India is a country that is going through a big change these days, the number of internet users is rising and its the introduction of new low cost devices that is driving Internet adoption. We knew that it wouldn’t be long before some Indian manufacturers enter this lucrative market.
Indian manufacturers have taken Android seriously and we already see a bunch of phones that are available but these devices we are about to tell you are not smartphones. Both are as different from each other as they can be.
Bharti’s Android Tablet
The first one comes from India’s biggest network operator Bharti plans to unveil and Android powered 7 inch tablet next month. The tablet will run Android version 2.2 ( Froyo ) and although there is no word on the pricing, the tablets are targeted towards the Indian market and will be priced competitively. But Beetel, an arm of Bharti plans to launch more tablets in the future. The detail specs of the tablet are still under wraps but we’ll find out soon.
Vodafone, the second largest network operator in India has planned a very different device. A device that was earlier announced in February this year for South Africa called Webbox.
Vodafone Webbox
The Webbox is an Android 2.1 powered device that pushes out video output. This video output can be connected to the back of any ordinary TV and convert it into a supercool nano computer. Expected to be priced around 5k-6k this device has the potential to turn any ordinary TV into an ‘internet portal’. Opera Mini V5 browser together with support for SMS and email messaging, FM radio, photo gallery and a music player make this a cool device to complement your TV. The device is 2.5G compatible and currently tests are on in Kerala on the feasibility of this device.source
Webbox Specifications
- QWERTY keypad
- 2.5G GPRS-EDGE dual-band (MSM7227)
- Internal Antenna (utilizing larger housing for improved radio reception)
- Android OS with Opera mini V5 & email
- Audio / video format (AAC, AAC+, AAC+ Enhanced, MP3, Midi, AMR, OGG & H.263, H.264, mpeg4)
- Micro SD card
- FM Radio
- TV output: connectivity box mixes TV out with TV antenna signal, directly fed into antenna-in of TV, integrated cable (audio, video, power, FM antenna)
So what are your thoughts about these two devices? We think the Webbox is an awesome device but limiting its capability to 2.5G might be a disadvantage (considering that it is supposed to be an Internet media consumption device and how Indians go gaga over videos on the internet).
What are your thoughts? Let us know.
