GKD Members might be interested in the article below which announces the launch of the Simputer in India. It's followed by an alternate view, forwarded from the Nettime List.
------------------------------------------------- * Simputer for poor goes on sale * A cheap handheld computer created by Indian scientists is launched after a delay of nearly three years. Full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/technology/3578309.stm ---------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 20:17:02 -0500 From: t byfield <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: <nettime> finally, the simputer slashdot notes the release, finally, of the 'simputer.'[1] the funny thing is, it doesn't much resemble the object of the heartfelt rhetoric about how it would be the missing link needed to connect the impoverished rural populations of south asia -- at least, they don't figure very heavily in the 'gallery' of pictures[2] showing it being used as an MP3 player by an urban teenybopper, as a handy CDMA-compatible(!) interface for surfing the net, as a way for bourgie housewives to plan party expenses, for busy execs to sort their day, etc. with a few exceptions (screen-based hindi and kannada keyboards[3] -- 'which you can invoke whenever that patriotic itch takes over') it seems to be a pretty generic touchscreen PDA, right down to the GUI's iconic buttons: cascading 'stacks' of papers, magnifying glasses annotated with +/-, trash/rubbish/dustbin, envelope, a speaker in cross-section, question marks, checkbox, and the like. the site also has a 'funzone' with links to ('legal!') MP3 sources and the normal litany: yahoo mail, WiReD news, ananova, merriam-webster's online dictionary, etc, etc. the site also bills the device as able to interpret haptic input: All this is possible thanks to the built-in Flip Flop Motion Sensor (geeks bizarrely call it "accelerometer"), again a first for the Amida Simputer.[4] the product line and pricing are pretty standard, too: three models that range from US$240 to $480.[5] as is connectivity: 20 free hours of the 'gold' service from the indian ISP sify[6] -- after which 500 hours of dialup is ~US$76. a pop3 email account comes free with the two higher- end models (the lowest of which is ironically [or not] called the 'en- terprise edition'). and only the same two higher-end models include IR or USB ports, which presumably would be useful for device-to-device communications -- a crucial function, one would think, for users whose connectivity is limited by cost or available services. but, really, the FAQ[7] says it all, albeit in dodgily polemical terms. for example: 3. Isn't a Simputer for poor and illiterate people? It is true that the Amida Simputer is a very affordable computer, and that it is simple enough to be used by people who no prior experience with computers. [...] 8. Does Amida have MS-Word and Excel? Amida's word processors and spreadsheet are especially designed to be of maximum utility to you, wherever you go. e.g., you can use Amida to write and print notes in not only English but also Indian languages like Hindi and Kannada. Or, if you do not want to use a keyboard, you can handwrite on Amida in any language you please. Similarly, Amida has a spreadsheet (Khatha) which is a great tool for personal finances, especially when on the move. But if you specifically mean Word and Excel, the answer is "no". We believe that Word and Excel are unsuitable for mobile usage. Think of it this way: Amida heralds a new wave of mobile computing in which word processors and spreadsheets do not have to look like Word and Excel! afaict, the simputer site is silent on the subject of the OS running the device; but the site's screenshots look pretty linuxish, which would support past reports about the simputer's development. it'll be interesting to see how this pans out. Win CE seems to support hindi, at least on the level of GUI text,[8] as well as unicode in the form of a BMP of ISO 10646;[9] since MS doesn't specify which unicode version they're referring to, i assume it's the current one, which in- cludes several south asian scripts (bengali, devanagari, gujarati, gur- mukhi, kannada, tamil, telugu, etc). so, (many) other issues, the sim- puter looks like it's lagging far behind mainstream mobile devices in terms of language support. and, to the extent that language support is a mirror, however dark, of local prestige, i expect it'll be an uphill battle for the simputer: if it's perceived as being more ideological than practical (i.e., in step with the dominant face of IT in south asia: MS), its second selling point will be that it's locallly designed and maybe even locally assembled -- though i wouldn't bet on the latter. cheers, t [1] http://slashdot.org/articles/04/03/27/1744204.shtml [2] http://amidasimputer.com/gallery/ [3] http://amidasimputer.com/languages/ [4] http://amidasimputer.com/flip-flop/ [5] http://www.amidasimputer.com/models/ [6] http://www.sifycorp.com/aboutus.asp [7] http://amidasimputer.com/faqs/ [8] http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/guide_ppc/ htm/metabase_jycp.asp [9] http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnce30/htm l/locplatform30.asp # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and "info nettime-l" in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------ ------------ ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. 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