Thanks for sharing this news.
There were two different devices shown by India's Minister of Human Resources Development, so I think they are more a proof of concept than an actual product. That said, the low, low price is intriguing!
Reportedly, the Indian government first approached the Indian electronics industry to produce a low-cost computing and Internet access device for education. The response from industry executives was "lukewarm."
So the Ministry called upon its university resources. Professors and students at several colleges collaborated, refining and simplifying the designs. The results were displayed at the news conference.
The Indian government sees three advantages in this project:
-- increased access to information for students
-- equity in educational tools for all students
-- improved quality of educational instruction
The Indian government wants to distribute more University-level courses in electronic form via the Internet. The $35 device would become the standard tool to receive the classes. "Distance Learning" is important in India because it's easier (and faster) to package and distribute a top professor's course than it is to create more talented professors.
More information about the project can be found here
http://trak.in/tags/business/2010/07/22/35-usd-computing-device-launched-mhrd-india/
