, dust and moisture. Better that it should withstand damage than look the extra bit nicer."
Aakash Tablet from Venturebeat on Vimeo.
"The unmistakable impression we all got from using the Aakash tablet was that it is built for performance. Every design choice that might seem like a negative reveals three, four, five — or more — net benefits."
For the full review see here, Aakash is expected to sell to over 12-million Indians very soon. There is a lot of potential and to be honest looking at the device shown in action it isn't as fast as I-Phone 4 but seriously for 35-60$ that is a dang good deal!
-JC7
"In God We Trust - In Games We Play " - Joel Reimer
