India’s $35 tablet is here, for real. Called Aakash, costs $60

India’s much-hyped $35 tablet for students is a reality. But, like every other super-cheap education project, the price has jumped — though in this case only to Rs 2,999 ($60). It turns out that the Aakash is actually an Ubislate 7 from Datawind (makers of the Pocketsurfer). Beneath the 7-inch 800 x 480 resistive touchscreen is a 366MHz Connexant CPU, 256MB of RAM and 2GB of storage (expandable via microSD) running Froyo and the Getjar market on top. The battery life is rated for a rather short three hours, and much less if you want to play HD video. In addition to the 802.11 a/b/g WiFi chip, you also get a GPRS modem to stay connected in rural areas. We wish India’s HRD Minster Kapil Sibal’s pet project all the best and if you want to see the device held snugly inside a Rs 300 ($7) keyboard folio, check out the picture after the break.

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