When to buy an Android tablet and when to buy a Kindle Fire

Summary: Should you get an Android tablet like the Galaxy Tab or, well, an Android-based tablet like the Kindle Fire? Read this article to find out.

I’ve been using my Kindle Fire more and more over the last week, and my wife recently got hers as well. I’m getting familiar with a machine that’s not half bad, but also not perfect.

Ever since I wrote those two articles, I’ve apparently become the go-to guy among my friends and neighbors for holiday tablet purchases. The “should I get an iPad or should I get a Kindle” question is easy, because they are such different devices.

The one that I’m asked even more, though, is whether to get an Android tablet like the Galaxy Tab or, well, an Android-based tablet like the Kindle Fire. The confusion is that since they’re both based on Android, what’s the right choice?

So, let’s clarify things a bit. The Kindle Fire is to Android like Mac OS X is to UNIX. The underlying OS for the Kindle Fire is Android (which, okay, is based on Linux, which itself is based on UNIX, sigh). But unless you hack your Kindle, you’ll never see a traditional Android user interface.

So, then, let’s get that over-with. You can buy a $199 Kindle Fire, hack it, and run a generic Android distribution on it, and it then becomes something of an Android tablet. But you have to want to do the hacking, have the time, have the technical chops, and not mind if you break stuff. Basically, if you want to tinker fer cheap, then the Kindle Fire might be fun.

Really, though, the question of Android vs. Kindle becomes more of what you want to use your tablet for and how much you want to spend. While the Kindle Fire is pretty inexpensive, it has some serious functional limitations. It doesn’t have Bluetooth, so an external keyboard is either unlikely or very hacky. It doesn’t have a camera. It has relatively little storage and RAM. And, unless you hack it, it doesn’t have access to the main Android app store.

A typical (if more expensive) Android tablet has all those things. So, if you want a tablet for general purpose use, if you want to take it on the road to write or edit video or photos, you’ll want something with more power than the Kindle. Essentially, if you want to produce content or have a general-purpose tablet, you’ll want an Android tablet, and not the Kindle.

If, on the other hand, you want a tablet to consume content, and especially if you’re very comfortable with the Amazon ecosystem like my wife and me, then you may want the Kindle Fire. In other words, if you want a backlit Kindle you can read in the dark, that’ll also do some other stuff, then buy the Kindle Fire.

Why a $35 Tablet Would Never Succeed in the U.S.

How unfair! India is getting its long-promised $35 tablet, yet we are spending $500 for an iPad.

I have to admit that I am dazzled by the media coverage of the launch of the Aakash, the world's cheapest tablet. It will cost $50 per unit for the Indian government, $60 in retail and possibly as little as $35 once the volume increases. When we are able to contain our jealousy, however, it's easy to see that this tablet is neither a discounted iPad nor a product that could succeed in the Western hemisphere, despite its impressively low price.

More than a year ago, when it was announced that India would be developing a $35 tablet, many of us were quick to question the ability to take such a device from an idea to a commercial product. In the end, we all know what happened to the OLPC, which was supposed to sell for $100 but finally sold for $190. The Aakash took a similar path, as the retail price of the device is now almost twice as high as the original target price.

The Aakash tablet is designed by Canada-based Datawind and comes with a 7-inch 800x480 pixel display, 256 MB of RAM, 2 GB of NAND flash storage and a 366 MHz Connexant processor. There is also an SD expansion slot with two versions. One has Wi-Fi only, whereas the more expensive $60 version has SIM card-based GPRS cellular connectivity.Datawind said that the total price of the base model is $38, but it is actually $50 when additional fees such as local taxes and a replacement warranty are included. The Indian government apparently guaranteed a purchase volume of eight to ten million units by March 31, 2012. The first 100,000 units will be built within the next six weeks in a factory in Hyderabad.

Higher-priced versions of the tablet will be coming to the U.S. in the future. This makes absolutely no sense to me. Would you buy a $35 or... Let's be realistic. Would you buy a $60 tablet that features the specs mentioned above? You may buy one, but I doubt that you would enjoy using it beyond the first few minutes. I need to expand on that.

Without having touched it, I am convinced that the Aakash is one of the best-designed computers I have seen in a long time – at least since Intel's bug-free computer. (That computer was offered in the early 2000s and was designed for rural Africa with features to keep insects out of the case. In addition, it could be connected to a car battery.) The Aakash tablet is a computer with a strong regional and cultural focus that caters exactly to the needs of a very specific group of people.

India has a population of about 1.14 billion people. The latest telecommunication data I could find from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India indicate that 81 million of them, or 7 percent of the population, access the Internet today via wired or wireless devices. Only 9.45 million, or 0.8 percent of the population, have access to a broadband connection to the Internet. If only 7 percent of the Indian population access the Internet today (actually, the data go back to 2009), then we can conclude that Internet access is still a rarity in India. In comparison, 74.1 percent of people living in the United States access the Internet today and about 37 percent browse via a broadband connection, according to Nielsen.

It is clear that Internet access works differently in the U.S. than it does in India, and India will need, at least for now, different means to provide its population access to the Internet than does the United States. Let's go a little further by looking at wired versus wireless telecommunications in India.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India states that there were only 36.2 million wired phone connections in India in 2009. Keep in mind, there are 1.14 billion people – and only 3 percent have a wired telephone. The reason is the extent of rural areas in India, which has given the country a good reason to focus on wireless communications. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, there are currently 635.5 million active cell phone subscribers in India, which translates to a market penetration of 54 percent. People in India are used to paying way too much for their ability to communicate wirelessly (much more than we think we are paying for our communications). A typical smartphone in India costs about as much as it does in the U.S. – about $600 without a contract. However, the average income per capita in India is just $1,039 per year, which means that advanced communications via a mobile computer that is more than just a feature phone will require people in India to invest more than half of their annual income into such a device. Would you be willing to do that here in the U.S., considering that our current average income is $46,381 per capita?

There is a real need in India for a basic, low cost Internet device that may also serve as a cell phone – one such as the Aakash. An expenditure of $60 is about 6 percent of the annual per capita income in India, which is far more acceptable. It is comparable to about $2,800 here in the U.S. It isn’t cheap, but it’s better than $25,000.

In India, the Aakash almost certainly has a bright future. It perfectly fills a need and provides an affordable way to communicate and access information on the Internet.

In the U.S., it is a different story. You can imagine the first reviews with complaints about a terrible display, lack of storage space, slow processor and cheap materials. We have different expectations, and while it may be cool to own a $35 or $50 tablet initially, it has an older version of Android where you will need a vastly more capable device to run the applications in which you may be interested. There are no such expectations in India. You can't miss what you don't know, and you will be happy with it if it enables you to do more than you could before. The Aakash will enable millions of people in India to access the Internet – people who could not have previously afforded Internet browsing. Also, imagine the new ways of wireless communication it may facilitate.

A $35 or $50 tablet is what India needs today. In the U.S. this tablet would definitely fail.

By Wolfgang Gruener   

Source: TomsGuide

Why India's Cheap Tablet May Not Work Out

The cheapest mobile handset doesn't compromise on the basics: calls, SMS, battery life. Nor does the Tata Nano. The Aakash does
-Prasanto K Roy

When India's "$35 tablet" finally launched in October, it surprised skeptics. I was among them: I hadn't thought it would ship.

Even at $60, it's the cheapest tablet in the world. I saw an early unit, but it was factory-finished and boxed...suggesting that they will ship production units. That's no guarantee of volume and real cost, but it was impressive.

The tablet, light and nicely hand-held, is built to a price. The 7" LCD is overlaid with a resistive touchscreen, so everything from the standby-unlock Android swipe to menus and apps usage was iffy. The battery lasted just over two hours on a charge.

Inside, the (factory-made, multilayer SMT) board is neat. The Conexant system-on-chip, 366 MHz Arm processor built in, is flanked by two Hynix memory modules (256 MB DDR2 SDRAM and 2 GB NAND flash). Local flavor includes the government-committee-mandated twin USB ports (overkill), adding to a micro-SD card slot. (The screws wouldn't go back into the plastic afterward: the threads slipped.)

Anyway, it works. "Built to a price" .. is no surprise.

So why do I remain a skeptic?

First, because the ecosystem isn't there: apps, content, training and support, power at every school desk (given the 2-3 hour battery).

Two, neither the small 7" handheld format nor the low battery backup lend themselves to serious student use.

Three, the iPad has set the benchmark of usability and battery life...and nothing else, at any price, seems to sell. The gap will grow.

Four, a tech product has to sustain on merit, not just through government commitment--which blocks rapid evolution and improvement.

Five, bulk educational purchases should also be on merit, based on the question: is this the best use of a million dollars?

A few days after the launch, BBC News asked me for a short review. I was critical. Three points emerged from the global reaction to my review. One, that if it did what I said, it was impressive at $60--"so where can we buy one?". Two, they said I should encourage indigenous efforts, and kill the stereotype that emerging-economy products were inferior. Three, that I should not compare "your country's Tata Nano to a Mercedes". (I cite only the criticism; I got appreciation as well.)

I liked the Nano analogy. Here's the difference. A Tata Nano doesn't compromise on the basics: the ability to take you from A to B safely and reliably, consuming the least fuel. Hygiene 101 for a small car.

A cheap $25 Nokia mobile handset does not compromise on the basics: the ability to make a call, send messages, and run a day or two on a charge.

The Akash does compromise on the basics expected of a tablet: easy and fluid use; battery life; apps support, ruggedness.

It will probably improve with version two. As with the Tata Nano, it will be difficult to hold the price (say, if the touchscreen tech is upgraded). Yet, a $99 price point for a usable product is better than a forced $35 mandate.

Its future, however, really depends on the content-apps ecosystem, and how well the Aakash can align to the school curriculum (or vice versa).

Which is why it would have made more sense to source an e-reader like the Kindle, or the (sort of Indian) Wink: the content is all there, in the form of PDFs of every single coursebook out there: and the battery life is great.

Source: PcQuest

 

Low-cost Aakash tablet to hit U.S. store shelves at $60

India’s homebrewed low-cost Aakash tablet along with DataWind is now going places. This Android tablet will soon hit store shelves in the US and retail for $60 (Rs. 2,999). Moreover,VentureBeat gave a sneak peek into the device which has been flown to the U.S. by Vivek Wadhwa, a columnist from Washington Post. When pitted against the iPad, probably its price tag is the only savior. However, Chikodi Chima who has reviewed it for VentureBeat calls it a cheap but powerful device among other things like ‘jugaad’ (a local lingo we are familiar with).

Low cost Akash tablet retails in U.S.

Offering a taste Froyo 2.2, this 7-incher comes with Unisurfer Web browser, support for Wi-Fi, resistive screen, 2GB memory expandable up to 32GB and more. The Indian government has bought 100,000 Aakash tablet units from DataWind. By the end of next year, about 10 million to 12 million devices are likely to be distributed to students in India. At a government subsidized price, it will be made available for $35 (Rs. 1,750) to students. This also makes it the cheapest Android tablet till date.

-Naina Khedekar

Source : Link

Hands On: India’s $35 Aakash Android tablet lands in America

For more information or booking of the Aakash Tablet, log on to www.aakashstore.in


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.


An Aakash tablet was brought to the VentureBeat office on Tuesday by Vivek Wadhwa, a visiting professor at the University of California at Berkley and Duke. Wadhwa, who is researching the Indian education system, and is a columnist with the Washington Post, was given the tablet by Kapil Sibal, the Indian minister of human resources and development, who has been the driving force behind the tablet project. The device (whose name means “Sky” in Hindi) was produced entirely in India — a point of pride for the Indian government.

Aakash Tablet - Main Screen

The 7-inch Android-based device will be distributed at a government subsidized price of $35, making it the world’s cheapest Android device. The general retail price will be $60, which is still remarkably cheap for such a powerful device. A contract between the Indian government and Canadian development partner DataWind, should put between 10 and 12 million devices in the hands of students across India by the end of 2012, according to Computer World.


Aakash stats at-a-glance


Screen: 7-inches; 800-by-400 pixels; Resistive touchscreen


Operating system: Android 2.2, Froyo


Processor: 366 MHz Connexant; HD Video co-processor (both with graphics accelerators)


Memory: 256MB RAM (internal); 2GB Flash (external)


Storage: 2GB card included, expandable up to 32GB


Ports: Two USB 2.0; 3.5mm audio out jack; 3.5mm audio in jack (No built-in speakers)


Connectivity: GPRS; Wi-Fi 802.11 a,b,g


Power: Up to 180 minutes on battery; AC adapter, 200-240 volt


Weight: 350 grams


We tested the Aakash, surfing the web, using apps, typing text documents, plugging in peripherals and playing Bollywood videos. Here’s our exclusive first look at what a $35 tablet can really do. (See a video of the Aakash in action at the end of the article.)


Hands on with the Aakash


Jugaad is an Indian word which means “to make-do.” The Aakash tablet is a Jugaad in a very high tech way. The components inside the Aakash tablet are cheap, and easily sourced. For example, the Aakash tablet has a headphone jack and an audio-in jack, but no external speakers — an obvious cost-savings measure. However, with the addition of cheap headphones, and an equally cheap microphone, the owner can make calls on Skype and has the potential to communicate with people around the world.

Aakash Tablet - Rear View

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.


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.


And given how slow navigating the user interface is, 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.


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.

Aakash Tablet - Startup Screen Android

  
Weighing in at less than double a handheld smartphone (350 grams), the device itself feels a bit like a toy. A goofy plastic cover protects the screen, slowing down the touch response considerably. It might remind you of the conference call controller in a corporate boardroom. Though its design is minimalistic, absent are any Apple-like design flourishes that might evoke the word “magic.”


Unlike the XO, the low-cost laptop produced by One Laptop Per Child for the world’s poorest children, with help from Frog Design, the Aakash tablet is not going to win any beauty pageants. This is certainly one of its strengths. A big problem with the XO is it was seen as relatively arcane technologically by the time it was actually available.


What makes the Aakash tablet different is that its creators didn’t strive for perfection. Instead, the emphasis was on getting the product into the market quickly so it could be adopted, tinkered with, and improved over time. As Wadhwa said, “to get the cost down, you have to make some compromises.”


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.


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. 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.


Seeing the tablet’s potential


The Aakash Tablet is an example of a “leapfrog technology,” a concept where the latest innovations jump directly into areas where legacy technologies never penetrated. Tens of millions of people throughout India who never had access to a landline phone now walk around with cell phones in their pocket. Many of those likely to use or own the the Aakash Tablet will never have used a desktop computer, and it’s possible they never will.

Aakash Tablet - USB Ports

Now imagine the educational potential of the world’s lowest-cost tablet being unleashed to hundreds of millions of Indians eager to join the world economy. At the heart of the Aakash tablet is an HD video co-processor that will connect viewers to one of the largest educational libraries ever assembled: YouTube. When the Aakash tablet reaches villages across India, an entire generation will have instant access to rich educational content such as the Khan Academy, and anything else their hearts desire.


And with the Aakash tablet in hand, students across India will be free to do what their global counterparts do — or should do — with their computers. There are the educational basics such as creating documents and spreadsheets, and browsing the web for research materials. But as with anything, young people will probably spend a fair amount of time playing games online and chatting with their friends.


India’s history with affordable tech


India, which has a population of nearly 1.2 billion and is home to 40 percent of the world’s poor, has experience paring down high-end technology and making it affordable and accessible.


A similarly transformative Indian-created product is the Tata Nano car, a revolution in automobile design built to give mobility to millions of low-t0-mid-income Indians. When it came out in 2009, the Tata Nano was heralded as the world’s cheapest car. But while the Tata Nano is ultimately a destructive force — adding drivers to the congested roads and vehicle exhaust into the air — the Aakash tablet will be used to educate hundreds of millions of children.


The Hole in the Wall initiative is another example. It put a computer kiosk in several rural villages throughout India, giving thousands of children and adults their first access to a computer and the Internet. The organizers compared it to the village well, where the community could come together to exchange knowledge and learn from each other. In this case, however, the well was connected to the world’s deepest reservoir of knowledge, the Internet.


And next month, the first Aakash tablets will go on sale throughout India, and millions of children will be able to join the tablet revolution that is transforming education, communication and entertainment across the world.


Source: October 26, 2011 | Chikodi Chima

Aakash - The Revolutionary Tablet

Aakash is the name of the new super cool and the cheapest tablet ever developed in India. At just a cost of $35, Aakash is powered with an Android Operating System v2.2 with high end performance. The Tablet supports multiple file formats with easy access to World Wide Web.

The tablet will be produced in collaboration of Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Government of India and Data Wind , A UK based company. It will come by the end of the next month with a price of $60 for the general public and for $35 for students.

Whether it will prove to be a boon for the struggling Indian Education System is still an unanswered question.

For more info log on to http://aakashstore.blogspot.com/


Search Keywords: Aakash, DataWind, Tablet, Cheapest Tablet, Android, Ubislate