India unveils $20 laptop: What's that in rupees?

By Rory Reid on 03 February 2009, 10:16am

India is set to unveil a laptop costing $20 (£14), according to the Financial Times. The unfortunately named Sakshat (it probably will be at that price. Thank you, we're here all week) will be aimed at school and university students who want to take advantage of long-distance learning.

The Sakshat is being developed by a group comprising the Vellore Institute of Technology, the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras and the government-run Semiconductor Complex. India's secretary of secondary and higher education, RP Agrawal, was quoted as saying the $20 price tag was highly achievable, and that it could fall further with mass production.

The project is a little pie in the sky at the moment, since it's yet to attract a commercial partner. A prototype will be unveiled at the National Mission on Education launch today, however, and if someone with deep enough pockets decides to invest, Indian kids could have these in schools and universities within six months. Content for the device will likely come from Macmillan, Tata McGraw Hill, Vikas Publishing and Prentice Hall.

The Sakshat is expected to feature 2GB of RAM and wireless connectivity, but rumours of a retina-searing green finish are unfounded. More as we get it.