Datawind, the makers of the infamous Aakash, has attached up with GetJar to pre-install the GetJar app store on all Datawind formed tablets. This feature will permit Datawind tablet customers to admittance the app store and through it, thousands of free applications. GetJar’s app store givers subscribers admittance to over 3,50,000 free applications for their Android based gadgets, many of which are paid apps in opposing Android app stores, from over 3,95,000 registered developers. The way GetJar pays their bills is advertising – developers reimburse GetJar for introduction their applications in the App Store, and therefore the price to the consumer gets promote. GetJar says that this feature is significant particularly in Indian markets where online payment methods are few and unpredictable.

DataWind CEO, Suneet Singh Tuli said, “GetJar is a recognized associate with a very huge assortment of free applications that customers can download onto their UbiSlate or Aakash tablets. We’re thrilled by the added value this acquired to our end customers.” Chris Dury, GetJar’s CEO adds “Low-cost tablets open the capability of applications and the Internet for millions of people. We are happy to help Datawind make free applications and our GetJar Gold program available to these new tablet users.”

GetJar Gold is a commitment program that rewards customers with free apps and vital goods. The app store boasts of over 2 billion request downloads till date. As for DataWind, Tech2 met with the company’s CEO, Suneet Singh Tulli for a one on one on an Anatomy of a Tablet. Tulli lucid the air of the current controversies contiguous the Aakash, with the fact that the tablet has only reached 366 students. Tulli enlighten that by saying that Datawind has not established pre-orders for the Aakash and dispense the previously sold Aakash is the government’s liability. Datawind is presently in the process of given that IIT Rajasthan with 100 test units of the Aakash II, which they’re in suspense for a May release.

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For all the fanfare that convoy the begin of the Aakash tablet, only 366 units of the tablet have accomplish students. The units were specified to students at the time of the commence on October 5 so that they might test them and offer their feedback. The information may not be extensively known but it has been in the public domain since March 14 when minister for human resource growth Kapil Sibal replied to a question about the Aakash project in Lok Sabha.

These 366 tablets are part of 650 units that IIT Rajasthan had accepted from the lot of 6,440 tablets that were supplied to it by Datawind. According to Sibal’s statement in Parliament, IIT-Rajasthan “rejected rest of the lots as the number of defective LCADs (Aakash tablets) in those lots exceeded the stipulated 5% of devices”.

In reply to a question if there was any criteria based on which distribution was made, Sibal said the tablets were just for the testing. “The first phase of 1,00,000 tablets were targeted to the students in higher technical education institutions so as to further ascertain technical feedback on its operation and usability,” he said. “Since these LCADs were for the purpose of testing, no norms for distribution of LCADs to students were laid down.” The minister also informed Parliament that Datawind has now been asked to supply better tablets at the same price.

“Datawind is still to supply 1,00,000 LCADs of higher specifications at the same price. These higher specifications (which include 700 MHz Cortex A8 processor, 3200 mAH Battery and capacitive touch screen) have been necessitated to overcome the initial difficulties observed in the devices,” he said.

The minister was also asked what the government was doing to recover the money back. “No payment has yet been made by IIT-Rajasthan to the vendor (Datawind), and hence, the question of getting back the money does not arise,” he said. A few weeks earlier, Datawind CEO had told TOI that his firm would start supplying the new tablets this month.

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The scrap over the world’s inexpensive tablet is receiving murkier. Even as retail customers stay for release of Aakash, the Hyderabad-based assembler of the tablet, Quad Electronics, has sued DataWind assert that the British Indian solid unsuccessful to obtain its fine account or pay for the tablets. 

DataWind retorted saying it won’t procure any more tablets from Quad and will settle the issue legally.

Quad has served a legal notice to DataWind for non-payment of $1.12 million against dues outstanding and inventory procured for DataWind.

“DataWind contracted us for 50,000 tablets and has failed to pick up its inventory breaching the contract,” R Soin, founder-CEO of Quad Electronics told ET.

Quad claims DataWind procured only 10,000. “Quad has manufactured 10,000 more tablets which are not sold yet,” Soin said. DataWind’s CEO Suneet Tuli returns the fire saying “only 10,000 units were picked up because that’s all Quad manufactured.”

“Non-payment of dues can be confirmed from the bankers, Bank of Bahrain & Kuwait andBarclays Plc, involved in the letter of credit,” Quad’s Soin charged.

Replying, Tuli said the letter of credit is for banks to honour, not for DataWind. “Quad should show why they weren’t able to submit required documents in a timely manner to get payment through letter of credit. They’ve been entirely paid for their services. It’ll now be resolved in the UK courts,” Tuli said. “We won’t be picking up any more inventory from Quad. We’ve contracted other suppliers,” he added.

Quad and DataWind’s public spat comes even as thousands of buyers are posting messages ononline consumer forums citing delays in delivery of the tablets, hawked online for Rs 2,999 each About three million pre-bookings for the tablets had been done on Aakashtablet.com, and through email by DataWind.

Many customers made pre-payments through cheques, six to eight weeks back. Quad also charged that DataWind has tied up with a customer of Quad for manufacturing Aakash II.

“They have been poaching talent from Quad to adopt the expertise required to manufacture the product,” Soin points out.

Tuli added that Quad can’t take DataWind’s technology and sell it on its own. But Quad’s Soin retorted saying that the contract has a clause for ‘freedom of action’ to manufacture similar products for any other original equipment manufacturer.”

On the other hand, DataWind issued a media statement last week saying that “Quad Electronics has breached DataWind’s intellectual property, circumvented their relationship with IIT-Rajasthan, signed a direct agreement with them and then sold off their inventory in the open market.”

Soin countered that DataWind is making baseless allegations about copyright infringement against “the 15-year-old Quad and an IIT.”

He also said there is ‘no direct arrangement between IIT-Rajasthan and Quad. “The pact which Tuli is talking about pertains to one we signed with IIT on convergence systems.” It has also informed the Ministry of Communications & IT and IIT Rajasthan, regarding DataWind’s default.

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Argument has constant to pursue DataWind. The Canadian company, which was organize the unique Aakash tablet project, has been blame by its previous gathering partner Quad Electronics Solutions Pvt. Ltd of not defrayal dues. DataWind, on the other hand, has blamed Quad Electronics of infringing cerebral property rights and trying to sell the Aakash tablet straight to IIT-Rajasthan.

DataWind-Quad Electronics crevice delay release of Aakash tablet

DataWind added maintain that Quad Electronics signed a MoU with IIT-Rajasthan and ineffectively endeavor to enlarge an UbiSlate 7+ contestant. The two partners have previously parted their ways and maintain to have provided lawful notices to each other. However, thousands of people who booked the apparatus are distress since of the gap amid the two companies. It may be recalled that DataWind had opened booking for the UbiSlate 7+, improve account of the unique Aakash or UbiSlate 7 last year, but has not yet happening shipping. A lot of people had paid in progress for the gadget.

“We will offer an update on the number of pre-bookings, units bring and program to obvious the backlog at our open event, planned for the third week of this month,” DataWind CEO Suneet Singh Tuli told Live Mint via e-mail. Tuli had formerly exposed that DataWind had established three million bookings for Ubislate 7+ and was likely to begin the appliance in a few weeks.

Back to back hindrance has previously dented the status of the Aakash tablet, which is also touted as the world’s cheapest tablet. The Indian government desires to use the Aakash tablet for bridging the digital divide in the country; however the gadget is yet to see the light of day. Union minister Kapil Sibal recently said the Aakash 2 tablet will launch in May with improved specifications.

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Six months following ministry of human resources and growth officially released Aakash tablet, hardly a few hundred units have achieved the hands of students. The manufacturing of the gadget has been congested and now the ministry and DataWind, the manufacturer of the tablet, are focusing on Aakash 2, an improve version of the tablet.

Datawind blames IIT Rajasthan for Aakash I breakdown

Datawind concedes Aakash tablet, which is supposed to digitize the way students study in India, has not been a success in its first version. But it squarely blames IIT Rajasthan, the nodal agency overlooking the project, for the fiasco, saying the concerns over the tablet’s quality and functionality were overblown by the institute in a bid to “favour other firms” .

Datawind’s CEO, Suneet Singh Tuli, told TOI that after winning the bid to manufacture Aakash tablet with a cost of $49.98 for each unit, the company had supplied 10000 tablets to IIT Rajasthan. The units were part of an initial order of 1,00,000 tablets. As soon as few hundred tablets reached students as part of pilot project, IIT Rajasthan started rejecting Aakash tablet, allegedly after reports that the device was failing during pilot testing and did not meet the quality criteria set by the institute.

Tuli, however, disagrees. “IIT Rajasthan was simply trying to defame us by saying that we could not meet the quality required by it,” he says. “When we were awarded the contract, there was only a specification sheet. But when we started supplying the tablets, IIT Rajasthan started rejecting the tablet based on biased and unscientific testing methodology. ”

“IIT Rajasthan put up roadblocks. It jeopardized the whole project. I can say the dirty tricks by the institute put us around six months behind on the project … they did it because they were favouring other firms… Even now, the institute is trying to sabotage the project,” he adds.

There are reports that IIT Rajasthan has been issued a showcause notice by MHRD last month over the Aakash failure . The notice asks institute to explain why it did not set up a tablet testing facility and procedure in time and why it failed to resolve its dispute with Datawind. Incidentally , the institute also worked with Wishtel, a company that launched lowcost tablet called Ira last week. TOI tried contacting Prem K Kalra, director of IIT Rajasthan, over the email and phone but he wasn’t available.

Datawind says that after the fiasco, it had to take back the tablets supplied to IIT Rajasthan. “We have not been paid for a single one of them. But mission is more important to us… we believe in Aakash project,” says Tuli.

The company is now working on Aakash 2, an updated version of the original tablet. It will have a capacitive screen instead of resistive and hence support multi-touch . It will also have a better processor – based on Cortex A8.

“We are working with IIT Mumbai for Aakash 2 and will start supplying the tablet to government this month. Our original order for 1,00,000 units has been transferred for Aakash 2 now. After the order of 1,00,000 units is met, MHRD will invite bids for more tablets. We will bid again,” says Tuli.

Kapil Sibal, minister of human resources and development, said that Aakash 2 will be available in May. Datawind also sells a commercial version of Aakash tablet called Ubislate. Tuli claims the firm has received over 3 million prebookings for Ubislate.

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A nearer and improved version of not expensive tablet PC, Aakash, would be released on test basis in May, Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal alleged here today. 

“The second version of Aakash will be coming sometime in May,” Sibal told on the sidelines of an ICC organized superior education conclave.

He told that the tablet PC was being experienced and based on feedback from students profitable invention would be taken up.
The new tablet would have a enhanced 3200m AH battery with a three hour battery backup, a 700 MHz Cortex A8 processor and a capacitive touchscreen which would get over the former issues observed in the tablets, Sibal had said earlier.
The first stage of 100,000 tablets was aimed for students of higher technical educational institutions, he had said recently.

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