The low-cost educational tablet market is expanding in India with the launch of new devices this year. Aakash, which was a sole player last year, has now multiple challengers. Be it the ultra low-cost price bracket or specifications, there are new rivals in the market to beat it in all departments. We take a look at all the recent launches which are poised to compete with India's $35 tablet.

Check out the top 5 Aakash rivals, which have emerged in the last couple of months in India.
 
ClassPad
 
Imagine a class where students are empowered with tablets to learn lessons and to download notes. Meet ClassPad tablet by Mind Shaper Technologies (Classteacher Learning Systems). The device comes with a touchscreen, 1.3 Ghz processing speed, built-in memory of 4 GB, expandable up to 8 GB and 7-hour battery life.

Classteacher today provides solutions to almost 700 schools and has 80,000 digitised lessons and 50,000 digitised assessment programmes. The ClassPad tablets are priced between Rs 6,000 and Rs 12,000, depending on the screen size. The high-end version comes with a trolley model size for the students, which comprises 40 tablets within a single trolley to be shared amongst 12 classes in a single day.
 
AllGo Stamp
 
The next one developed on the same line is the AllGo Slate Tablet, designed and developed by AllGo Embedded Systems. Claimed to be the first indigenously designed Android tablet in India, the Stamp tablet is a sub-10K device offered with L2 and L3 level hardware support in the Indian market.

The Stamp tablet packs a 17.8-cm (7-inch) WVGA LCD display with 800 x 480 pixels resolution, 4 wire resistive touchscreen (but very responsive), ARM9 processor and Android v2.2 OS. Targeted at educational institutions, the device helps students watch course videos and read online eBooks. Available for bulk orders, the AllGo Stamp tablet is approximately priced at Rs 8,000 in India.
 
ATab
 
ATab is another new device to debut in the low-cost tablet market segment. AcrossWorld Education has launched ATab tablet in India in a tie-up with Delhi-based GoTech. With its budget price tag and educational offerings, the tablet is set to become a worthy competitor to Aakash in the coming days.

The ATab Android tablet features a 17.8-cm (7-inch) TFT touchscreen, 1.1 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM with 2 GB built-in memory, expandable up to 32 GB. The device will further support Wi-Fi and an external 3G USB dongle. The company plans to provide a three-year free and unlimited access to AcrossWorld Education's proprietary and revolutionary education technology platform, EducationBridge. Atab will hit the stores in the Indian market in the second week of March at a price point of Rs 5,000. 
 
BSNL Penta
 
The most recent entrant in the field of low-cost device is the Penta series tablets. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has launched three tablets in partnership with Pantel, a Noida-based company. The three new BSNL tablets are Penta TPAD IS701R, Penta TPAD WS704C and Penta TPAD WS802C. 

Out of these three new models, the Penta TPAD IS701R is the most likely rival of Aakash with its similar price tag. The device packs a 17.8-cm (7-inch) resistive touchscreen, front-facing camera, 1GHz processor and 256 MB RAM, which is expandable up to 32 GB via memory card. The BSNL Penta TPAD is modestly priced at Rs 3,499.
 
BizzBook
 
The upcoming BizzBook tablet seems to be the most worthy rival to Aakash both on the price and the specifications front. Hyderabad-based start-up firm Bizz Group is set to launch six new budget tablets priced between Rs 3,200 and Rs 12,000 in the second week of March to compete with Aakash tablets. 

The company revealed that BizzBook B7i1 will be in the same league as Aakash tablet, priced at Rs 3,200. The new B7i1 tablet will sport a resistive 17.7-cm (7-inch) touchscreen, a 800 Mhz processing speed, Android 2.2 operating system, and a battery that can last from two to four hours. However, additional phone calling will make the device costlier by Rs 4,200. The company will also be offering a device matching the specs of Aakash 2 in the coming days.

 

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