Did Aakash inspire Raspberry Pi?

BANGALORE, INDIA: Unarguably, India's Aakash, a low-cost tablet, has become a model for other countries which are keen on adopting the same technology. As an affordable educational tool, the tablet opened a door to the new tech world, which otherwise would have remained elusive for lakhs of students in rural India.

The device priced $35 (approximately Rs 1,700) was given free to students in schools and colleges in order to encourage them to get hands-on experience in computers and technology. Now, it seems Aakash's fame has reached Britain, which has come up with a similar venture.

Also read: Aakash sold out, UbiSlate available in March

Raspberry Pi, a British computer, has gone on sale for £22 (Approx INR 1717) and is meant to inspire a new generation of schoolchildren to learn to program.

According to a Guardian report, Eben Upton, the founder of the charity behind the scheme, said the idea is to give one away to every child as they reach a new school year so that they can do their own programming and learn to control computers, rather than be controlled by them.

Also read: Has the battery run out on Aakash?

Raspberry Pi can be plugged into a TV set and has a USB port for a keyboard, Ethernet port, SD card slot, and an HDMI port for video output.

With this upgraded assemble, Raspberry Pi is far more cheaper than Aakash. Aakash may be facing many complaints in terms of technical glitches, but what needs to be appreciated is the idea of low-cost device meant exclusively to encourage students. In this, Aakash wins hands on.