Datawind - the creator of the Aakash tablet - on Monday shrugged-off charges levelled by the Indian Cellular Association that the sub-Rs 3,000 tablets being supplied by the company were based on an outdated technology. Taking a pot shot at the members of the association, the Canada-based company also challenged the foreign handset manufacturers to beat them in the next round of tender.

“Even when the next tender comes, we openly challenge foreign manufacturers to try and beat us in that…and then talk or complaint,” Mr Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO of Datawind said on the sidelines of a conference to announce the availability of Indian War Comics on its low cost tablets. The digital version of these comics depicting the lives of post-independence military heroes will come pre-loaded on the low cost tablets.

It may be recalled that the HRD Ministry has given the mandate of supplying cheap tablet devices to Datawind. But the move has been criticised by various players on grounds that the product's quality was not up to the mark. Handset makers have suggested that Ministry of Human Resource Development specify the minimum qualification for supplying tablet devices for its programme.

ICA, which is the industry body representing all handset makers, also said that the Government should engage at least 2-3 players for the project of this magnitude.

In a letter to the HRD Ministry, the ICA has proposed that only those companies, which has a minimum turnover of Rs 500 crore, net worth of Rs 100 crore and with at least 200 points of presence across the country should be allowed to take part in this project.

Taking on the Aakash device, the industry association said the device was based on outdated technology. “The use of less than 1 Ghz processor in computing is unheard of now. Anything which is being launched in 2012 is primarily on Android 3.0 or 4.0 and necessarily carries 1/1.2 Ghz processor which is essential to have good browsing,” ICA said.

>moumita@thehindu.co.in

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