- How a measely handheld computing device can benefit a rural area
Actually, the whole purpose of the simputer was for use in rural India. That is the reason why it is build using reguional languages. Currently has Kannada and a few other languages, while support for most regional languages will come soon. Also has text to speech conversion for people who can't read.
Now tell me Philip, if you have used a handheld computer, is it easier/faster to type or scribble? Mind you, scribbling is not the same as writing. And the hand writing recoqnition technology can never be perfected, the best of technology companies like Apple, Palm and a few Russian (who pioneered it) companies have tried and failed miserably. So Palm came out with the novel idea of creating its own simplistic script and made life easy for the user, but what the heck, if the rural people have to learn one more script to use some computing device for which they have no real use, why would they do that?
The touch screen has self explanatory icons for anyone to select.
The
price also, which they are trying to fix at Rs.4000/- once production increases. Starting cost will be higher - 10000/-, but that's
standard
economics supply-demand.
Have you figured out the BOM of the Simputer? Its basic components itself cost Rs.3,000/- (thats at volumes of 30,000) Add to that PCB manufacturing costs, that too a 8 layered PCB Also the cost of soldering such SMDs... Then add the Casing cost (with initial cost of the mould) Also add the cost of the Touch sensitive LCD and the Smart Card reader.
And then of course add to that a measely profit margin (you need that to survive)
Once you are through with the above, tell me if its possible to create a "Simputer" (as the creators have envisaged)
Reality bites, and it bites real hard.
To really figure out how it will help rural India, read the article (don't think you have yet).
Will read later...
This is definitely one of the best projects in India, surpassing all the service that our IT biggies have done to the Americans.
One of the best projects in India??
IT services bought in revenues to do the things like Simputer...
Warm Regards,
~Mayuresh