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Home >> Computers >> Systems >> Handhelds >> Open Source >> Simputer |
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A Simputer occurs as little handheld computer, intended to bring computing power to the people of India and other developing countries. A device was designed per Simputer Trust, the non-not-for-profit formed around November 1999. A word "Simputer" is an acronym for "simple, inexpensive and multilingual people's computer", & occurs as trademark of the Simputer Trust. It includes text-to-speech software and runs a GNU/Linux operating system. Similar inside appearance to the Palm Pilot class of handheld computers, the touch sensitive screen is operated in by having the stylus; simple handwriting recognition software is provided by the program Tapatap. A Simputer specifications come freed under an open distribution license called the Simputer General Public License or the SGPL. A organisation is actively encouraging free software developers to port their applications to the Simputer.
Commercial production Pilot production of the Simputer began around September 2002. From either 2004 forward it was commercially available for $240 & higher. Recently, numbers st& been reduced (owing to higher productiin volumes) to between $ 130 & $260, based on screen size and nature and severity (monochrome or even colour). By 2005, sales of Simputers keep close at hand failed to fulfil a challenging goal; exclusively 4000 Simputers have sold when a initial expectation was a low of 50,000 units. [http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/04/15/0050205&from=rss] A select few suspect that this can be due to a price of average PC laptop computer dropping pertinent at which the Simputer loses its price fight. An additional cause can be that a poor people stand there is no require of computers prior to their basic needs (like electricity) come met. An additional understanding is because cost come higher than were required because there wwhen the deficiency of purchasing per Indian government & NGOs, even imputable politics as defined [http://mailman.edc.org/pipermail/digitaldivide/2005-April/002012.html in this email on the Digital Divide mailing list]. These are a most common mis-conception that a Simputer was designed to bridge the fiscal divide. It was non intended as a computing for the poor people. A independent intention is to bridge a digital divide. It has been utilized around numerous rural projects in the states of Karnataka and Chhattisgarh in India. the month 2005, nonetheless, has seen these mighty & flexible hardware existence utilized within a kind of innovative & interesting applications, ranging from either automobile engine nosology (Mahindra & Mahindra, Mumbai), iron-ore movement tracking from mine pithead to shipping point (Dempo, Goa), etc., to Microcredit (Sanghamitra, Mysore), Electronic Money Transfer between UK and Ghana (XK8 Systems, Kenya), etc., and seem poised for large-scale deployment in many other applications as well.
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Hardware
A number 1 rendition of the Simputer was powered by trine AA batteries, but breaking of a contacts when changing batteries was most common place, then the 2005 system have a Rechargeable Li-Ion battery (3.Seven V, 2200 mAH).
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The Simputer Project Aims at developing low cost access device that can pervade the rural landscape, especially in third world countries. 'Simputer' Aims at the Developing World Innovative sub-$200 Internet device will help non-literate users. [PC World] PicoPeta Simputer Pvt. Ltd. A Simputer solutions company. The primary business is to use the Simputer as a building block to provide large scale IT solutions to International clients. 'Poor-man's computer' to educate young Indians The first assignment of a poor man's hand-held computer, developed in Bangalore, is to bring basic education to tribal children in central India. [Asia Times] PicoPeta Simputers A simple handheld to bridge India's digital divide. [Technology Review] India to Compute on the Cheap In spite of the country producing some great tech talent, the vast majority of India's nearly 1 billion people haven't benefited from the IT revolution at all. [Wired] Gear up for the launch of Simputer this month-end The revolutionary computing product - Simputer - is all set for a nationwide launch by month-end. The product has been launched by Simputer Trust in association with Bangalore-based Encore Software Ltd and professors from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. [Financial Express] Simputer's Ajit Anvekar: Keeping up the Open Source 'josh' Ajit R. Anvekar didn't grow up with a computer, in fact, he bought his own PC only about two years ago, but he has already contributed to one of the best examples of Open Source's potential effect on the digital divide. [NewsForge] How Can You Use A PC If You Can't Even Read? Indian scientists design a computer specially for the poor. [Asiaweek.com] Simputer to bridge digital divide A non-profit group in India has created a simple, inexpensive, multilingual handheld device aimed at bringing computing to Third World nations — dubbed the Simputer. [MSNBC] |
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