IT
Scan
October
23, 2002
Computing devices for reducing the digital divide
in India
Bangalore
Correspondent
BANGALORE -- There is a heightened interest among
the Indian technology companies to come out with low-cost
computing devices to reduce the scourge of the new
millennium -- digital divide.
Playing
a catalyst role in bringing technology to the masses,
a handful of companies have unleashed a range of handheld
computing devices to migrate the benefits of technology
to the rural masses and the middle income lot who
cannot afford a Rs 30,000 worth PC.
Though
the market is still undefined, the devices are capable
of sending and receiving email. It could be important
information like crop statistics, or banking transactions
all clubbed with a Web browser to surf the Net.
Most
importantly, the companies are looking at local fonts
like Tamil, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada and Hindi.
Close
on the heels of Simputer, popularly known as the common
man's computer, came iStation, a device for just sending
emails. Now, Sasken Communications known for its cutting
edge third generation (3G) technology for mobile handsets,
has come out with a novel email device.
Says
Rajiv Mody, CEO, Sasken: "PCs will not go away
- but we are looking at something which comes in useful
for government and rural organisations, NGOs, hospitals,
pharmacies, insurance sectors.''
After
three years of hard research, Intel-funded Sasken
is rolling out two products. One looks like a robust
laptop. The other is a slim box where collaborative
work can be done. Say, a orthopaedic surgeon in Mangalore
needs to consult a paediatrician in Bangalore. They
can use this device and email the X-rays - circle
problem areas and write messages too. If you are not
too comfortable with the mouse, buttons are there
to simplify things. And, these two devices will each
be priced around Rs 10,000.
Says
Vinay Deshpande, CEO, Ncore Technologies, spearheading
the simputer drive: "Simputer is slowly making
headway in the rural areas. A few pilot trials are
already well under way with about 150 Simputers in
various applications."
"Institutional
users are in fact using them in verticals such as
e-governance (land records, health statistics collection,
etc.), e-education, and enterprise (micro-banking,
hospital data management ,order booking, billing,
delivery tracking, etc) applications,'' he added.
The
email device from iNabling Technologies, iStation
swamped with problems last year. It is now re-born
with a more realistic look.
"We
took off on a wrong track when we launched our device.
We looked at individual users instead of focusing
on industry segments. But now, we have over 3000 users
spread over three states. Gram Panchayats in Davangere
and Mandya, revenue departments including Tahsildar
and deputy commissioners as well as the milk federations
at district and taluk level are are using iStation,''
notes M.K.H.S. Gilani, Head-Business Development,
iNabling Technologies.
Moreover,
Infomart India will soon be rolling out an indigenously
developed personal digital assistant (PDA) called
`Kaii'. It is a cost effective PDA equipped with Hitachi
SH3 processor, running at 160 MHz, with 64 MB RAM
and 32 MB ROM.
In
fact, Mumbai-based Media Lab Asia is currently working
on a slew of low-cost computing devices and voice
recognition software tools in order to cater to the
rural areas. According to Rajeeva Ratan Shah, Union
secretary of Communications and IT, these tools are
essential to bridge the prevailing digital divide
in the country.
