In a world grappling with depression, the launch of an ultra cheap laptop for just $10 in India could set the future of computer technology.

The laptop, which was developed as part of a broader national plan to attract Indian colleges and schools toward growing IT trends, will bring the wonder of the PC to the children.

Known as ‘Sakshat’, the laptop is aimed to fill the gap between rich and poor by linking 18,000 colleges and 400 universities across India.
 
The laptop will have 2GB inbuilt memory and easy to use applications. It would give tough competition to rival PC makers like the One Laptop per Child’s XO machine and the Intel Classmate.

The laptop computer, which is developed by the joint efforts of Vellore Institute of Technology the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras and due to launch from Triputi in Andhra Pradesh, would be the latest in a series of initiatives to create low cost computing devices for Indians.

University students were engaged to help with the research, and the Indian government also gave several State bodies the brief to turn up with schemes for the low-cost high-use concept.

Lots of private firms were given the agreement to make the notebooks after the design specifications were finalized.

Many governments throughout the world tried a similar low-priced computer scheme for their State-run education system, but India’s laptop is undoubtedly the most cost-effective so far.

Other countries have contracted the likes of Intel and Dell to supply the hardware, but the Indian government’s practical approach has kept prices down and made the programme more approachable to its vast school-going population.

The global recession has also hit badly the costlier roll-outs in other nations, as cut-backs have seen lots of such progressive plans falling victim to funding setbacks.

If the laptop plan turns out successful in India, some industry professionals are anticipating that the ‘$10 PC’ could be a hit further abroad than Asia.

And the India option could be the much-needed lifeline for many similar schemes across the globe.