Mayuresh wrote:
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,
Did you read about the stuff called "tapatap" that they describe on their website? From what I gather, they have devised a very rudimentary input mechanism for very simple interaction when requird. Keep in mind that the device is intended for _illiterate_ villagers, and nobody expects them to enter any data in it. That is mentioned explicitly in the wired.com article.
the best of technology companies like Apple, Palm and a few Russian (who pioneered it) companies have tried and failed miserably.
So WHAT? Even the GNU people were unable to create a kernel for their system until a University student from Finland came along ...
Have you figured out the BOM of the Simputer?
I have to confess absolute ignorance in this regard!
Once you are through with the above, tell me if its possible to create a "Simputer" (as the creators have envisaged)
People from the original Simputer team at IISc have established a commercial venture just to do that - called Picopeta something ...
One of the best projects in India??
Reminds me of the fact that India was the first country in the world to use satellite communication for mass rural education, that too when India didn't even have a single communcitation satellite of her own ...
I think that what the IISc people are trying to do is to turn the concept of a "computer" on its head. They are trying to use technology to help people in a way comfortable to them - this is a place where we have to keep back all our presumptions about human-computer interaction based on the PC. Think of it as an interactive TV set if you want, designed to disperse informatin rather than handle complex computing tasks.
I had always hoped to get close to the Simputer project if I had been able to get into the IISc for my post-graduation; but I guess that won't be happening now!
SameerDS.
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