# Government of India Unveils Sakshat $10 Tablet PC for Students



## btarunr (Jul 23, 2010)

The Government of India today unveiled the much talked about 10 Dollar Tablet PC for students. Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal unveiled the tablet which is initially priced at 1,500 Indian Rupees (US $30), but is expected distributed for 500 Rupees ($10) once manufacturing is streamlined. The device is named Sakshat (meaning "personification" in Sanskrit), and boasts of performance-grade hardware for a device of its class. It has a 10.5-inch multi-touch colour screen, ARM processor, 2 GB of memory, cloud storage, WiFi b/g and 10/100 Ethernet for connectivity with school networks, a highly-customised OS based on the Linux kernel, supporting Adobe Flash for online videos and interactive educational content, and a digital camera. 

School curriculum will be distributed to students in an interactive format, as well as drive "e-classrooms" for live-streaming classes from eminent teachers to students from across the country. The device supports OpenOffice.org and open document formats, as well as Adobe PDF, and various multimedia formats. Sakshat was developed by students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) from various IIT institutes across the country. As part of the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology, Sakshat will be backed by a network connecting 18,000 educational institutions and 400 universities. 





*View at TechPowerUp Main Site*


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## Rakesh95 (Jul 23, 2010)

500 wow. I can see many people using one of these.


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## Bjorn_Of_Iceland (Jul 23, 2010)

* waits for someone to break a 'bricks' one liner *

In anycase, I remembered back then when one of my class implemented some e-learning thing.. wasnt very motivational, and cheating on the tests was easy and rampant (since it relied on honesty rather than an iron fist system)..


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## Rakesh95 (Jul 23, 2010)

Its good because people there aren't as fortunate hey. Do they mean 2gb of SSD or actually memory


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## GENTLEMEN (Jul 23, 2010)

... 2 GB of memory, cloud storage ...

Looks like 2gb of actual ram.


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## b82rez (Jul 23, 2010)

Fuck, bring these to Australia plz plz!


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## yogurt_21 (Jul 23, 2010)

interesting, would need to see the full specs but it looks like this would be compatible with my companie's online learning program. For 10$ if that's true we shoudl start stockign and selling them. damn that's cheap.

edit: looks like 35$ is the actual price but the minister plans to bring that price down to 10$. shoot even at 50$ it'd be a steal.


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## wahdangun (Jul 23, 2010)

hmm, how india can make this thing for $35, i hope its not a vaporware like $10 PC they announced but its no where near definition of PC


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## btarunr (Jul 23, 2010)

wahdangun said:


> hmm, how india can make this thing for $35, i hope its not a vaporware like $10 PC they announced but its no where near definition of PC



Distribution already started.


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## n-ster (Jul 23, 2010)

simply... wow 

We get ripped off here 

it looks like a BETTER iPad xD more for 30$ then we get here for 400$ lol


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 23, 2010)

uh, there isnt a single wifi chip that small that costs $35. that means the government is subsidizing the cost. the real cost i'm sure is way more.


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## ArkanHell (Jul 23, 2010)

Well I bet you can reduce a lot the costs with what they pay to the handwork there!


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## n-ster (Jul 23, 2010)

as if we didn`t outsource production here either....

I'd buy a few right now if I could lol

bta, would you buy me one? xD Then next time you come to North America you can ship it to me


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## WarEagleAU (Jul 23, 2010)

pretty awesome especially considering they can make and sell it for 10 to 30 bucks.


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## mtosev (Jul 23, 2010)

i'm sure that they will pop up on ebay. but at a much higher price.


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## btarunr (Jul 23, 2010)

Local TV news report said that the government is making 50~100 million pieces initially.


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## W1zzard (Jul 23, 2010)

wow thats a lot .. given all the supply drama when apple is making like a million devices i imagine this will be really hard to accomplish


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## Jarman (Jul 23, 2010)

Ipad killlllller!


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## PCpraiser100 (Jul 23, 2010)

India pwns the world.....again.


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## Black Panther (Jul 23, 2010)

btarunr said:


> The device is named Sakshat (meaning "personification" in Sanskrit)





Do they know that many people understand English and don't understand Sanskrit?
And that name doesn't sound really great in English....... 

Sorry couldn't resist...




Wait a sec... you mean the _normal_ price is $30??  I hope they will be available for sale outside India, perhaps on ebay or somewhere...

And I have to spend €250 every September to buy my daughter's school textbooks and the rest of her school stuff!


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 23, 2010)

this would be like the U.S. govt buying 20 million iPads and then selling them for $10 dollars. i would be pissed if i were a tax payer in india.


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## Black Panther (Jul 23, 2010)

Easy Rhino said:


> i would be pissed if i were a tax payer in india.



No reason for that. I assume that the large majority of Indians pay tax, as does everyone else in the world. Further to that it's a "one laptop per child" offer, I don't think children of heavy tax-payers would be excluded.

I take my hat off to the Indian government for this initiative.
Malta should definitely follow example.


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## mtosev (Jul 23, 2010)

Easy Rhino said:


> this would be like the U.S. govt buying 20 million iPads and then selling them for $10 dollars. i would be pissed if i were a tax payer in india.



they are too poor to notice: Poverty in India is widespread with the nation estimated to have a third of the world's poor. According to a 2005 World Bank estimate, 42% of India falls below the international poverty line of $1.25 a day (PPP, in nominal terms Rs. 21.6 a day in urban areas and Rs 14.3 in rural areas); having reduced from 90% in 1980.


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 23, 2010)

Black Panther said:


> No reason for that. I assume that the large majority of Indians pay tax, as does everyone else in the world. Further to that it's a "one laptop per child" offer, I don't think children of heavy tax-payers would be excluded.
> 
> I take my hat off to the Indian government for this initiative.
> Malta should definitely follow example.



obviously the culture in india is different then in the U.S. 

but if they tried to pull this in the U.S. there would be outrage. just another form of wealth redistribution. 

my point is that these don't cost $10 to produce. they cost a lot more but are selling them to citizens for $10 and calling it charity.


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## mdm-adph (Jul 23, 2010)

Easy Rhino said:


> obviously the culture in india is different then in the U.S.
> 
> but if they tried to pull this in the U.S. there would be outrage. just another form of wealth redistribution.
> 
> my point is that these don't cost $10 to produce. they cost a lot more but are selling them to citizens for $10 and calling it charity.



Just a little tip -- "Wealth Redistribution" != "Investment in Children."  :shadedshu

A country that takes tax money and spends it on children ends up with smart children 15 or 20 years down the road.  (These children will eventually end up able to _produce_ more, and in the end, the country will _make_ money.)

A country that doesn't, well, ends up like America.


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 23, 2010)

mdm-adph said:


> Just a little tip -- "Wealth Redistribution" != "Investment in Children."  :shadedshu
> 
> A country that takes tax money and spends it on children ends up with smart children 15 or 20 years down the road.
> 
> A country that doesn't, well, ends up like America.



uh, the USA spends more money on education per child than any other country in the world. money does not guarantee a good education and politicians peddling for votes by acting as charity organizations don't actually care about the children.


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 23, 2010)

mdm-adph said:


> A country that doesn't, well, ends up like America.




Are you trolling? Epic fail guy?


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## btarunr (Jul 23, 2010)

Easy Rhino said:


> uh, the USA spends more money on education per child than any other country in the world. money does not guarantee a good education and politicians peddling for votes by acting as charity organizations don't actually care about the children.



Money doesn't guarantee good education, but if it can set up the resources for good education, then it's doing its job. 

This device will let some kid in a remote town take classes from some really bright teacher sitting in the city. It's backed by free internet and school-intranet, free access to tons of e-books, etc. Money does make a difference. 

And no, this isn't charity. It's how vast populations of poor are uplifted. There's absolutely no better way to go about.


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 23, 2010)

btarunr said:


> Money doesn't guarantee good education, but if it can set up the resources for good education, then it's doing its job.
> 
> This device will let some kid in a remote town take classes from some really bright teacher sitting in the city. It's backed by free internet and school-intranet, free access to tons of e-books, etc. Money does make a difference.
> 
> And no, this isn't charity. It's how vast populations of poor are uplifted. There's absolutely no better way to go about.



true, in theory education programs like the one just implemented in india can indeed lift up the poor. but in reality this is one giant photo opportunity which generates great press for your politicians. i doubt that this program will generate any tangible return on investment though.


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## mdm-adph (Jul 23, 2010)

Easy Rhino said:


> uh, the USA spends more money on education per child than any other country in the world. money does not guarantee a good education and politicians peddling for votes by acting as charity organizations don't actually care about the children.



Uh, [CITATION NEEDED].  Education is pretty much deregulated in the US -- how can you say how much any particular school is spending on students?  You can't.  If you did some research, I think you'll find a few regions of high-spending schools bringing up the average for the vast majority of schools in the US.  The same goes for test scores.


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## btarunr (Jul 23, 2010)

Easy Rhino said:


> true, in theory education programs like the one just implemented in india can indeed lift up the poor. but in reality this is one giant photo opportunity which generates great press for your politicians. i doubt that this program will generate any tangible return on investment though.



What makes you think the a government would distribute 100 million of those devices for a ... photo opportunity?

If our politicians wanted that, there are cheaper ways to do it. In return if it generates even 10 million decent students who will go on to pursue higher education, that will give huge dividends to the economy.


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 23, 2010)

btarunr said:


> What makes you think the a government would distribute 100 million of those devices for a ... photo opportunity?
> 
> If our politicians wanted that, there are cheaper ways to do it. In return if it generates even 10 million decent students who will pursue higher education, that will give huge dividends to the economy.



right, because a glorified iphone touch is going to change to change the course of education in india.


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## btarunr (Jul 23, 2010)

Easy Rhino said:


> right, because a glorified iphone touch is going to change to change the course of education in india.



Yes it will. 70% of our population is rural. That's nearly 750 million people. If their children can get better education, access to new books (as e-books), access to resources on the internet, yes it's going to change the course of education in India.


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 23, 2010)

mdm-adph said:


> Uh, [CITATION NEEDED].  Education is pretty much deregulated in the US -- how can you say how much any particular school is spending on students?  You can't.  If you did some research, I think you'll find a few regions of high-spending schools bringing up the average for the vast majority of schools in the US.  The same goes for test scores.



it is actually quite easy to find this information. and a basic understanding of stats also helps.

from the NCES, a government department...

http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=66

and then couple that will percentage of GDP spent on education...

http://www.visualeconomics.com/how-countries-spend-their-money/

you can easily calculate that the USA spends more money on education per child than any country on earth.


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## n-ster (Jul 23, 2010)

Most of the western civilization spend enormous amounts of money in education per child... That is a certainty...

Doesn't mean all the money is spent WELL, but it wouldn't surprise me if USA were in the top 5... I think Canada would be higher though, since with the small population of children, we invest a hell lot in education... University here is as low as < 3000$ for an IV league (ie: McGill), and it isn't because McGill is cheap to sustain, it's because of the money that the gov. invests

But still, USA has the most international students for a reason


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 23, 2010)

btarunr said:


> Yes it will. 70% of our population is rural. That's nearly 750 million people. If their children can get better education, access to new books (as e-books), access to resources on the internet, yes it's going to change the course of education in India.



this device does not guarantee a better education. and given the actual cost of research/development/production/distribution i highly doubt it would be any better than building more schools and hiring more qualified teachers.


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## mdm-adph (Jul 23, 2010)

Easy Rhino said:


> it is actually quite easy to find this information. and a basic understanding of stats also helps.
> 
> from the NCES, a government department...
> 
> ...



Like I said, on average.  I don't doubt that what's true for America is true for a lot of wealthier countries -- a smaller group of well-educated individuals bringing up the average for the mass majority of people who can't find their own country on a map.  (With spending per school almost directly reflecting performance.)

I'll give India that -- maybe the majority of its peoples are _currently_ in Poverty, but show the average schoolchild in India a blank map of the world, and I bet they can find their country.  

It's investments like this that will lead to India reaching parity and overtaking the US in the 21st century.


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## btarunr (Jul 23, 2010)

Easy Rhino said:


> this device does not guarantee a better education. and given the actual cost of research/development/production/distribution i highly doubt it would be any better than building more schools and hiring more qualified teachers.



Likewise, American spending most on education does not guarantee better human resources. It just doesn't. 

I won't argue any further. You can ridicule this initiative, dismiss it as some random government's "photo-opportunity", claim that "since we spend more on education, and since this is a 'glorified iPhone' we're still better", until one day you realise what's been cooking up in India-China all these decades.

"We can't afford our kids to be mediocre at a time when they're competing against kids in China and kids in India," - Barack Obama. source.

That's what spending "the most amount of money" got American school kids. Mediocrity compared to Chinese and Indian ones.


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 23, 2010)

mdm-adph said:


> Like I said, on average.  I don't doubt that what's true for America is true for a lot of wealthier countries -- a smaller group of well-educated individuals bringing up the average for the mass majority of people who can't find their own country on a map.  (With spending per school almost directly reflecting performance.)
> 
> I'll give India that -- maybe the majority of its peoples are _currently_ in Poverty, but show the average schoolchild in India a blank map of the world, and I bet they can find their country.
> 
> It's investments like this that will lead to India reaching parity and overtaking the US in the 21st century.



i dont doubt india will overtake the US in this century, especially since the only way politicians think they can solve education problems here is by increasing the education budget. couple that with the entitlement attitude of young americans you can pretty much forecast the decline of the american empire. 

personally i can not fathom how a glorified ipod touch is going to help the rural citizen of india get a better education. it seems to me to be a very short to solution to a long term problem.


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## n-ster (Jul 23, 2010)

Don't forget one thing.. you know why indians and chinese do so good at school? Because that is all they got to make a life for themselves and they know it... They want to be the best... My origins are indian, but I'm a true Occidental being born and raised in the west. When I saw the other "indian" boys do so well at school and always being screamed at by my parents becaused they kept comparing me to them, the BEST, I realized what their motivation was. They didn't have an Xbox like me, they didn't even have TV!!! If they would ever want any comfort in their lives, they'd have to earn it, not like us spoiled bastards who can slack off


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 23, 2010)

btarunr said:


> Likewise, American spending most on education does not guarantee better human resources. It just doesn't.
> 
> I won't argue any further. You can ridicule this initiative, dismiss it as some random government's "photo-opportunity", claim that "since we spend more on education, and since this is a 'glorified iPhone' we're still better", until one day you realise what's been cooking up in India-China all these decades.
> 
> ...



i am actually arguing the opposite. spending more on education does not equal a better education here in the US. obviously in developing countries like india and china things are much different. 

i am fully aware of how indian and chinese govts are pushing initiatives to compete with kids in the US just as i am fully aware of the US govt pushing lame initiatives to cripple education.


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## btarunr (Jul 23, 2010)

Easy Rhino said:


> personally i can not fathom how a glorified ipod touch is going to help the rural citizen of india get a better education. it seems to me to be a very short to solution to a long term problem.



The rural kid is going to attend e-classes (schools in which classes from cities are streamed live onto plasma screens), replay those classes on the Sakshat, read books from e-libraries (for free), doesn't that make things better?

For you something like a tablet PC or iPad is probably just a fancy leisure gadget. But when all its functions are put to productive use, a tablet PC is a very powerful tool.


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 23, 2010)

btarunr said:


> Yes it will. 70% of our population is rural. That's nearly 750 million people. If their children can get better education, access to new books (as e-books), access to resources on the internet, yes it's going to change the course of education in India.



Most of those areas don't have power or drinkable running water. How would they charge it? Is it solar? 

I think food, clean running water, and a safe structurally sound place to stay would come first though right? To pay off debts people still sell there wives and children. That cannot be solved with a tablet PC. 

To those it may concern:

Also you cannot say India has a better education system than the USA or even remotely close and not be just ignorant or trolling.

Work through the numbers from the CIA:

India spends 3.2% of its   $3.56 trillion GDP educating up to 1,173,108,018 people. 
USA spends  5.3% of its $14.26 trillion GDP educating up to    310,232,863 people.


I believe the best way to help India is to control its population growth as effectively as China. Then they can begin to prosper and have that kind of growth that China is having. Of course they need to fight their problems with corruption too but that has to be solved by other means. I have many friends from western India in the business community here. They fled religious persecution in India. Christians aren't exactly safe there.


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## btarunr (Jul 23, 2010)

DaedalusHelios said:


> Most of those areas don't have power or drinkable running water. How would they charge it? Is it solar?



It's not "most" anymore. In the places that do have drinkable running water and electricity, sakshat will make its way. 

India is adding 20,000 MW of power generation in the next 5 years, and spending billions on irrigation. 



DaedalusHelios said:


> I think food, clean running water, and a safe structurally sound place to stay would come first though right?



Yes, government initiatives to give the cheapest food (Rs 1 per kg of rice), free housing are already in progress, Sakshat is running parallel to those development initiatives.



DaedalusHelios said:


> To pay off debts people still sell there wives and children. That cannot be solved with a tablet PC.



That's a typical first-world statement. "How can you do x when there are people starving?" Well we're feeding them and educating them in tandem.


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## n-ster (Jul 23, 2010)

You don't want to educate the absolute poor, those children are already working, might not be able to read, and have no electricity... They aren't the future, they have no real knowledge... No, they are targeting the 'mid-class' of Indian (which easily falls into the poor in the western society)

They would actually have a little education, can afford 30$ for their child AND make them not work, have electricity and food...

remember, at under 1$ a day, 30~35$ is over a month's salary... Plus the time that your child is not working, + electricity costs... It would not be feasible for them


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## btarunr (Jul 23, 2010)

DaedalusHelios said:


> India spends 3.2% of its   $3.56 trillion GDP educating up to 1,173,108,018 people.
> USA spends  5.3% of its $14.26 trillion GDP educating up to    310,232,863 people.



A 300-page college ruled notebook costs $0.10 in India, a ballpoint pen that lasts decently long costs $0.05, etc. What does it cost in the US? By now you must already be feeling stupid for comparing two totally different economies like that.


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 23, 2010)

i dont know... there are so many problems in india it is hard to see an initiative like this one do any real good. i could be completely wrong but considering india's financial situation this investment seems very risky.


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## btarunr (Jul 23, 2010)

DaedalusHelios said:


> I believe the best way to help India is to control its population growth as effectively as China. Then they can begin to prosper and have that kind of growth that China is having. Of course they need to fight their problems with corruption too but that has to be solved by other means. I have many friends from western India in the business community here that fled religious persecution in India. Christians aren't exactly safe there.



I will not allow this discussion to become a general India-rant.



Easy Rhino said:


> i dont know... there are so many problems in india it is hard to see an initiative like this one do any real good. i could be completely wrong but considering india's financial situation this investment seems very risky.



Yes, there are many problems in India _and_ they're being addressed in tandem.


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## Completely Bonkers (Jul 23, 2010)

I'm not defending the Indian education system, or belittling the US one; I know very little about either, but:

The amount of money per child, or the salary per teacher, or the cost of books, or the cost of security, or rent and redecoration of classrooms, or the medical bills, or the expensive training courses for teachers, or the the cost of building new schools and paying off fat developers, or the cost of supervisory boards, and the salaries of school inspectors, and the cost of equipment, use of power, cost of having a gardener keeping those beautiful lawns trimmed, has NOTHING to do with the *QUALITY* OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.

Someone might argue that if the USA spends more than anyone else on education, it is only because it is the least efficient. Perhaps through making the school system more efficient, taxpayers money can be saved or used for other community needs such as health and wellfare?

By the way, why not take those CIA numbers and look at some ratios, like divide by the cost of the average hot meal, or bottle of water, or average salary of an office worker. It will give a better impression of relative cost to the average person.


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## n-ster (Jul 23, 2010)

I doubt India needs a 1 child per family or else thing lol.... That's just ridiculous

Corruption isn't that bad in India as it was 20 years ago... actually, it isn't bad, therefore not much of an issue. If there was much of a Corruption issue, the gov. couldn't have put so many programs in place.

Christians, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu and Muslims are all 'safe' in India lol... Only in rural communities can it get bad, but a businessman would definitively be at home in India. Just like 'Caucasians' are not 'safe' in poor Ghettos of the South... You don't have to go to the other end of the world, just move out of the freaking ghetto


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 23, 2010)

btarunr said:


> I will not allow this discussion to become a general India-rant.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, there are many problems in India _and_ they're being addressed in tandem.



well it is one thing to address problems and another to solve them.


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## btarunr (Jul 23, 2010)

Easy Rhino said:


> well it is one thing to address problems and another to solve them.



No government in the world can solve problems, it can only address them.


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 23, 2010)

btarunr said:


> No government in the world can solve problems, it can only address them.



i could not agree more.


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 23, 2010)

btarunr said:


> A 300-page college ruled notebook costs $0.10 in India, a ballpoint pen that lasts decently long costs $0.05, etc. What does it cost in the US?* By now you must already be feeling stupid for comparing two totally different economies like that.*



I just thought while we are working on numbers I would simplify it a little.

 3,560,000,000,000 x .032= $113,920,000,000 spent on up to 1,173,108,018 people in India
14,260,000,000,000 x .053= $755,780,000,000 spent on up to 310,232,863 people in the USA

Not to mention the average age is younger in India than in the USA which increases the possibility of pulling from that pull of funds and spreading it thinner.

A good portion of modern schooling in the USA is now done online so paper and pens are not used but for a portion of classes. I don't feel stupid BTW. I am working on completing two engineering degree programs while working in the USA. 

I don't blindly defend my country's image. If it fails to accomplish something, I am open to discussing ways we can work together to improve it. You have the power to change more in your community than I do since you are in your country's upper class.


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## btarunr (Jul 23, 2010)

DaedalusHelios said:


> I just thought while we are working on numbers I would simplify it a little.
> 
> 3,560,000,000,000 x .032= $113,920,000,000 spent on up to 1,173,108,018 people in India
> 14,260,000,000,000 x .053= $755,780,000,000 spent on up to 310,232,863 people in the USA
> ...



Nah, that still is an apples-oranges comparison.

Initiatives such as this and the Right to Education Act 2010 make sure Indians can do the same (work, study, earn more degrees). 

I don't blindly defend my country's image, either. Right now it's far better than what you're making it out to be (or at least want to make it out to be). 

You can start learning about how education is making India competitive from here: 






http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom...ufacturing Competitiveness Index_06_28_10.pdf

Manufacturing is every economy's biggest sector (propels economy the fastest), so manufacturing competitiveness can be extrapolated on the economy's competitiveness for growth projections.


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 23, 2010)

btarunr said:


> Nah, that still is an apples-oranges comparison.
> 
> Initiatives such as this and the Right to Education Act 2010 make sure Indians can do the same (work, study, earn more degrees).
> 
> ...





*TBH that is the only strong point for India. Where it is headed from outsourcing and not how people are provided for. It works as an equilibrium. As soon as living conditions are better and people require a better wage that outsourcing will leave and move to the next horribly desperate patch of civilization that bends to the will of its oppressors. *

Cheap labor and an uneducated mass of people are always used as the "work horses" of developing nations in manufacturing. Is it because the people doing assembly line work are all educated. No. Education would make for a heavily automated manufacturing sector. Globalization and outsourcing create an equilibrium effect. The horribly desperate work force of a developing nation works for cheaper than those of a developed nation that provides well for its citizens. TBH with how service oriented the USA is, I am surprised to see them that high on the list. I guess that is just from expensive pens and notebooks. 

A great measure of if a place is a good place to live or not is also wealth distribution and standard of living. Literacy rate is important but many developing country's skew that number as much as possible.


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## n-ster (Jul 23, 2010)

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

GOOD REPUTATION UNIVERSITIES

THE AMERICAN DREAM

common, I know USA isn't perfect but it isn't that bad...


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## btarunr (Jul 23, 2010)

DaedalusHelios said:


> Cheap labor and an uneducated mass of people are always used as the "work horses" of developing nations in manufacturing. Is it because the people doing assembly line work are all educated. No. Education would make for a heavily automated manufacturing sector. Globalization and outsourcing create an equilibrium effect. The horribly desperate work force of a developing nation works for cheaper than those of a developed nation that provides well for its citizens. TBH with how service oriented the USA is, I am surprised to see them that high on the list. I guess that is just from expensive pens and notebooks.



It is evident that you did not bother to read that report before coming up with that. 

I'll just quote the "India" (on why it's #2) text for you:



> *India*
> Perhaps more surprising is that India is now positioned at number two—and gaining an even stronger foothold on that position over the next five years.* India’s rich talent pool of scientists, researchers, and engineers as well as its large, well-educated English-speaking workforce and democratic regime make it an attractive destination for manufacturers*. Since the mid-1990s, India’s software industry has escalated to new heights and post-economic liberation has also opened a pathway to unprecedented market opportunities for Indian manufacturing. Moreover, *beyond low-cost, Indian manufacturers gained experience in quality improvement and Japanese principles of quality management, with the largest number of Deming Award winners outside of Japan*.19 The country is also rapidly expanding its capabilities in engineering design and development and embedded software development, which form an integral part of many modern-day manufactured products.20 The importance of India to manufacturing executives around the world underscores two important points.
> 
> *First, strength in research and development— paired with engineering, software, and technology integration abilities—are viewed by global executives as a vital element of the talent-driven and innovative manufacturing enterprise of the 21st century. Second, manufacturing executives increasingly view India as a place where they can design, develop and manufacture innovative products for sale in local as well as in global markets.21* These factors explain, in part, India’s rise from a low-cost, “back office” location to a country that is well-positioned to be an active participant in the entire value chain—as well as it now being viewed by many executives as an integral part of their global manufacturing enterprise
> and location strategy.


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 23, 2010)

so long as america and the rest of the western world outsource labor to india and china they will continue to see their manufacturing base grow and thus their economy. but as these developing asian countries become educated the cost of their labor will increase making them less competitive. and if the USA continues this great recession than they can count on us even less to buy their stuff and to bring them jobs.


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 23, 2010)

btarunr said:


> It is evident that you did not bother to read that report before coming up with that.
> 
> I'll just quote the "India" (on why it's #2) text for you:



I addressed it in my edit above your post. I make long revisions. Sorry. 

It used to be imperialism and now it is outsourcing capitalism. For extreme examples of my equilibrium effect read about how Nike creates factories and pulls out of impoverished nations. It is evil how they let them starve when they pull out but that is what India will face one day if they don't focus on having a more self sustaining economy. If they suddenly had no trade with other countries there would be a mass starvation as an extreme example. But if they effectively curbed their population growth it might not even be an issue. With current trends at a population growth rate of 1.376% and a population of 1,173,108,018 people in 2010.


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## btarunr (Jul 23, 2010)

DaedalusHelios said:


> TBH that is the only strong point for India. Where it is headed from outsourcing and not how people are provided for. It works as an equilibrium. As soon as living conditions are better and people require a better wage that outsourcing will leave and move to the next horribly desperate patch of civilization that bends to the will of its oppressors.



There is an elementary difference between Chinese manufacturing and Indian. If foreign manufacturers walk out of China, that will badly damage its economy, because a large chunk of its GDP relies on exports. Whereas, India's domestic consumption is strong enough to keep the economy's dependence on exports low. Exports don't contribute to the GDP as much as it does for China. Which is why you're more likely to come across ISRO sending missions to the moon even as first-world rants that we have people to feed.

You can refer to IMF's global cumulative current account figures for that.


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 23, 2010)

btarunr said:


> There is an elementary difference between Chinese manufacturing and Indian. If foreign manufacturers walk out of China, that will badly damage its economy, because a large chunk of its GDP relies on exports. Whereas, India's domestic consumption is strong enough to keep the economy's dependence on exports low. Exports don't contribute to the GDP as much as it does for China. Which is why you're more likely to come across ISRO sending missions to the moon even as first-world rants that we have people to feed.
> 
> You can refer to IMF's global cumulative current account figures for that.




It is true that people in the first world value feeding the poor over making trips to the moon. 

The major two problems for China is pollution and feeding its populous. Its population growth is controlled and its need to feed such a large population can be completely covered by its investment in South America. The Transoceanic Highway is set to make buying food and trading with South America easier and China is set to use that as its "bread basket". So the only serious problem I see them facing is pollution but I don't have a solution for that other than better waste disposal methods in manufacturing.

How will India feed its populous and curb its population growth? I haven't seen any feasible plans on that subject. Have you? That is why I was wondering why they put effort into subsidizing this handheld device when those other impending problems seemingly aren't being addressed adequately. Maybe you can shed some light on that subject?


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## eidairaman1 (Jul 24, 2010)

thats gonna put a hole in Apples IPad sales


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 24, 2010)

eidairaman1 said:


> thats gonna put a hole in Apples IPad sales



haha no it wont. those are going to people in india who could in no way ever afford an ipad.


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## eidairaman1 (Jul 24, 2010)

ipad is not worth it to me.


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 24, 2010)

eidairaman1 said:


> thats gonna put a hole in Apples IPad sales





Easy Rhino said:


> haha no it wont. those are going to people in india who could in no way ever afford an ipad.





eidairaman1 said:


> ipad is not worth it to me.



 You guys are hilarious.


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## WhiteLotus (Jul 24, 2010)

What the hell happened here?

Is this truly a case of complete and utter sour lemons behind a very thin veil of Envy? Honestly, for shame on some people here, ridiculing a country's program to educate the masses because they themselves can't do it. Honestly, for shame.


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 24, 2010)

WhiteLotus said:


> What the hell happened here?
> 
> Is this truly a case of complete and utter sour lemons behind a very thin veil of Envy? Honestly, for shame on some people here, ridiculing a country's program to educate the masses because they themselves can't do it. Honestly, for shame.



neither sour lemons nor envy on my behalf. i simply think the program will not work.


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## eidairaman1 (Jul 24, 2010)

makes me wonder how many kids in india are in school compared to those of the US, japan, China, UK, Russia, Korea


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 24, 2010)

WhiteLotus said:


> What the hell happened here?
> 
> Is this truly a case of complete and utter sour lemons behind a very thin veil of Envy? Honestly, for shame on some people here, ridiculing a country's program to educate the masses because they themselves can't do it. Honestly, for shame.



What are you talking about? Online course material and cloud computing versus feeding and caring for the poor first. It is a debate about strategy in a developing country. Not comprehending the discussion and claiming shame on others? A little dramatic there buddy.


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## n-ster (Jul 24, 2010)

education leads to better lives, more money and better ways to get food anyways


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## n-ster (Jul 24, 2010)

WIKIPEDIA SAYS IT CAN BE RECHARGED WITH SOLAR POWER !!!  man the gov. pays alot per unit lol

omg apparently 2 Watts only  this would be awesome to have lol


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## WhiteLotus (Jul 24, 2010)

Erm, I honestly think you guys have no idea how valuable this project will be to the average Indian, and that you don't realise that India is NOT the west. 

You want to decrease the poor, educate them. What's the saying, give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach him how to fish and he'll eat for a life time. Or what ever it is.

This project a) educates the masses, and b) help reduce the number of poor.

And the definition of poor is different in India, just because they don't have a huge truck to drive them to and from their half acre house with 45 inch plasma tv and top of the range PC, XBOX does not make them poor.

Well done to the Indian government to produce such a powerful tool, I look forward to the day when they over take the west in terms of economic prowess.


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 24, 2010)

n-ster said:


> education leads to better lives, more money and better ways to get food anyways



No education works fast enough to properly feed, provide shelter and cure desease in a timely fashion. You rely on institutions for that first when you have 1 billion people to take care of. Poverty is a huge problem over there and developing a skilled workforce the size of India's population could solve just about any problem. But providing them the means to survive is more important first IMO. What use is an educated dead person? Also the investment is lost if they die from bad living conditions or don't receive the nutrients vital to brain development and so on.


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## Rakesh95 (Jul 24, 2010)

WhiteLotus said:


> Erm, I honestly think you guys have no idea how valuable this project will be to the average Indian, and that you don't realise that India is NOT the west.
> 
> You want to decrease the poor, educate them. What's the saying, give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach him how to fish and he'll eat for a life time. Or what ever it is.
> 
> ...



Really well said dude, if they can be educated to their full potential then that will probably mean a better future for him and his family. Of course food and water is another issue but the Indian government are also addressing these issues as well.

I don't think we need to be sharing numbers and figures here either, its just a goverment taking a very good initiative to help brighten the future of India. I dont live in India but i do go there every now and then and we should also remember.... this is TPU, so we cant just conclude that India isnt doing anything else for the poor.. Just my opinion.


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## n-ster (Jul 24, 2010)

DaedalusHelios said:


> No education works fast enough to properly feed, provide shelter and cure desease in a timely fashion. You rely on institutions for that first when you have 1 billion people to take care of. Poverty is a huge problem over there and developing a skilled workforce the size of India's population could solve just about any problem. But providing them the means to survive is more important first IMO. What use is an educated dead person? Also the investment is lost if they die from bad living conditions or don't receive the nutrients vital to brain development and so on.



you talk as if there were no measures taken atm!

there are and this is one of them... This might keep the smart indians from leaving India

and imagine how much you can learn with this device... Prices in India are low enough to be able to live if all you family is healthy, now if the father is sick... That is another story


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 24, 2010)

WhiteLotus said:


> Erm, I honestly think you guys have no idea how valuable this project will be to the average Indian, and that you don't realise that India is NOT the west.
> 
> You want to decrease the poor, educate them. What's the saying, give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach him how to fish and he'll eat for a life time. Or what ever it is.
> 
> ...



 Yeah man totally! I don't know what I was thinking. They are gonna have flying solar cars in two years with this thing. 

Your blind idealism for the developing world doesn't take into account the real world problems they face. Saying it doesn't make them poor because they don't have item XXXX is ridiculous and ignorant. I won't address that statement anymore as it drags the discussion into extreme liberal fantasy. It is one thing to be open minded, but it is another to miss the forest for the trees.


We are talking about survival. Have you even read anything about developing countries in regards to:

1. Clean running water
2. Electricity
3. Safe secure place to live that protects you from the elements
4. Pollution levels low enough to not cause ailments in the populous from exposure(technically even the first world has issues with this in select areas)

^^ All of which are not solved by a $10 tablet PC. It is a nice gesture but to make such bold statements you may need to check your hormone levels.


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## Rakesh95 (Jul 24, 2010)

Easy Rhino said:


> haha no it wont. those are going to people in india who could in no way ever afford an ipad.



Thats something I never would have said......I think many many people have the wrong picture of India. Poverty seems to dominate a lot with people. Take a look at the other side People!!!. 

The only reason that people might not buy an Ipad in India is that they dont require it.... Simply put indians have different priorities. I can tell, because I am one


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 24, 2010)

Rakesh95 said:


> Thats something I never would have said......I think many many people have the wrong picture of India. Poverty seems to dominate a lot with people. Take a look at the other side People!!!.
> 
> The only reason that people might not buy an Ipad in India is that they dont require it.... Simply put indians have different priorities. I can tell, because I am one



India has a per capita GDP of $3,100 last time I checked.

Not all Indians are below the poverty line. CIA estimates that roughly 25% of the Indian population lives below the poverty line as of 2007. Below poverty line does by its definition mean very poor. That means 75% are above the poverty line which is a much more positive estimation than most sources make. I am almost 100% sure all Indians that frequent this site are within that upper 75% closer to the top.


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## n-ster (Jul 24, 2010)

2$ / day working 12hours / day is above poverty line..

therefore 17 cents / hr is not under the poverty line


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## Easy Rhino (Jul 24, 2010)

Rakesh95 said:


> Thats something I never would have said......I think many many people have the wrong picture of India. Poverty seems to dominate a lot with people. Take a look at the other side People!!!.
> 
> The only reason that people might not buy an Ipad in India is that they dont require it.... Simply put indians have different priorities. I can tell, because I am one



these are going to the rural poor not the urban rich. they literally cannot afford an ipad.


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## n-ster (Jul 24, 2010)

They could barely afford the 35$ luxury... and their children would have to work less/ not at all...

If 35$ is a month's salary, an ipad is over 1 year salary


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## Rakesh95 (Jul 24, 2010)

Easy Rhino said:


> these are going to the rural poor not the urban rich. they literally cannot afford an ipad.



Alright cool, cool.

Just for clarification, Im 15 and I live in Aus lol. I go to india every 3 years. That should explain why my english is a bit simple


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## Depth (Jul 24, 2010)

Just finished laughing my arse off reading all the comments in the voice of Apu from the Simpsons.


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## wahdangun (Jul 24, 2010)

btarunr said:


> Distribution already started.



if it true then its good news for my indian friend(we indonesian feel deep connection with india)


btw for someone saying this "glorified iPhone" is useless, i think you are wrong. just look at indonesia, after several years our internet is suck and expensive  but now after its become cheap and now we can afford cheap computer just look at us, its really revolutionize our society, right now even a 4 years old boy can operate computer and playing games  online, its really do have significant effect, but  some how its turn out that the adult can't compete with the chid and they become more tech savvy, its rally odd phenomenon


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## btarunr (Jul 24, 2010)

DaedalusHelios said:


> It is true that people in the first world value feeding the poor over making trips to the moon.



Oh right...which is why people like you in the US are so opposed to socialized healthcare (don't you value people's basic health over making trips to the moon)? 



DaedalusHelios said:


> What are you talking about? Online course material and cloud computing versus feeding and caring for the poor first.



"omgz you can do that! you have people to feed!" that's the typical first-world sour lemons reponse Whitelotus was pointing out. 

Yes we have people to feed, yes we're addressing poverty, and yes we're addressing illiteracy (with programs such as this). It all works in tandem. 



DaedalusHelios said:


> It is a debate about strategy in a developing country.



Yeah, and it's this strategy exactly that works: feeding/housing the poor and investing in their children.



Easy Rhino said:


> neither sour lemons nor envy on my behalf. i simply think the program will not work.



Just because it doesn't work in the US doesn't mean it won't work here. For American kids devices such as iPads are more of a toy that is hard to take seriously. For kids here it is necessity. Hence it will work.


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## n-ster (Jul 24, 2010)

not necessity, powerful educational tool is a better word


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## Scrizz (Jul 24, 2010)

Wow, some of these comments.
Is it better to sit idle and not do anything to help your people.
I find that what India is doing is great.
Taking an initiative and trying to better their countries education.
We cannot measure a country with the same ruler we measure our own.
Every country is different and has it's own needs.
Different cultures have different mentalities, different customs, etc.
You can't bring in more teachers and schools, if you don't have a pool of eligible candidates.
No one can that this will fail.
Even if a small percentage of the kids actually become educated, then it was worth it.


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## mafia97 (Jul 24, 2010)

i m a student in india ,education is so cheap here that poor ppl can also get literate
plus there is kota for most backward and poor ppl through which they can get admissions in top colleges at a very less fee
and this program further helps the poor to gain education
and to the person who said indian villages dont have tvs,villages do have tvs in the panchayat halls where every person from village can watch tv anytime


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## 95Viper (Jul 24, 2010)

I think it is great what they are doing, more power to 'em.
I thought this was a tech thread about news of a Tablet PC being used in India, not a GN thread about education funding in various countries.

Going slightly off-topic...
We do the same in America, they gave students here macbooks(their mistake, but that is for another forum) at a subsidized rate.  It works for the students who want to benefit from it; and not, for those who don't.  It is up to the individual to better themselves.  Like the saying goes, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink".  Just my opinion.


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 24, 2010)

btarunr said:


> 1. Oh right...which is why people like you in the US are so opposed to socialized healthcare (don't you value people's basic health over making trips to the moon)?
> 
> 
> 
> ...




1. I would say that is irrelevant. _The USA made trips to the moon before socialized healthcare was even needed here._ We were prosperous to the point that pensions covered full medical benefits here. I don't blame you for not knowing that. That was before the dismantling of a large section of our industrial sector during the Reagan years when the trend away from pensions had begun. Followed by the healthcare system being deregulated by Nixon if I remember correctly. That caused the proposed need 50 years later. We spend enough on the military to cover healthcare worldwide, although I am not saying that would be a better use of funds. 

USA socialized healthcare is a step in the right direction right now IMO but that is subjective as to policy and what side of the aisle you are on over here. India has a more socialistic design overall but fails hard when trying to provide.  If you feel otherwise then perhaps you haven't spent much time with the untouchables of your country in the shanty towns. You know its a problem. I am saying the money is better spent on other things. The device is subsidized.

2. Sour lemons you say? Is it stereotypical nationalism on your part? In what way would it be sour lemons? If by jealousy, do you think the USA can't afford cheap tablets from the third world with the largest GDP to work with? I wouldn't be jealous of a third world country that has a quarter of its populous live like the middle ages. *Seriously man, if a proposal of a difference in strategy makes you think I am jealous you will never see straight on any criticism of your country.* Take it as strategic advice. Answer it with how those funds are best spent in that segment rather than what I thought they would be best spent on. Why is your defense always about how it is "typical first world response"? How about explaining why it isn't the case? I don't think you really can. We don't know its long term effectiveness until the results are collected many years later.

A stereotypical first world response would actually be something along the lines of congratualations because to be honest most could care less about India. Most people know only what they have seen in movies regarding India. Its ignorance honestly. But I have read many articles/studies from many sources over many years regarding the developing world. I also have heard first hand from people who have left India to immigrate here. Therefore I proposed a different management of funds. 

3. I was making the assertion of a little less "$10 device". A little more food/water/shelter. Once again, it is a strategy. 

4. They work well as supplemental material/devices. The USA spends a good amount on interactive educational material. I had first seen it in classrooms in the early 90's but it might have been around longer. I believe the program India is proposing has to make a difference with that much momentum behind it. But I was just making the assertion that the funds are better spent elsewhere building up its infrastructure. Once again it is strategy suggestion, all emotional Brits and nationalism aside.


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## WhiteLotus (Jul 24, 2010)

Building up it's infrastructure with what educated workforce? Teach a guy in some rural town that he can dig a well to get water, and viola, they now have clean water, irrigation for crops, crop rotation, better harvesting techniques etc etc etc.

The reason why this WILL work is that the people in India are different to the people in the West. The west don't know how good they've got it so would laugh at this idea and then turn around and say "hey teach, wherz ma ipadz?" The people in India that will get this are the kind of people that KNOW they don't have everything, the ones that will do anything to work to make it better, to get the extra bit of money at the end of the day to go home and buy a better bed or whatever. Isn't that the American way of doing things anyway, working for everything...

This is just a tool to let some hundreds of thousands of people to do it all at once. An educated workforce can do a lot more than an uneducated one, to build that infrastructure quicker and cheaper.


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 24, 2010)

WhiteLotus said:


> 1. Building up it's infrastructure with what educated workforce? Teach a guy in some rural town that he can dig a well to get water, and viola, they now have clean water, irrigation for crops, crop rotation, better harvesting techniques etc etc etc.
> 
> 2. The reason why this WILL work is that the people in India are different to the people in the West. The west don't know how good they've got it so would laugh at this idea and then turn around and say "hey teach, wherz ma ipadz?" The people in India that will get this are the kind of people that KNOW they don't have everything, the ones that will do anything to work to make it better, to get the extra bit of money at the end of the day to go home and buy a better bed or whatever. Isn't that the American way of doing things anyway, working for everything...
> 
> 3. This is just a tool to let some hundreds of thousands of people to do it all at once. An educated workforce can do a lot more than an uneducated one, to build that infrastructure quicker and cheaper.



1. You are assuming they had no access to this knowledge previously to do those things. Do you think the device is an endless well of knowledge to a completely incapable workforce? You know books came before computers right?

2. You think adversity makes everyone in India smarter and harder workers than the rest of the world? They are people just like anywhere else. That has nothing to do with management of funds in India or poorly abbreviated text regarding ipads.

3. Once again before this device they used books. They still have books. Everything you do learning on a trinket in general education can be done by reading...... you guessed it, books.


PS. I am sorry if that seems simplistic but course material delivered electronically has very little difference than reading from an actual book. Video content is nice as supplemental material but the for the most part photos found in textbooks can illustrate it just as well. Also how long will they last? I am thinking later revisions may address early issues they may face with this device though.


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## WhiteLotus (Jul 24, 2010)

So wait if it was millions of books being distributed you would have no problem with this but because it's a glorified e-reader you do?


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 24, 2010)

WhiteLotus said:


> So wait if it was millions of books being distributed you would have no problem with this but because it's a glorified e-reader you do?



They already have books. Books have been around in classrooms in India for quite some time. It isn't just an e-reader, it can play basic video clips supposedly.


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## btarunr (Jul 24, 2010)

lol the past few posts. If it makes you feel any better, "you won, horray!". I couldn't be bothered anymore about this sub-discussion which descended from talking about a gadget that is intended to make things better, into a blatant "holier than thou" brown-nosing from some armchair-Nobel laureate who thinks he knows how to run a country.


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## Depth (Jul 24, 2010)

Do you have any idea of how many books one tablet pc can access? Any idea of what it would cost to print and distribute 30 of each book to each class of an entire nation?

Books, plural, have not been part of classrooms. Classrooms in poverty stricken areas have _the classroom book_.


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## btarunr (Jul 24, 2010)

Depth said:


> Do you have any idea of how many books one tablet pc can access? Any idea of what it would cost to print and distribute 30 of each book to each class of an entire nation?
> 
> Books, plural, have not been part of classrooms. Classrooms in poverty stricken areas have _the classroom book_.



Yes that's the plan. Books will be distributed as .pdf to reduce the overall costs of printing and distributing physical books. Classes will be live-streamed across schools so faculty-deficit will be made-up.


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## Depth (Jul 24, 2010)

बंदर क्या जाने अदरक का स्वाद ।


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## Triprift (Jul 24, 2010)

Considering the specs thats amzingly cheap.

Good on India with this which can only benifit future generations of there kids.


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## Rakesh95 (Jul 24, 2010)

lol 100th reply,

How many replies actually have anything to do with the tablet itself.


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## WhiteLotus (Jul 24, 2010)

I would love to get my hands on one of these to be honest.


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## Rakesh95 (Jul 24, 2010)

WhiteLotus said:


> I would love to get my hands on one of these to be honest.



Yeah me too, but I think its only for Indian Students, government is paying for most of it so they would probably keep it on their shores. But only time will tell, I still cant get my head around how they will sell this so damn cheap.

If only all governments were the same haha


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## WhiteLotus (Jul 24, 2010)

Yea probably true there, be very hard to find one of these outside the country. Being made so cheap could be because they are so basic, and they are mass producing them, so costs are kept low.

Kinda has made me interested in buying one though... <goes off to find one>


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## Rakesh95 (Jul 24, 2010)

WhiteLotus said:


> Yea probably true there, be very hard to find one of these outside the country. Being made so cheap could be because they are so basic, and they are mass producing them, so costs are kept low.
> 
> Kinda has made me interested in buying one though... <goes off to find one>



Come to think of it, im going to India this November. GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY!! i would review it as well


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## WhiteLotus (Jul 24, 2010)

Rakesh95 said:


> Come to think of it, im going to India this November. GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY!! i would review it as well



See if you can snag a couple!


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## Rakesh95 (Jul 24, 2010)

WhiteLotus said:


> See if you can snag a couple!



Haha yeah, two gigs of memory is quite large for a device that basic don't you think? What speed would it be???


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## WhiteLotus (Jul 24, 2010)

No idea, but it doesn't need to be fast if all it's doing is showing some words on a little screen.


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## n-ster (Jul 24, 2010)

I wonder if people will sell it on ebay soon!

btw, bta, don't take that debate between you 2 personal! Just chill


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 24, 2010)

btarunr said:


> lol the past few posts. If it makes you feel any better, "you won, horray!". I couldn't be bothered anymore about this sub-discussion which descended from talking about a gadget that is intended to make things better, into a blatant "holier than thou" brown-nosing from some armchair-Nobel laureate who thinks he knows how to run a country.



That could be said about anyone who questions a governmental decision. Get nasty with me if you want. I am sure attacking those who don't agree with you is easier than defending your views. I explained in detail my reasoning. You sound like democracy isn't what you believe in. In a democracy, strategy and funding decisions are always discussed by the populous to some degree. Any outside views are welcomed, discussed, and debated to figure out what approach is best. "holier than thou" would be to dismiss all other proposals as a bunch of "armchair-Nobel laureates who think they know how to run a country". Get some perspective.

For those who want to get technical you could substitute the word democracy with republic.


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## Black Haru (Jul 24, 2010)

my 2 cents:

I think this is an excellent idea. I have personal experience with "one to one computing" and I think it's a good concept. 

however, I must also add that in my experience, implementing something like this is  a momentous task. my school decided to distribute laptops to every senior (12th grade) they chose the HP elite book (and claim to have spent a total of around $1100 on each one; a total of over 600 were bought) this particular computer was a POS. flimsy and slow, there was never a time when at least 2 students PER CLASS had a broken one (classes averaged under 25 students). I admit that this is in large part due to the fact that these are high school students, however, I myself had many issues both with hardware and software (and I know how to treat a computer). cheating was also rampant (eventually the school spent 30,000 to license a security software, it didn't help).

sorry for the rant. in short, decisions are made too far up in the system without consulting those who are actually required to implement them.


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## btarunr (Jul 24, 2010)

DaedalusHelios said:


> That could be said about anyone who questions a governmental decision. Get nasty with me if you want. I am sure attacking those who don't agree with you is easier than defending your views. I explained in detail my reasoning. You sound like democracy isn't what you believe in. In a democracy, strategy and funding decisions are always discussed by the populous to some degree. Any outside views are welcomed, discussed, and debated to figure out what approach is best. "holier than thou" would be to dismiss all other proposals as a bunch of "armchair-Nobel laureates who think they know how to run a country". Get some perspective.)



Likewise, get some perspective. No two socioeconomic systems are alike, and norms and standards of no two systems are comparable, hence your way of thinking cannot be applied here, nor can it be used to approve or disapprove of something perfectly. 

Think of inclusive development as a bit-torrent download of multiple files (different parts of the society which need development). The size of each "piece" is constant, think of that as budget allocation. So with the client running, pieces are filling up each of the files in tandem, so by the time certain development targets are reached (download complete), the society is able to function in a meaningful manner with all its resources (files) in place.

Likewise, an inclusive development model ensures that money is allocated to various aspects of social upliftment, so that by the time certain targets are reached, the society is able to function in an optimal manner that propels economic growth. Just as there are programmes that subsidize food and fuel, there are programmes that look after housing, programmes that guarantee employment, programmes which guarantee education, and so on. Sakshat is just a component of one of the countless programmes that are already being executed, so it's not that the government is distributing tablet PCs at the expense of someone who's starving. To the government, in the long run, it's cheaper to maintain the Sakshat infrastructure than printing and distribution of physical books (which are qualitatively and quantitatively limited), and balancing faculty-deficits. This way the government will be uplifting populations (at varied rates), much more effectively than doing things in a more or less serial order (like a Communist state). Meanwhile, those educated will be able to qualify as skilled human resources, which will contribute to the economy much more constructively. 

Of course that is a very thin band where there can be differences in perception of effective means for governance. Beyond that band, our systems are identical. India is a federal republic that practices parliamentary democracy.


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## El_Mayo (Jul 25, 2010)

Wait.. how are they able to produce these and sell them at $10?
Surely that's a crazy loss on each one?


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## n-ster (Jul 25, 2010)

Yes it is... and atm its 35$

thing is that 35$ is alot for people who do ~1$/ day


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## WhiteLotus (Jul 25, 2010)

n-ster said:


> Yes it is... and atm its 35$
> 
> thing is that 35$ is alot for people who do ~1$/ day



Did read somewhere that eventually the cost will be reduced to £6, yes that's SIX Great British Pounds.


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## n-ster (Jul 25, 2010)

yea 10$, but 10$ is still 1-2 weeks pay xD

but it is just an estimate and timeline is uncertain


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## Rakesh95 (Jul 26, 2010)

n-ster said:


> yea 10$, but 10$ is still 1-2 weeks pay xD
> 
> but it is just an estimate and timeline is uncertain



Id like to know if we are speaking true figures or if we are just guessing lol. We have to understand that India is big.. in population. There are many many many (hope you get my point) places that can benefit from this, we don't have to think about just the extremely poor people. There are families in India that live a normal life, school, food, a home, a motor bike, but cant afford to spend their money on a computer... Just broaden your thinking.


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 26, 2010)

n-ster said:


> yea 10$, but 10$ is still 1-2 weeks pay xD
> 
> but it is just an estimate and timeline is uncertain



I would say about half of their population could afford it without any trouble. That is very roughly 575 million people. Larger than the population of the USA. Those aren't all school age of course, but you see what I am saying. If it works and they continue the program for all children it will be hard to meet the demand TBH.

Most analysis of the program from objective sources say the point of the device is to help build India's growing middle class.


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## caleb (Jul 27, 2010)

50-100 million pieces lol. 
I love the numbers in Asia if India and China would start a War vs rest of the world it would be ~50% vs ~50% in population volume


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 27, 2010)

caleb said:


> 50-100 million pieces lol.
> I love the numbers in Asia if India and China would start a War vs rest of the world it would be ~50% vs ~50% in population volume



Those two are rivals so I would highly doubt it. But if they fought each other it would be quite a spectacle of old military tech.


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## WhiteLotus (Jul 27, 2010)

DaedalusHelios said:


> Those two are rivals so I would highly doubt it. But if they fought each other it would be quite a spectacle of old military tech.



Regardless of "old" tech, it would still be an utter bloodbath.


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## DaedalusHelios (Jul 27, 2010)

WhiteLotus said:


> Regardless of "old" tech, it would still be an utter bloodbath.



I don't even think the USA would take sides. We have better diplomatic relations with India, yet China is our favored trading partner.


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## DaMulta (Jul 28, 2010)

I-pad ROFL


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## n-ster (Jul 29, 2010)

While people might not know this, there are quite a few "rich" people in India, not everyone is poor. The total AVERAGE salary, whether rich or poor, comes around 60$/month, 66$ according to 2009 figures from some websites. That's about 2$/day, don't forget that the rich get about 5000$+/month and the upper-mid class is about 1000$ +/month ! The middle class ranges from about 200-2000$ and most get about 300$/month
I'm guessing these figures are excluding taxes, not sure how that works

Take all this into account, and realize that most live with salaries between 0.75$ and 1.50$ per day, or 5-15$ /per week, you can easily see that 35$ is still high for most of them, while 10$ is only about 1 week pay so its OK.

to compare, the average Salary in the US exceeds 50K, which means an average of 1000$ per WEEK, so 1 week salary is 1000$, or twice the price of an Ipad, while 35$ would be 3.5x that, around 3500$

Keep in mind this is a faulty comparison, but it gives an idea


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## cyberindian (Sep 22, 2010)

.................................................................................................................................................................... 
While people might not know this, there are quite a few "rich" people in India, not everyone is poor. The total AVERAGE salary, whether rich or poor, comes around 60$/month, 66$ according to 2009 figures from some websites. That's about 2$/day, don't forget that the rich get about 5000$+/month and the upper-mid class is about 1000$ +/month ! The middle class ranges from about 200-2000$ and most get about 300$/month
I'm guessing these figures are excluding taxes, not sure how that works

Take all this into account, and realize that most live with salaries between 0.75$ and 1.50$ per day, or 5-15$ /per week, you can easily see that 35$ is still high for most of them, while 10$ is only about 1 week pay so its OK.

to compare, the average Salary in the US exceeds 50K, which means an average of 1000$ per WEEK, so 1 week salary is 1000$, or twice the price of an Ipad, while 35$ would be 3.5x that, around 3500$

Keep in mind this is a faulty comparison, but it gives an idea
.......................................................................................................................................................................
hello friends i am Rajesh. Belongs to a lower middle class family with a family earning of 40000 INR or 
890$ approx but i am still belons to a lower middle class india is now not the same as you guys are thinking
I am able to purchase a ipad but i dont want i can purchase a xbox. But why should i purchase i dont have time to play with that. I am interested in this gadget only beacuse of its inovation but why should i use that device according to them if they ship this to me with linux or android then why should i use this. I want to buy this only to do some research on this and try to improve this . This is the thinking of a Indian student we never care for money we know how to make that. But what we like is inovation.
and who said that india is not having pure water, good food and all other essential stuffs i belongs to an army background and spent 18 years in different corners of india and till now i have not watched any person sleeping 
hungery due to non availability.
If india is poor then their is no question of being a wider car market
India is having the biggest car market in the world after USA and China and may have bigger luxury car market then china and also here someone says that this device is not going to make loops in apple,s ipad.
Right but the reason given is incorrect the correct reason is that apple have not launche its ipad here in India.
I promise that if apple launches ipad in India then it accounts a record sale as India is having enough buyers which can spent money on ipad simultaneously with the sakshat tablet.
and these two devices are very different to each other ipad is a luxury whereas sakshat is must have.
If u  peaples are having some difficulties in understanding me then sorry as i know my english is not that strong but i think its understandable to u it nay have many grammatical misstakes as i m not use to with the keyboard


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## patilsaurabhr (Sep 24, 2010)

*India FTW*

I just feel like clapping hands for Indian government. hats off!! Waiting for release so eagerly........
Its Ipad Killer in india and partial electronic E-book reader killer. (Just because of E-Ink)

Why will it kill iPad? 

Touchscreen, computer comparable capability, portability, Readability, connectivity.  Complete for student needs.
(It can contain full-laden encyclopedias. Mobile-network supplied internet. What we all lack is absence of WiFi hotspots in most of schools, colleges and institutes; even in metropolitan cities)

Why will it half-kill e-Readers?

Most people buy ebook reader to read portably. It may win. But may be discouraged as long time reading device because: a. No E-Ink and eye-strain, non-readability in bright light, GLARE. b. Battery life. (Cannot be more than 8 hrs I guess).

Android sytem? I dont know, but whole hardware should be modifiable for installing UberStudent or so...


Hats off for Rs. 1500 tablet.


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