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In an effort to introduce digital technology to less privileged citizens and reduce their country’s reliance on foreign ownership to digital technologies, Bangladesh and India have each launched their own laptops and a tablet respectively.

The government of Bangladesh recently launched a line of domestically made laptops, branded Doel, after the country’s national bird, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in capital Dhaka.

The first to be manufactured in the country, Doel laptops are made by the state-owned telecom Telephone Shilpa Sanghstha (TSS). While only 10% is currently being manufactured within Bangladesh, TSS managing director Mohammad Ismael is confident that within the next six months, they would be able to produce 60% of the parts.

Unsurprisingly, the Doels use free software with the 10,000 Taka ($132) running Android and its three other brothers pre-installed with a “Linux based OS.”

According to DotNews, the specs of the four Doel models launched are:

Model 2102

• 10.0″ LCD Panel (1024*600)
• VIA 8650 800MHz
• 512 MB RAM
• Integrated 0.3 MP Webcam
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
• 2 USB 2.0
• SD Slot for Max 32 GB
• Google Android Integrated
• 10,000 Taka = $132

Model 0703

• 10.1″ (1024*600) WXGA LED Backlit
• Intel® ATOM Processor N455 1.66GHz
• 1GB DDR3
• Samsung SATA 250 GB HDD
• Integrated 1.3 MP Webcam
• 802.11 b/g/n
• 3 USB 2.0
• Linux Based OS
• · 12,000 Taka = $158

Model 2603

• 13.3″ (1360*768) WXGA LED Backlit
• Intel® ATOM Processor D525 1.8GHz
• 2GB DDR3
• Samsung SATA 320GB HDD
• Integrated 1.3 MP Webcam
• 802.11 b/g/n
• 3 USB 2.0
• Linux Based OS
• 21,000 Taka = $277.87

Model 1612

• 14.0″ (1920*1020) LED Backlit
• Intel® Celeron Dual
• Core T3500 2.1 GHz
• 2GB DDR3
• Samsung SATA 320GB HDD
• DVD Writer (Samsung)
• Integrated 1.3 MP Webcam
• 802.11 b/g/n
• 4 USB 2.0
• Linux Based OS
• 25,000Taka = $330.80

Digital Bangladesh

The manufacture and launch of the laptops was part of “Digital Bangladesh”, an ambitious government plant to digitally connect the country by 2021.

"This is a big step towards building a digital Bangladesh. When villages get laptops at a cheaper price they will be connected to the Internet and that will bring lots of benefits," TSS’ Ismail told the BBC.

Hasina explained that under Digital Bangladesh, “Every part of the country will be brought under e-governance, while the telecommunications system is being modernized to cut the digital divide.”

The BBC report added that the laptops shall initially be distributed to various government departments but shall later be made available to the public. The officials also claimed that their laptops are among the cheapest in the world.

The Doels are the product of collaboration between TSS, the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, the Malaysian Thin Film Transistor (TFT), and “foreign experts”.

The Indian Tablet

The Bangladesh laptops come at the heels of India’s effort to produce its own tablet, which was launched early this month.

According to technology blog Engadget, the 2,999 Rupee ($60) Aakash (Hindi word for “sky”) tablet, is actually Datawind’s Ubislate 7, and has a seven-inch 800 x 480 resistive touchscreen, with a 366Mhz Connexant CPU, 256 RAM, and 2 GB of internal storage (expandable via micro SD) running Froyo and the Getjar Market. The tablet has a maximum battery life of three hours and for connectivity, have 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi and a GPRS modem.

First announced in 2009, the said tablet, a project led by India’s Human Resource Development Minister Kipal Sibal has consistently been plagued by delays.

The device has been developed by the Indian Institute of Technology, along with Datawind, a London-based company.

Reuters reported that the tablet is aimed at university students for “digital learning via a government platform that distributes electronic books and courses.”

Indian students who want to purchase the Aakash shall get it for only $35 next year thanks to government subsidy. The first 100,000 units shall also be given to students for free, with the first 500 handed out during the launch.

Ending the digital divide

At a time where a few private corporations own and control the technology that the rest of the world relies on, these national efforts is nothing short of admirable, if not lofty.

These products may be incomparable to the specs and the features of the newest products from leading technology companies. In fact, Reuters, in its report said critics of the Aakash were doubtful of its mass appeal and some users said the device was “slow.

Critics of Bangladesh’s Doel, meanwhile, have raised doubts on the effectiveness of distributing laptops alone in helping the country to connect digitally. The parts of the devices also depend on foreign manufacturers and technologies.

Nonetheless, these are significant steps, albeit small, towards providing digital access to the underprivileged and marginalized.

Internet World Stats reports that India’s Internet usage, 10,000,000 people, is just 8.5% of the country’s population in 2010. In Bangladesh, IWS cites Facebook data of 995, 560 users, or 0.6% of the total population. (For comparison, 31.6% of China’s population has Internet access despite its size.)

According to India’s Minister Sibal, “The rich have access to the digital world, the poor and ordinary have been excluded.” The Aakash and the Doel are attempts to “end that digital divide.”

Photos from DotNews and NDTV.Some rights reserved.