DataWind's Aakash Android tablet will be world's cheapest at $50 when it launches in India

There are 1.2 billion people in India, though currently only 8 percent of that number have access to the internet.

That's a figure Canadian company DataWind is hoping will change thanks to its Aakash tablet, the world's cheapest at a production price of $38.

The 7-inch tablet will be launching this week in India and aims to give an affordable alternative to the Indian public.

The devices are currently being produced in India and its government is reported to have contracted to purchase of 8 to 10 million at $50 per device by March 2012.

Higher-end versions are expected to be launched in the US and UK.

Specs-saver

"The rich have access to the digital world, the poor and ordinary have been excluded. Aakash will end that digital divide," said Kapil Sibal, telecoms and education minister speaking to The Times of India.

The device itself will go on sale commercially in November and runs on Android 2.2, an 800x480 pixel resolution screen.

It's powered by a 366-MHz processor with 256MB of RAM and 2GB of internal storage, though it'll pack a microSD slot.

There will also be two USB ports and a headphone socket and can run for about 3 hours on its 2100 mAh battery. While some apps will come pre-installed, it won't have access to the Android Marketplace.

The Aakash was designed, developed and manufactured by DataWind in India, in partnership with Indian educational institution, IIT Rajasthan.

[source: Computerworld]