India's Rs. 1600 Tablet - Sakshat, Gets Hit by a Setback

It’s been quite a while since we first saw the cheapest tablet in India. The tablet was supposed to come at a price of Rs. 1600 and the launch was due on the 15th of January. Well, the date has passed but there's news now that the tender to make these tablets, which was previously given to HCL has been cancelled.

I belong... to no one

According to sources, the tender for the tablet was handed to HCL, but a mail doing the rounds inside the Ministry of HRD said that the selected vendor was making demands that were unreasonable. The Rs. 60 Crore tender is up for grabs again, so it’s time to wait and see who will actually take the dive.

While it looks like HCL has not confirmed about the news, there is no mention of it on government websites either. Also, it seems to be that the tablet was under a lot of speculation about it being completely outsourced from China.

We’ve had our share of delayed promises really, right from Mobile Number Portability to 3G Connectivity and now we have the tablet thingy. Maybe the government is not to be blamed completely, the fact that two parties should know about the whole deal before signing a contract is not rocket science.

Anyhow, the only option left is to wait (again!) and watch.

The Google Nexus S to be Launched in India as the Samsung GT-I9003

Android fans will remember the heartbreak and the rage that came with the Google Nexus One no-show in India. The phone was supposed to release here in a watered down avatar and obviously, we weren’t too happy about it, but it never did. That doesn’t seem to be the case with Google’s second generation smartphone though, because the Gingerbread-bearing Nexus S is supposedly on its way here in all its glory.

The Nexus S - India bound?

AndroidOS.in broke the news earlier, thanks to a tip from one of their Hyderabad readers who learnt about the impending release via a Samsung sales representative. Mrigesh, the reader, had just purchased a Galaxy S which turned out to be dead on arrival. Samsung were unable to replace his unit due to a shortage and instead told him to wait until February, because they were going to be bringing the Samsung GT-I9003 to India. That might just happen to be the model number for the Nexus S that comes with a Super Clear LCD screen - the one that is sold everywhere except the US and UK, who’ll be getting Super AMOLED versions.

Samsung are one of the top-selling brands in India and their Android phones are a huge hit here. They’d want to capitalise on this we’re sure, so don’t be surprised if the phone does end up launching here in February. We just hope it’s released here at an unlocked price lower than EU’s, which is €650 (Rs. 38,900). For more information on the Nexus S

Sony’s “Next Generation Portable”

Sony rolled out its next-generation PlayStation portable gaming system today, with similar appearance to its current PlayStation portable, but with a higher-resolution 5-inch 960×544-pixel OLED touchscreen.
Calling it the “Next Generation Portable” (but it’s clearly marked PlayStation), Sony showed a new user interface similar to the iPhone. It’s controlled by what Sony says are the first dual analog control sticks. Also on board are social gaming capabilities, location-based games, and compatibility with Sony’s PlayStation 3 gaming console.
A surprising feature are touch controls on the front and back of the unit. It’s also equipped with front and rear cameras, motion sensors, and both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity. Sony didn’t say which processor would power the hand-held gaming device, mentioning it would be the “most advanced.”

Sony says its PlayStation portable gaming system will be available at the end of this year, in time for the holiday season.

Top 10 Twitter Trends This Week Chart

This week offers a mixed bag of Twitter trends, and the surprising absence of one item we thought would certainly make the list.
As we’ve seen in the past, international sports usually drive a huge chunk of the Twitter discussion. This week’s number one trend was focused on a particular incident: the suspension of Scottish soccer commentator Andy Gray after he reportedly made sexist remarks off the air. A media frenzy, combined with plenty of public outcry, sent the story straight up to the number one slot.
In the entertainment realm, Bieber and Gaga fought it out for the number two slot, with the boy wonder just edging out the fame monster. Bieber has a 3-D movie coming out soon, and Gaga has a new album on the way.
Surprisingly, the State of the Union address, given by President Obama this past Tuesday, was nowhere to be found in the top 10, despite the onslaught of tweets during and after the speech. Our friends at What the Trend, who compiled the data below, told us that this topic peaked at around number 20.
For the full list of top trends, check out the chart below. Because this is a topical list, hashtag memes and games have been omitted from the chart.
You can check past Twitter trends in our Top Twitter Topics section, and read more about this past week’s trends on What The Trend.

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Top Twitter Trends This Week: 1/22 – 1/28