Just as expected, the government of India has conjured a list of proposed specifications for the Aakash 4 and with a view to stay true to its word, the HRD department has covered aspects that could give other affordable tablets in the market a run for their money. However, we cannot guarantee that the contract of manufacturing the fourth generation slate will indeed fall on Datawind’s lap.
The proposal starts with outlining the prerequisites for an onboard processor, providing a list of minimum scores that the CPU is supposed to obtain on AnTuTu, Quadrant Standard and a host of other such benchmark apps. It then moves on to the tablet’s GPU which should at the very least, support visuals at 720p resolution. The slate will most definitely repeat history and boast of a 480 x 800p or a higher definition screen which should ideally stretch as much as 7 inches diagonally.
Additionally, the proposal covers support for a USB storage device, keyboard and mouse. Furthermore, compatibility with 2G, 3G and 4G networks with voice calling is an attribute that has been solicited for the device for the first time, while it will also facilitate data connectivity through external dongles. The ministry demands that the slab should run a version of Android Jelly Bean not below 4.2.1 and it should be dual bootable with various Linux distributions via an external SD card. If the government has its way, the Aakash 4 will come bundled with 1GB of DDR3 of RAM.
There will also be an internal storage capacity of 4GB, the shortfall of which will be compensated by a built-in microSD card slot supporting expansions of up to 32GB. As for the battery life, users should be able to reap at least 4 hours of video playback or 5 hours of web browsing time. Setting standards for the tablet’s design, the HRD department has requested for a device weighing not more than 500 grams and measuring under 7.5” x 5” x 0.75” in dimensions.
By the looks of it, the Aakash 4 will be taking a major leap away from its predecessors, most probably for the better. But what remains to be seen is whether interested stakeholders will be able to meet these demands without straying away from the low-budget aspect.