Datawind can bid for Aakash 2, affirms Sibal

All speculations about the Canadian company, Datawind's participation, rather eviction from the Aakash 2 project can now safely be put to rest. The Union Minister for Human Resource and Development, Kapil Sibal has confirmed that Datawind will be a part of the bidding for the upgraded version of the Aakash tablet, confirms a report in the Times of India. Quoting him, the report stated, "Existing vendor Datawind will have to supply the rest of the 100,000 tablets in its present contract. It can also bid for the next tender."

End of the road?

This news clears a thick cloud of speculation that had gathered over the contribution of the company in the manufacturing of the upgraded version of the Aakash tablet. Datawind were the makers of the initial version of the Aakash tablet, and along with IIT-Rajasthan, they took up the task of manufacturing Aakash tablet in India for the masses. However, soon after, it began facing a lot of criticism, since several users who had begun using the tablets began complaining of the tablet's poor build quality, less than satisfactory battery, among other things. Soon after, altercations between Datawind and IIT-Rajasthan began over a set of specifications, which the latter wanted to incorporate on the tablet. IIT-Rajasthan wanted the Aakash tablet to be water-proof, and include a set of some more military-style specifications, something which Datawind did not agree to, since they believed a humble tablet didn't need military-style specifications.

However, a steady increase in the number of these complaints did bring in a lot of negativity for Datawind, with reports coming in, soon after speculating the discontinuation of Datawind's participation in the Aakash 2 project. Now, however, it does seem like things are set to get better for the company, with the minister himself confirming Datawind's contribution.

To know all about the Aakash tablet, click here.