NEWS: Simputer to be launched in Africa, Middle East markets

["Frederick Noronha" <fred@bytesforall.org>]

Simputer to be launched in Africa, Middle East markets

By Sudeshna Banerjee, Indo-Asian News Service

New Delhi, Nov 25 (IANS) Simputer, a hand-held computing device 
developed in India to take Internet to the rural masses, is set to be 
launched in the Middle East and African markets soon, its promoter 
said Monday.  

"We are looking at the market potentials of Africa and the Middle 
East to give out Simputer for contract manufacturing," said Vinay 
Deshpande, chairman and chief executive officer of Encore Software.  

"We are currently looking at volume demand in those markets so that 
manufacturing becomes a cheaper option," Deshpande, whose firm is one 
of the two key licence holders of the Simputer, told IANS on the 
sidelines of a business summit here.  

Deshpande and two of Encore's other co-founders are part of the 
Simputer Trust, which developed the device with a group of computer 
scientists from Bangalore's prestigious Indian Institute of Science.  


The Simputer, or Simple, Inexpensive, Multilingual Computer, is 
slightly larger than a regular handheld personal computer and uses 
the free-to-use Linux operating system.  

In India, Encore has already entered into manufacturing tie-ups with 
TVS Electronics and Peninsular Electronics in the state of Karnataka. 
 

The company is also scouting for a third manufacturer in the state, 
and the deal is likely to be finalised in the next few days, said 
Deshpande.  

Encore has already entered into a joint venture agreement with 
Singapore Economic Development Board to manufacture the device. "The 
idea is to manufacture and market Simputer at a competitive price," 
Deshpande said.  

Simputer, which is currently being promoted only in educational 
institutions in India, is expected to hit the domestic market in a 
big way next month.  

--Indo-Asian News Service