The Honorable President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee and the Human Resources and Development (HRD) Minister, MM Pallam Raju launched the much-awaited and talked about tablet of the nation, 'Aakash 2' on the occasion of National Education Day at Vigyan Bhawan recently. The Aakash 2 tablet has been designed, developed and manufactured by DataWind for supply to IIT Bombay under the Human Resources & Development ministry's National Mission on Education through Information & Communication Technology (NME-ICT).

The launch was part of a 2-day workshop conducted by IIT Bombay for teaching faculties in engineering colleges using remote training applications developed at IIT Bombay's Open Source development lab.

The commercial version of the Aakash 2 unit is branded as UbiSlate 7Ci, and is available for purchase on DataWind's website. Reviews on the unit have been very strong. Feedback from samples distributed to Indian Federal Union Ministers and State Chief Ministers has been "Very Good", according to officials at the HRD ministry. Washington Post columnist and highly respected commentator Vivek Wadhwa said, "It has the potential of revolutionizing India, putting millions of Indians on the Net instantly."

Speaking on the launch of Aakash 2, Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO, DataWind said, "We wish to use technology to fight poverty with a passion. Access to computers and internet will help deliver a better quality education and level the playing field for all Indians."

"We are not done yet. We will continue to drive pricing down and make internet devices and access affordable for all tiers of society," said Raja Singh Tuli, co-chairman and chief technology officer, DataWind. A globally recognized inventor, Raja Singh Tuli has received over 50 patents across various technologies.

At Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, the President and the HRD Minister addressed the huge audience present and launched the most prestigious project of the Govt of India with a live demonstration of the Aakash 2 tablet, while interacting with teachers in 240 colleges and universities across India.

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